Stanley Muirhead
Encyclopedia
Stanley Nelson Muirhead (August 29, 1902 – September 14, 1942) was an American football
player. He played at the tackle
position for the University of Michigan
from 1921 to 1923, leading the Wolverines
to consecutive undefeated seasons in 1922 and 1923 and a national championship in 1923. He was selected as a second-team All-American in both 1922 and 1923. Muirhead also played professional football in 1924 for the Dayton Triangles
and Cleveland Bulldogs
and was selected as a first-team All-NFL player.
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula but attended Northern High School in Detroit
. He played tackle
and guard
for the Michigan Wolverines football
team from 1921 to 1923. After the 1921 season, Detroit News sports editor H.G. Salsinger wrote: "Muirhead, of Michigan, playing his first college season, was one of the outstanding tackles in a year when the position produced a number of spectacular stars. Muirhead improved with each game, and his rapid development means that next season it will require a great tackle to keep him from being a first choice."
As a junior and senior, Muirhead helped lead Michigan to consecutive undefeated seasons and a national championship in 1923. In 1923, an NEA News Service profile on the stars of the Michigan football team noted: "Muirhead's tackling has been as good as the middle west section has seen in some time. Time and again he has beaten the ends down under punts and nailed the receiver in his tracks. On offense his work has likewise been of high class." Muirhead played his final game in a Michigan uniform against the University of Minnesota
in November 1923, and a newspaper account described his performance in that game as follows:
Muirhead also developed a reputation for his durability. He played in every conference game for Michigan from 1921 to 1923, leading one sports columnist to write:
In 1922, Muirhead was selected as a second-team All-American by sports writer Lawrence Perry. After the 1923 season, Muirhead was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player and a second-team All-American by Athletic World magazine, based on votes cast by 500 coaches, Lawrence Perry, and Central Press Association
sports editor Norman E. Brown.
After graduating from Michigan in 1924, Muirhead played professional football for the Dayton Triangles
and Cleveland Bulldogs
in the fall of 1924. He was also selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1924 by Collyers Eye magazine.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player. He played at the tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
position for the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
from 1921 to 1923, leading the Wolverines
Michigan Wolverines
The Michigan Wolverines comprise 27 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except men's ice hockey which competes in the NCAA D1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association, and women's water polo, which...
to consecutive undefeated seasons in 1922 and 1923 and a national championship in 1923. He was selected as a second-team All-American in both 1922 and 1923. Muirhead also played professional football in 1924 for the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
and Cleveland Bulldogs
Cleveland Bulldogs
The Cleveland Bulldogs was a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922...
and was selected as a first-team All-NFL player.
Biography
Muirhead was a native of CalumetCalumet, Michigan
Calumet is a village in Calumet Township, Houghton County, in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, that was once at the center of the mining industry of the Upper Peninsula. Also known as Red Jacket, the village includes the Calumet Downtown Historic District, listed on the National...
in Michigan's Upper Peninsula but attended Northern High School in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. He played tackle
Tackle (American football)
Tackle is a playing position in American and Canadian football. Historically, in the one-platoon system a tackle played on both offense and defense. In the modern system of specialized units, offensive tackle and defensive tackle are separate positions....
and guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
for the Michigan Wolverines football
Michigan Wolverines football
The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...
team from 1921 to 1923. After the 1921 season, Detroit News sports editor H.G. Salsinger wrote: "Muirhead, of Michigan, playing his first college season, was one of the outstanding tackles in a year when the position produced a number of spectacular stars. Muirhead improved with each game, and his rapid development means that next season it will require a great tackle to keep him from being a first choice."
As a junior and senior, Muirhead helped lead Michigan to consecutive undefeated seasons and a national championship in 1923. In 1923, an NEA News Service profile on the stars of the Michigan football team noted: "Muirhead's tackling has been as good as the middle west section has seen in some time. Time and again he has beaten the ends down under punts and nailed the receiver in his tracks. On offense his work has likewise been of high class." Muirhead played his final game in a Michigan uniform against the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in November 1923, and a newspaper account described his performance in that game as follows:
"In his last game against Minnesota, November 24, Muirhead was everywhere. He made three-fourths of the tackles under punts, and was always on the ball. A check was made during the game of Muirheads's tackles. No less than twenty-two times did this stalwart tackle bring down his man. He was a veritable demon on the field. He could not be stopped. If there is a greater tackle in the country than Stan Muirhead of Michigan he has not yet been seen."
Muirhead also developed a reputation for his durability. He played in every conference game for Michigan from 1921 to 1923, leading one sports columnist to write:
Stanley Muirhead, former University of Michigan tackle, saw three seasons' work on the Yost elevens, taking part in every conference game played during that stretch and was out of the lineup for only two minutes all told. Feats like these are rare. College football is too tough a game for a player to escape the injury bugaboo entirely.
In 1922, Muirhead was selected as a second-team All-American by sports writer Lawrence Perry. After the 1923 season, Muirhead was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference player and a second-team All-American by Athletic World magazine, based on votes cast by 500 coaches, Lawrence Perry, and Central Press Association
Central Press Association
The Central Press Association was an American newspaper syndication company based in Cleveland, Ohio. It was in business from 1910 to 1971. At its peak, the Central Press supplied features, columns, and photographs to more than 400 newspapers and 12 million daily readers.-History:Virgil Venice...
sports editor Norman E. Brown.
After graduating from Michigan in 1924, Muirhead played professional football for the Dayton Triangles
Dayton Triangles
The Dayton Triangles were an original franchise of the American Professional Football Association in 1920. The Triangles were based in Dayton, Ohio, and took their nickname from their home field, Triangle Park, which was located at the confluence of the Great Miami and Stillwater Rivers in north...
and Cleveland Bulldogs
Cleveland Bulldogs
The Cleveland Bulldogs was a team that played in Cleveland, Ohio in the National Football League. They were originally called the Indians in 1923, not to be confused with the Cleveland Indians NFL franchise in 1922...
in the fall of 1924. He was also selected as a first-team All-NFL player in 1924 by Collyers Eye magazine.