all part to the prowess of one player,
George Sisler, '15_e_, who, from his first season in 1913, showed the
extraordinary ability that made him not only Michigan's greatest
baseball player but one of the best all-round players in the history of
the game. While in the University he alternated as pitcher and left
fielder and was captain of the team in 1914. This was the year Carl
Lundgren began his successful career as baseball coach. An unexpected
weakness in critical games and an unfortunate discussion over
professionalism were probably the reasons for the poor success in 1915
of what was essentially an unusually competent team, while a nine
composed almost entirely of inexperienced players counted heavily
against the 1916 record.

With the declaration of war in the spring of 1917 all forms of athletics
were suspended. The value of outdoor sports, as a means of developing
the physique of the future soldier, as well as the powers of leadership
and co-operation so necessary in military service, was not at first
recognized, and only after the baseball and track seasons of 1917 were
long past was a more reasonable attitude toward collegiate athletics
inaugurated as a result of an earnest plea on the part of the
Government that, as far as practicable, they be re-established.

Michigan's return to the Western Conference early in 1918 was marked by
her first undisputed baseball championship since 1905, the team winning
nine out of ten Conference games played. This record was practically
repeated in 1919, the Varsity winning all but one out of a schedule of
thirteen games, and that one not with a Conference college. The 1920
season was equally satisfactory.

Football was introduced in the University a few years after the
establishment of baseball. The first record of a game appears to be the
following notice in the _Chronicle_ of a game played on April 23, 1870.

The first foot-ball match in the University of late came off on
Saturday last, between the fresh and sophs. Seven goals, or byes,
or tallies, or scores, or something--we are not _au fait_ on
foot-ball phraseology--constituted the game, which was won by the
freshmen, the sophs coming out second best each time. Foot-ball is
a new institution on the Campus, but bids fair to be popular, at
least on cool days.

This was not strictly the first appearance of the game, as the sophomore
class in 1866 had secured a football, and the resul