Royal Twombly Farrand (October 8, 1867 – March 28, 1927) was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

player and

medical doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

. He was the

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

of the undefeated

1887 Michigan Wolverines football team The 1887 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1887 college football season. The team compiled a 5–0 record and outscored its opponents by a combined score of 102 to 10. The 1887 season capped three con ...

and led Michigan to a victory in the first meeting in the

Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry The Michigan–Notre Dame football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Michigan and Notre Dame football programs are among the most distinguished in college football ...

Early life

Farrand was born in 1867 in

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

, the son of David Osburn Farrand, a surgeon. He graduated from high school in Detroit in 1886 and enrolled at the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

College and medical school

As a freshman, Farrand was the starting quarterback for the undefeated

that outscored its opponents by a combined score of 102 to 10. In November 1887, Farrand led Michigan to an 8–0 win over Notre Dame in the first meeting between the two schools. However, when the teams agreed to play two additional games in the spring of 1888, Farrand was left home in

Ann Arbor Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna (name), Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah (given name), Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie (given name), ...

with his knee in a cast and was replaced by Ball. He was also a highly rated boxer while attending the University of Michigan. In his most famous bout, he fought the mayor of

St. Clair, Michigan St. Clair is a city in St. Clair County in the eastern "Thumb" of the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,485 at the 2010 census. The city is located on the St. Clair River near the southeast corner of St. Clair Township. Geography *Ac ...

, with both competitors being knocked out in the third round. After graduating in 1890, Farrand returned to Ann Arbor for medical school and served as the manager of the 1891 team. While serving as manager of the football team in 1891, Farrand hired the team's first coach. On October 13, 1891, ''

The Michigan Daily ''The Michigan Daily'' is the weekly student newspaper of the University of Michigan. Its first edition was published on September 29, 1890. The newspaper is financially and editorially independent of the University's administration and other stu ...

'' reported that the Athletic Association had instructed Farrand to retain

Mike Murphy Michael James Murphy (born 20 October 1941) is an Irish broadcaster, actor and property developer. He is best known for his long broadcasting career with RTÉ, presenting many TV shows such as ''The Live Mike'', '' Winning Streak'' and '' The Bi ...

, trainer of the

Detroit Athletic Club The Detroit Athletic Club (often referred to as the DAC) is a private social club and athletic club located in the heart of Detroit's theater, sports, and entertainment district. It is located across the street from Detroit's historic Music Hall ...

, "for a few days to get the team in shape to turn over to a coach." Farrand graduated from Michigan's medical school in 1892 and subsequently took post-graduate work at the

New York College of Physicians and Surgeons Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons (VP&S) is the graduate medical school of Columbia University, located at the Columbia University Irving Medical Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood of Manhattan. Founded ...

Medical career, family and later years

After completing his medical studies, Farrand worked for a time as an intern at the Atlantic Copper Mine Hospital in

Houghton, Michigan Houghton (; ) is the largest city and seat of government of Houghton County in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located on the Keweenaw Peninsula, Houghton is the largest city in the Copper Country region. It is the fifth-largest city in the Uppe ...

. He next practiced medicine in Detroit. In June 1898, a Detroit court ordered Farrand committed to the Oak Grove Asylum in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. He had reportedly given "signs of breaking down" under the strain of excessive study and work. One newspaper reported that Farrand was suffering from "dementia as a result of hard work." Farrand moved to

Niagara, Wisconsin Niagara is a city in Marinette County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,624 at the 2010 census. The city lies to the north of and adjacent to the Town of Niagara. It is part of the Marinette, WI– MI Micropolitan Statistica ...

, where he worked for nine years as a physician at the

Kimberly-Clark Kimberly-Clark Corporation is an American multinational personal care corporation that produces mostly paper-based consumer products. The company manufactures sanitary paper products and surgical & medical instruments. Kimberly-Clark brand n ...

mill. In approximately 1907, he moved back to Houghton. In approximately 1922, he moved to

Appleton, Wisconsin Appleton ( mez, Ahkōnemeh) is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. One of the Fox Cities, it is situated on the Fox River, southwest of Green Bay and north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the c ...

, where he worked as a part-time assistant in swimming and "basement management" at the Appleton

YMCA YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...

. Farrand married Jessie Douglas MacNaughton in September 1896 in

Calumet, Michigan Calumet ( or ) 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 C ...

. They had three children, Isabel Douglas Farrand (born 1898 in Detroit), David Osburn Farrand (born 1902 in Niagara) and Katherine MacNaughton Farrand (born 1905 in Niagara). In March 1927, Farrand died in Appleton at age 58. He was buried at Elmwood Cemetery in Detroit.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farrand, Royal T. 1927 deaths 19th-century players of American football Michigan Wolverines football players Players of American football from Wisconsin Sportspeople from Appleton, Wisconsin People from Marinette County, Wisconsin Players of American football from Detroit 1867 births University of Michigan Medical School alumni People from Houghton, Michigan Burials at Elmwood Cemetery (Detroit)