Fielding Yost

Fielding Yost (born April 30, 1871, Fairview, West Virginia, U.S.—died August 20, 1946, Ann Arbor, Michigan) was an American collegiate football coach who was best known for his tenure at the University of Michigan (1901–23, 1925–26), where he also served as athletic director (1921–41). He became famous for his “point-a-minute” teams of 1901–05, which scored an average of 49.5 points per game to their opponents’ 0.07 and compiled a 55-game unbeaten streak that ended only in the final game of the 1905 season.

Yost taught school for a year in Ohio, where he learned to play football. He enrolled at Ohio Normal University (later Ohio Northern University) in 1890 but eventually left without taking a degree. After working in the West Virginia oil fields, he attended West Virginia University (1895–97), where he played tackle while earning an LL.B. Before he became coach at Michigan, Yost coached at Ohio Wesleyan University (1897), the University of Nebraska (1898), the University of Kansas (1899), and Stanford University (1900), at each of which schools he won a conference championship.

Teams he coached at Michigan won 165 games, lost 29, and tied 10. They had eight undefeated seasons and won or tied for 10 Big Ten (Western Conference) championships. He won his nickname from his constantly repeated admonition to his players, both in practice and in games, to “hurry up.” Swift execution of plays was the key to his coaching success.

Britannica Quiz

Great Moments in Sports Quiz

Yost was also a practicing lawyer, public speaker, and successful businessman.