Spring 2017 Michigan in the World team, left to right: Nora Krinitsky, Meghan Clark, Michelle McClellan, Avi Sholkoff, Andrés Pletch, Reine Patterson, Jacob Myers, Will Sherman, and Dominic Coschino. (photo: Gregory Parker)

In May, six U-M History majors holed up in the Bentley Historical Library for an intensive look at the history of U-M athletics. Eight weeks later, they launched “Go Blue: Competition, Controversy, and Community in Michigan Athletics,” an online exhibit that presents a critical history of sports at U-M.

Undergraduates Meghan Clark, Avi Sholkoff, Reine Patterson, Jacob Myers, Will Sherman, and Dominic Coschino were led by Professor Michelle McClellan and recent PhDs Andrés Pletch and Nora Krinitsky. The students covered topics ranging from the business of mass marketing the block M to the saga of Willis Ward, who was benched by the university in a 1934 football game after visiting opponent Georgia Tech demanded the exclusion of black players.

The project was the latest iteration of Michigan in the World, a public history program featuring research conducted by History majors about the University of Michigan and its relationship to local, state, national, and global events.

View the exhibit at michiganintheworld.history.lsa.umich.edu/michiganathletics/.