Numbers on Jerseys and Trailblazing Troopers | October 11

On this day in 1910, an op-ed in the Michigan Daily called for University of Michigan football players to wear numbers on their jerseys, but coach Fielding H. Yost opposed it, fearing it would hinder teamwork. It wasn’t until 1916 that players finally got numbers. Additionally, in 1974, Sandra Thompson was sworn in as Michigan's first Black female trooper, later becoming the first Black woman sergeant in the state before retiring in 1999 after 25 years of service.