Michigan’s relationship with the Rose Bowl goes all the way back to the beginning.
The Michigan Wolverines played in the first-ever Rose Bowl in 1902 and were beating Stanford so badly that the Cardinal quit in the third quarter trailing 49-0. To add insult to embarrassment, the game was so uncompetitive that the Tournament of Roses replaced the football contest for the next 13 years with chariot and ostrich races – you read that correctly – and other contests for more competitive entertainment. Imagine getting beaten so badly that organizers break out the ostriches.