On September 29, 1912, the Boston Globe posed a curious question to its readers: What could possibly explain the staggering football score of 216-0? The score, from a high school game in Michigan, where Muskegon obliterated Hastings, was unprecedented and would go down in history as one of the most lopsided victories in the annals of American football.
Most of Muskegon’s touchdowns were scored directly off kick-offs, with few requiring more than a single down to reach the end zone. By the end of the first quarter, Muskegon had a 40-0 lead. The score ballooned to 102-0 at halftime and an astonishing 150-0 after three quarters.
By the time the final whistle blew, nine different Muskegon players had found the end zone, six of them multiple times. Captain Fred Jacks led the charge with nine touchdowns (54 pts), while Nelson Stuit set another state record by converting 24 of 30 extra-point attempts—a feat unlikely to be matched in the era of the running clock.
Score by quarters against Hastings was 40-62-48-66. Muskegon outscored its opponents 499-16 on the season. Muskegon also scored 130 points against Ferris Institute later in the season. Check out the Muskegon Area Sports Hall of Fame for more interesting sports history.
Danielle Cwynar Davis
August 27, 2024 at 2:24 am
Wow what a cool article. I am obsessed with learning any local history about Muskegon Mi. Please don’t be offended when I say that I am not really into watching sports teams neither is my husband. That being said this article is hands down the most impressive sports related history I have ever read about muskegon 2 date. I am hoping 2 share it on my Facebook page mostly for my father 2 see. Thank you, Danielle Cwynar Davis Laketon Township Michigan
Brent Raeth
August 27, 2024 at 5:55 am
Thanks for the kind words. If you like articles like this you may want to check out our other site catchmarkcommunity.com it has more historical, and community related articles.