Michigan Wolverines' Historical Roller Football Match

In the spring of 1885, the Michigan Wolverines football team participated in a roller football match at Ann Arbor's Palace Rink against a Detroit team known as the Princess. The Wolverines emerged victorious, winning in two straight innings, but this event did not make it into the official record books.

The match was played during a time when roller skating was a popular craze, and football on skates was an attraction for rink managers. Despite its significance, the game was viewed as a mere exhibition and was not considered real football by record-keepers.

Roller football had been gaining traction in various locations, with reports of similar matches occurring in England as early as 1882. The sport has seen periodic revivals, including a notable resurgence in Detroit in 1949 and a modern iteration of roller soccer in 1995. Michigan's brief foray into this sport remains a curious footnote in the history of football.