The school competes in the Big Ten Conference in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Fitzpatrick was a track coach, athletic trainer, professor of physical training and gymnasium director for 42 years at Yale (1890–1891, 1896–1898), Michigan (1894–1895, 1898–1910), and Princeton (1910–1932).

During those years, Fitzpatrick's teams compiled a 24–2–1 record in dual meets and won Western Conference track championships in 1900,[15] 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, and 1906.

[16] Fitzpatrick's athletes excelled in four Olympiads during his tenure as track coach, bringing home 7 gold medals out of 15.

[citation needed] In 1900, funds were solicited from faculty, students, alumni and Ann Arbor businessmen to send Fitzpatrick and four Michigan track athletes to the 1900 Paris Summer Olympics.

Michigan's champion pole-vaulter, Charles Dvorak and other Americans faced a quandary: finals of some events were scheduled on Sunday, including the pole vault.

"[17] Five University of Michigan track and field athletes won nine medals: six gold, two silver, and one bronze.

Archie Hahn became a major star, and Fitzpatrick was credited with developing his unusual running style.

In December 1904, the New York Evening Sun wrote that Rose was "the first perfect physique ever seen at the University of Michigan" as measured by Fitzpatrick's anthropometric charts.

"[19] At the 1906 Summer Olympics in Athens, Archie Hahn successfully defended his gold medal standing in the 100-meter, adding it to his three others.

[16] Michigan's third track coach, Stephen Farrell (1863–1933) raced with hook and ladder teams in the 1880s and became known as "the greatest professional footracer this country has ever known.

"[24] He was the first American to be a two-time winner of England's Sheffield Cup and competed in races from 100 yards to one mile.

Seeking new challenges, he performed with the Barnum & Bailey Circus for several years racing against a horse, and losing only a half dozen times.

In September 1912, Farrell was hired as the athletic trainer at the University of Michigan and noted at the time that the Ann Arbor institution "is the only western college that is thought much of down east.

[4] Outstanding individual performers during the Canham era include the following: Dave Martin was Michigan's head coach from 1969 to 1971.

Martin began with the Michigan track team as an All-American runner and Big Ten steeplechase champion.

In three years at Michigan, he coached six All-Americans including Jamaican hurdler Godfrey Murray and Kim Rowe.

Harvey was a University of Michigan track team member in the 1960s, an All-American and Big Ten shot put champion.

[71] Outstanding individual performers during the Harvey era include the following: Ron Warhurst was Michigan's head track coach for nine years from 2000 to 2008.

Warhurst had been a member of the cross country teams at Western Michigan that won consecutive NCAA championships in 1964 and 1965.

[71] From 1968 to 1970, Warhurst served in the U.S. Marine Corps and was awarded two Purple Hearts and a Navy Commendation Medal for service in Vietnam.

In 2005, New Zealand middle-distance runner Nick Willis won the NCAA indoor championship in the mile run.

Three Michigan middle-distance runners all qualified for the 1500 meters race at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing—Nick Willis for New Zealand, and Kevin Sullivan and fellow Canadian Nate Brannen for Canada.

In 2015 Ron Warhurst, Nick Willis, and former team-mate Nate Brannen were inducted into the Michigan Track and Field Hall of Fame.

Harris ran a personal best 20.68 seconds in the 200-meter race at the NCAA Mideast Regional and qualified to compete for Guyana in that event at the 2008 Olympics.

LaPlante is a native of Toledo, Ohio and a graduate of Eastern Michigan University where he was an NCAA champion in the 1,500 meters race.

That year, the Wolverines won six Big Ten sprint titles and had All-Americans in the 60-meters (Adam Harris) and the 4×400-meter relay (Andre Barnes, Andrew Wechter, Dan Harmsen and Stann Waithe).

[77] In LaPlante's first season as head coach, sprinter Adam Harris was named the 2009 Big Ten track athlete of the year (indoor).