Before the Spartans ever waged war with the Michigan Wolverines, there was Notre Dame. Despite the close proximity to Ann Arbor and the inevitable in-state rivalry between the two schools, the Spartans wouldn’t meet the Wolverines on the gridiron until 1898. Instead, it was Notre Dame who played the Spartans first, just one year earlier in 1897. And have there been some breathtaking moments in the rivalry.
Source: The State News