Football 3× National (1933, 1935, 1947) 2× Big Ten (1943, 1947)
Awards
AFCA Coach of the Year (1947)
Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (1979)
First-team All-American (1921)
First-team All-Big Ten (1921)
College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 1954 (profile)
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler (/ˈkraɪslər/KRY-slər; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the father of two-platoon football",[1] an innovation in which separate units of players were used for offense and defense. Crisler developed two-platoon football while serving as head coach at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1947. He also coached at the University of Minnesota (1930–1931) and Princeton University (1932–1937). Before coaching, he played football at the University of Chicago under Amos Alonzo Stagg, who nicknamed him Fritz after violinist Fritz Kreisler.
During his 18-year career as a head football coach, Crisler's teams won 116 games, lost 32, and tied 9. At Michigan, Crisler won 71 games, lost 16, and tied 3 for a winning percentage of .806. Crisler introduced the distinctive winged football helmet to the Michigan Wolverines in 1938. The Michigan football team has worn a version of the design ever since. Crisler had first introduced the winged helmet design at Princeton in 1935.[2] He was also the head basketball coach at Princeton for two seasons from 1932 to 1934, tallying a mark of 32–11.
Crisler's 1947 Michigan Wolverines football team, dubbed the "Mad Magicians," had an undefeated campaign, ending with a 49–0 triumph over the USC Trojans in the 1948 Rose Bowl. Afterwards, the team was selected the national champion by the Associated Press in an unprecedented post-bowl vote. Crisler retired from coaching after the 1947 season and served as the University of Michigan's athletic director from 1941 to 1968. Crisler was also a member of the NCAA football rules committee for 41 years and its chairman for nine years.
Crisler Center, home of the Michigan men's and women's basketball teams, was renamed in honor of Crisler in 1970. In addition, one "extra" seat in Michigan Stadium was added to honor Crisler for his special place in the history of Michigan football. However, its location is unknown.
^Cite error: The named reference CFHOF was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^After 61 years, "Tiger" helmet returns to Princeton. Princeton Alumni Weekly (PAW), September 9, 1998
Herbert Orin "Fritz" Crisler (/ˈkraɪslər/ KRY-slər; January 12, 1899 – August 19, 1982) was an American college football coach who is best known as "the...
Herbert O. "Fritz" Crisler, head football coach at Michigan from 1938 to 1947 and athletic director thereafter until his retirement in 1968. Crisler Center...
the 1902 Rose Bowl, the first college football bowl game ever played. FritzCrisler brought his winged helmet from Princeton University in 1938 and led...
Look up Crisler in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Crisler may refer to: FritzCrisler (1899–1982), American college football coach Crisler Center, an...
nine other coaches have led the Wolverines to postseason bowl games: FritzCrisler, Bennie Oosterbaan, Bump Elliott, Bo Schembechler, Gary Moeller, Lloyd...
1937 to 1939. He was an assistant football coach at Michigan under FritzCrisler from 1940 to 1941. He later served as a high school football and track...
The one "extra seat" in Michigan Stadium is said to be reserved for FritzCrisler, athletic director at the time. Since then, all official Michigan Stadium...
on the university radio station on Fridays. In 1938, Michigan hired FritzCrisler as its new football coach. As a sophomore, Harmon started seven of eight...
University of Michigan from 1946 to 1949 under legendary head coaches FritzCrisler and Bennie Oosterbaan. He was the starting quarterback for the 1949...
the Crisler years covers the history of the University of Michigan Wolverines football program during the period from the hiring of FritzCrisler as head...
Dworsky designed Crisler Arena, the basketball arena at the University of Michigan named for Dworsky's former football coach, FritzCrisler. Other professional...
Nine Conference football season. In its tenth year under head coach FritzCrisler, Michigan compiled a perfect 10–0 record, won the Big Ten Conference...
in 1950 – Paul Brown 1943 Michigan 6–0 8–1 No. 3 Started in 1950 – FritzCrisler Purdue 6–0 9–0 No. 5 Started in 1950 – Elmer Burnham 1944 Ohio State...
Western Michigan 1959 Major League pitcher and author of Ball Four Herb "Fritz" Crisler Chicago football coach and athletic director at the University of Chicago...
Kipke in 1932 and 1933 and two more consecutive championships under FritzCrisler and Bennie Oosterbaan in 1947 and 1948. Michigan then won a national...
State in each of his first three games, following Fielding H. Yost and FritzCrisler. The Wolverines concluded that season with a win over Washington State...
12, 2023. ...presents the national championship Litkenhous trophy to FritzCrisler, coach of Michigan's 1947 team. Litkenhous Ratings Championship — 1961...
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