Today's Tidbit... 1911 Eastern Michigan Athletes And Their Impact On Football

Eastern Michigan University has a long and proud history. Founded in 1849, it was America's fourth normal school, the first outside of New England, and the first normal school to offer a four-year curriculum in 1899. Based in Ypsilanti, a neighbor of Ann Arbor, the University of Michigan and Eastern Michigan played only six times between 1896 and 1998, contributing to the 102-year gap between the teams' first meeting and the Eagles scoring their first points in the series.

But we are not here to talk about the Maize and Blue. Instead, our focus is Ypsilanti Normal's 1911 football team, coached by Dwight Wilson in his first and only year at the helm. Returning eight of eleven starters, four left the team early due to parental objection to their playing, and others suffered injuries that limited their play. Their up-and-down season ended with a 3-4 record.

Notable among the Ypsi Normal players was Elton Rynearson, a sophomore left end who also played baseball and was a two-time basketball captain. He played minor league baseball for a bit before assisting in football. In 1917, he became the football and basketball head coach. Despite a few gap years, he coached football for 26 years and basketball for 21 before taking over as athletic director for another 15 years. Rynearson earned a 114-58-15 record in football, along with five conference titles. Eastern Michigan's football stadium was named in his honor when it opened in 1969.

The 1912 Ypsi Normal football team. Elton Rynearson is in the first row, second from left. (1912 Eastern Michigan yearbook)