Click here for a video of the Michigan National Championship Celebration.
Click here for a historical video about the MacArthur Bowl.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. (Jan. 14, 2024) – The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame yesterday formally presented the University of Michigan football team and head coach Jim Harbaugh with the MacArthur Bowl, the organization’s national championship trophy for the Football Bowl Subdivision, during the National Championship Celebration at the Crisler Center, the home indoor arena for the school’s basketball and gymnastics teams.
“This trophy represents the pinnacle of team achievement in college football and in sports, and it’s been awarded to every national champion since 1959,” said NFF Board of Trustee Member Jason Hanold, who made the presentation on behalf of the NFF. “We are exceptionally pleased to continue this tradition by engraving the name of the 2023 Michigan Wolverines on the sides of this historic trophy… So, on behalf of the National Football Foundation, the College Football Hall of Fame’s board of directors, our Chairman Archie Manning, CEO Steve Hatchell, and the 1,326 College Football Hall of Fame inductees, including 39 Wolverine players and coaches, it’s my absolute honor to present the MacArthur Bowl championship trophy to coach Jim Harbaugh, his staff, the University of Michigan and the 2023 national champion Michigan Wolverines, Congratulations!”
More than 50,000 people lined a parade route, enduring temperatures in the 20s, before the event, and Coach Harbaugh accepted the award on behalf of his 2023 Michigan football team in front of a capacity crowd inside the Crisler Center. In addition to Coach Harbaugh and Michigan Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics Warde Manuel, several of the key players on the team took the stage to make remarks, including quarterback JJ McCarthy, linebacker Michael Barrett, offensive lineman Trevor Keegan, defensive lineman Kris Jenkins, NFF National Scholar-Athlete and offensive lineman Zak Zinter, defensive back Mike Sainristil and running back Blake Corum.
The NFF previously announced No. 1 Michigan (15-0) as the recipient of the 2023 NFF MacArthur Bowl National Championship Trophy following the team’s 34-13 victory over No. 2 Washington (14-1) Jan. 8 in the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship at NRG Stadium in Houston. The name of the 2023 Wolverine team will now be etched alongside the greatest teams in college football history on the fabled MacArthur Bowl Championship Trophy, including the 1997 Michigan team. The trophy is housed at the Chick-fil-A College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.
The event was hosted by the Champions Circle Collective and was preceded by a parade throughout Ann Arbor and the University of Michigan campus. The celebration from Crisler Center was televised live by the Big Ten Network and streamed on the FOX Sports App.
Presented to every national champion since 1959, the MacArthur Bowl represents the pinnacle of team achievement in college sports, and each year during its 65-year history a new name has been etched alongside the greatest teams of all time. The trophy, a replica of a football stadium, features archways with space to engrave the names of 100 teams and miniature goal posts. The trophy was the gift of an anonymous donor, who commissioned Tiffany & Co. to craft it from 400 ounces of silver, in honor of early NFF leader General Douglas MacArthur. It took eight months to make, and the trophy features MacArthur’s famous quote: “There Is No Substitute For Victory.”
With the win, Michigan claimed its second MacArthur Bowl, having captured the trophy in 1997, under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Lloyd Carr. The school’s last outright title came in 1948, which predated the presentation of the MacArthur Bowl. The Wolverines’ 15 victories mark the most wins by a school in Big Ten history and only the sixth time in history that a team has achieved 15-wins. A team in the current Big Ten has now claimed the trophy 14 times.
Twenty-four different schools have claimed the trophy at least once during its 65-year history. Alabama has hoisted it the most, claiming it 10 times. Notre Dame is second with five wins while Ohio State, Miami (FL), Southern California and Texas have each etched their names four times on the trophy. Clemson, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Nebraska and Oklahoma each boast three trophies. Michigan, Michigan State and Penn State have each won the trophy twice.
During college football’s Poll Era, the NFF MacArthur Bowl Committee selected the recipient of the trophy. With the advent of the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) in 1998, the national championship game has determined which team claimed the MacArthur Bowl, a tradition that continues under the College Football Playoff.
First presented in 1959, NFF National Champions and MacArthur Bowl recipients include: Syracuse 1959, Minnesota 1960, Alabama 1961, Southern California 1962, Texas 1963, Notre Dame 1964, Michigan State 1965, Michigan State/Notre Dame 1966, Southern California 1967, Ohio State 1968, Texas 1969, Ohio State/Texas 1970, Nebraska 1971, Southern California 1972, Notre Dame 1973, Southern California 1974, Oklahoma 1975, Pittsburgh 1976, Notre Dame 1977, Alabama 1978, Alabama 1979, Georgia 1980, Clemson 1981, Penn State 1982, Miami (FL) 1983, Brigham Young 1984, Oklahoma 1985, Penn State 1986, Miami (FL) 1987, Notre Dame 1988, Miami (FL) 1989, Colorado 1990, Washington 1991, Alabama 1992, Florida State 1993, Nebraska 1994, Nebraska 1995, Florida 1996, Michigan 1997, Tennessee 1998, Florida State 1999, Oklahoma 2000, Miami (FL) 2001, Ohio State 2002, LSU 2003, Vacated 2004, Texas 2005, Florida 2006, LSU 2007, Florida 2008, Alabama 2009, Auburn 2010, Alabama 2011, Alabama 2012, Florida State 2013, Ohio State 2014, Alabama 2015, Clemson 2016, Alabama 2017, Clemson 2018, LSU 2019, Alabama 2020, Georgia 2021, Georgia 2022 and Michigan 2023.
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