| First meeting | October 29, 1892 Northwestern 10, Michigan 8 |
|---|---|
| Latest meeting | November 15, 2025 Michigan 24, Northwestern 22 |
| Next meeting | 2028 |
| Stadiums | Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, Michigan, U.S. Ryan Field Evanston, Illinois, U.S. |
| Statistics | |
| Meetings total | 78 |
| All-time series | Michigan leads 61–15–2 (.795)[1] |
| Trophy series | Michigan, 3–0 |
| Largest victory | Michigan, 69–0 (1975) |
| Longest win streak | Michigan, 19 (1966–1992) |
| Current win streak | Michigan, 9 (2011–present) |
TheGeorge Jewett Trophy is an Americancollege footballrivalrytrophy awarded to the winner of theMichigan–Northwestern football game. The trophy was established in 2021 in honor ofGeorge Jewett.
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TheMichigan Wolverines andNorthwestern Wildcats first played on October 29, 1892 inChicago. In that game, Michigan's first African American player,George Jewett, kicked a field goal and led Michigan's play on both offense and defense. Despite Jewett's effort, Northwestern prevailed by a score of 10–8.[2][3] Jewett transferred to Northwestern in 1893 and also became its first African American football player. Jewett scored Northwestern's only touchdown in its 1893 loss to Michigan.[4]
The Wildcats won six out of the first thirteen games before Michigan began to dominate the series. The two programs were co-champions of the Big Ten in the 1926, 1930 and 1931 seasons.[5] In 1925, Northwestern halted Michigan's march to a national championship with a 3–2 victory on a muddySoldier Field.[6][7] The three points scored by Northwestern were the only points allowed that season by the1925 Michigan team. Wolverines head coachFielding H. Yost called his team "the greatest football team I ever saw in action”.[8]
In 1948, the schools met withMichigan ranked No. 4 in theAP Poll andNorthwestern at No. 3. Michigan forced four turnovers and prevailed by a score of 28–0, as the Wolverines jumped to No. 1 en route to a national championship that season.[9][10] The Wildcats returned to prominence under head coachAra Parseghian, defeating the Wolverines in consecutive games in 1958 and 1959.[11][12] Following Parseghian's departure, the series reached its lowest point as Michigan won 19 consecutive games from 1966 to 1992.
In 1995, No. 25 Northwestern scored 10 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to shock No. 6 Michigan, 19–13. The Wildcats took advantage of four Michigan turnovers, andPat Fitzgerald led Northwestern with 14 tackles, including two tackles for a loss. It was Northwestern's first victory over Michigan in 30 years, and first win inAnn Arbor since 1959.[13] This upset led Northwestern to a 10–2 season, reaching as high as No. 3 in the rankings. The Wildcats won their first Big Ten Conference title that season since 1936, and were invited to play in theRose Bowl for the first time since 1948.[14][15] Additional Northwestern upsets of highly ranked Michigan teams in 1996 and 2000 were key in Northwestern's Big Ten title winning seasons. The 1995, 1996 and 2000 teams are Northwestern's only three Big Ten champions in the AP Poll era. Prior to the creation of the Jewett Trophy, Michigan held a 58–15–2 advantage in the series.[16]
In 2021, theUniversity of Michigan andNorthwestern University announced the creation of the George Jewett Trophy to be awarded to the football game's winner. The trophy honorsGeorge Jewett, who was the first African American college football player to play in theBig Ten Conference and at both schools. This marked the firstFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS) rivalry game trophy named for an African American player.[17][18][19] Michigan won the inaugural George Jewett Trophy on October 23, 2021, when the No. 6 rankedWolverines defeated theWildcats 33–7 atMichigan Stadium.[20]
They played for the second time in the trophy series on November 23, 2024. The Wolverines came in to the game as thereigning national champions, but failed to replicate the success of seasons past, entering the game with a 5–5 record as they met the 4-6 Wildcats.Michigan defeatedNorthwestern 50–6 in the penultimate game of the regular season, retaining the George Jewett and improving to 2–0 in the trophy game.Running backKalel Mullings rushed for three touchdowns as Michigan became bowl eligible with the win.[21]
| Michigan victories | Northwestern victories | Tie games |
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The University of Michigan and Northwestern University have established the first rivalry game trophy named for an African American player in Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) history, creating the George Jewett Trophy, announced jointly by the two institutions today (Thursday, Feb. 25).
This becomes the Big Ten's 16th rivalry game trophy – the third for Michigan (Little Brown Jug, Paul Bunyan Trophy) and second for Northwestern (Land of Lincoln Trophy).
