Today's Tidbit... The First Football Game in the Midwest, and Fudge

The first football game in the Midwest was played at White Stockings Park in Chicago on May 30, 1879. The University of Michigan was one of the teams taking the field that day, which should surprise no one.

Their opponent was Racine College of Wisconsin, which should surprise everyone who was not already aware of Racine's contribution to college football history. Racine played college football until 1887, when the school dropped its college division, retaining only the prep school until it closed in 1934.

A Racine College postcard, printed in Germany that misspells Racine. (Personal collection)

Touted as being played for the championship of Western colleges, the game was easily Racine College football's high point. It is also easy to identify the program's low point, which came in 1903. Let's cover the high point first.