Shorty McMillan
Encyclopedia
Neil "Shorty" McMillan was an American football
quarterback
for the University of Michigan
from 1910–1911.
, McMillan enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1909 and led the freshman football team to an undefeated season, leading to high expectations for the 1910 team under his leadership.
McMillan started all six games for Michigan in the 1910 season in which the Wolverines went undefeated but also played in three tie games for a final record of 3–0–3. In his first year of college football
, McMillan developed a reputation as an "exceptional quarter back", and Michigan's head coach Fielding H. Yost said "he never had a man handle the work in that position as well as did McMillan in his first year." His accomplishments were considered all the more impressive when it was discovered that he had played the hardest home games of the 1910 season with a broken shoulder. McMillan was credited with a tough performance in Michigan's scoreless tie with Penn. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported: "Little McMillan was hurt several times, but he always 'came back.'" In the final game of the 1910 season, Michigan defeated Minnesota
6 to 0, as "two beautifully executed forward passes" from McMillan to left end Stanley Borleske won the game for Michigan.
Prior to the start of the 1911 football season, there were doubts as to whether McMillan would return, as he considered quitting college to work in his father's office in Detroit. McMillan did return to Michigan and was given the starting quarterback job. He led the Wolverines to a 4–0 record in the first four games of the season, outscoring the opposition 67 to 11, including a 19–0 shutout against Ohio State
. However, McMillan sustained a dislocated knee during a practice scrimmage in early November 1911, and James Craig was forced to take over at the quarterback spot. A newspaper report in late November indicated that McMillan was still on the "hospital list" with a "badly bruised side." Without McMillan in the starting lineup, the Wolverines went 1–1–2 in the final four games of the season.
In a career shortened by injury, McMillan started only ten games at quarterback, but never lost a game he started. The Wolverines' record in games with McMillan as the starting quarterback was 7–0–3.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1910–1911.
Playing career
A native of Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, McMillan enrolled at the University of Michigan in 1909 and led the freshman football team to an undefeated season, leading to high expectations for the 1910 team under his leadership.
McMillan started all six games for Michigan in the 1910 season in which the Wolverines went undefeated but also played in three tie games for a final record of 3–0–3. In his first year of college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
, McMillan developed a reputation as an "exceptional quarter back", and Michigan's head coach Fielding H. Yost said "he never had a man handle the work in that position as well as did McMillan in his first year." His accomplishments were considered all the more impressive when it was discovered that he had played the hardest home games of the 1910 season with a broken shoulder. McMillan was credited with a tough performance in Michigan's scoreless tie with Penn. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported: "Little McMillan was hurt several times, but he always 'came back.'" In the final game of the 1910 season, Michigan defeated Minnesota
Minnesota Golden Gophers football
The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...
6 to 0, as "two beautifully executed forward passes" from McMillan to left end Stanley Borleske won the game for Michigan.
Prior to the start of the 1911 football season, there were doubts as to whether McMillan would return, as he considered quitting college to work in his father's office in Detroit. McMillan did return to Michigan and was given the starting quarterback job. He led the Wolverines to a 4–0 record in the first four games of the season, outscoring the opposition 67 to 11, including a 19–0 shutout against Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes football
The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is an intercollegiate varsity sports team of The Ohio State University. The team is a member of the Big Ten Conference of the NCAA, playing at the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, formerly Division I-A, level. The team nickname is derived from the state...
. However, McMillan sustained a dislocated knee during a practice scrimmage in early November 1911, and James Craig was forced to take over at the quarterback spot. A newspaper report in late November indicated that McMillan was still on the "hospital list" with a "badly bruised side." Without McMillan in the starting lineup, the Wolverines went 1–1–2 in the final four games of the season.
In a career shortened by injury, McMillan started only ten games at quarterback, but never lost a game he started. The Wolverines' record in games with McMillan as the starting quarterback was 7–0–3.