Frank Shipp

Albion College Defeats Notre Dame University

Frank Shipp (1872-1951) attended Albion College in Albion Michigan in the 1890’s. The following is autobiographical and picks up his sophomore year (1892). Some Snapshots are best told by the subject of the story. These are his words with some clarification in [brackets].

I had never played football, but had watched the team practice the year before, and did the same when I returned. I would have like to play but had no suit, and no money to buy one, for in those days everyone furnished their own outfit. The first team was always looking for “scrubs” to come out and be pushed around, so the team could have some practice. One day a friend of mine who had a suit, and was away for a few days, brought his suit to my room and asked me to go out the next day and take his place on the “scrubs”, which I consented to do. After a little ball tossing the teams lined up for practice. I was placed on the left end and told to stop anyone who came around that way. Jake Anderson was playing left half for the regulars and an excellent player and a hard runner. Soon I saw him coming my way and tackled him low and stopped him in his tracks. That play was the turning point in my career at Albion.

One of the scrubs ran up to me and said “Don’t tackle him again, he will kill you!” but I knew from the tackle that he was no stronger than I was, and for one I was not afraid. The last thing I did that fall before going to school was to cut twenty acres of corn for Aunt Louisa Ball, and I cut it in twelve days, tho an acre a day was good work in that kind of corn. I would be eighteen in a few days, weighed 160 pounds, and was as hard as nails. Prof. Samuel Barr, head of the Math Dept. was watching the game, and later came over and asked my name, and suggested that I had better come out regularly for practice. Someone found me a suit, and I always played until graduation. This experience gave me some of the confidence I so much needed, for I had done something that won the applause of the students.

[A few years later]

University of Michigan football team, 1894

After the football season in the fall [1893] the team elected the captain for the coming year and this year I was elected. There was a good supply of material and we decided to have an Eastern coach for the next season. In order to raise the money we sold tickets in the spring for the coming fall games; and when we had money enough to guarantee a coach I went to Ann Arbor to seek Keene Fitzpatrick, athletic director at the University [of Michigan], who promised to get us a coach when he went East to get one for the University. Fitz contracted Robert Gage of Harvard for us; we were to pay $40 per week and expenses and railroad fare to and from Albion. Hopes were high for a good team as the year closed.

Our coach was enthusiastic and a hard worker. We were on the field every day at three-thirty, rain or shine, and usually evenings in the gym working on signal practice. The team was as follows—L.E., Leland White; L.T., William Cogshall; L.G. William Narrin; C., Babe White; R.G., Carl Jacobs; R.T., John Landon; R.E., Roy Fulkerson; Q.B., Charles McPherson; L.H. Frank Shipp; R.H., Ames Haywood; F.B., Peter McCormick. Subs. R.C.P. Smith, Frank Walker,, W.B. Buck, [Frank's brother, William] Sam Shipp, Bee Hopkins, Ensigh Gill, Harold Harow. Robert Gage of Harvard [was the coach]. We played eight games, lost one to the University [of Michigan], tho our score was 24-10, tied one with Notre Dame, score 6 - 6, and won six.

Our most thrilling experience was with [the University of] Notre Dame. In those days their team was not allowed to go away, and all of [Notre Dame’s] games were played on their home grounds. Our first game was November 8th - my 22nd birthday - and we held them to a 6-6 tie. They were so surprised and disgusted that they asked for another game Thanksgiving, and as we had no game scheduled, we accepted. Studebaker, of the famous auto family, was their coach. If ever a team worked in preparation for a game it was ours.

At last the fateful day came, and we went to Notre Dame. All of the teams we had played were small colleges like ours, and we were not accustomed to such surroundings as we found here. We ate in a large dining room with the students. We waited outside until all of the students were standing in place and then we marched in, led by the Venerable Father Paul and were seated, after which the student body sat down. After the meal they all rose and stood while we marched out. We had never seen such a crowd at a game as we saw out on the field. Our Center was “Babe” White, six feet three inches tall and weighing 285 pounds, The game was late starting and when we kicked off “Babe” went down the field yelling, “Hurrah for [President Grover] Cleveland”. I was disgusted but the crowd yelled with delight. We soon had the ball and it was given to me the first play, and their quarterback in tackling me broke my nose. It bled terribly, and my jacket and pants were covered with blood but I would not stop. I think that the game meant more to me than life itself.

The game was now called on account of darkness and we had really won. We had no followers there, only the Coach and nineteen players, but I have never seen such a fine example of sportsmanship as the students showed us that day, when they came by the hundreds to congratulate us before we left.

[Final Score Albion 19, Notre Dame 12. Albion’s 1894 football squad posted a 6-1-1 record that included a win and a tie in games with the University of Notre Dame on the road and splitting contests with the University of Michigan]

Frank Shipp was Sam's great grandfather (paternal)