• Seeing the Call

    Michigan video historian Art Vuolo was back at it Saturday.  Check out this clip of the Appalachian State game, featuring the opening remarks from the new crew of Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf, along with a few calls: You can buy the full video package from the game and browse Art’s entire collection here. Speaking of Brandy and Dan D., my scientific poll of of the broadcast… …yeilded an 83% approval rating.   The Detroit News’s Chris McCosky, who expected this to be a disaster, was impressed as well.  Not too shabby for Volume 1.   Follow MVictors on Twitter

  • Man Down in the Press Box | Brandy Does Play-by-Play (1980)

      Last week we learned that the new radio broadcast team will be former U-M teammates Jim Brandstatter and Dan Dierdorf.  The big news is that Brandy is shifting over a seat to do the play-by-play, with DD handling the color commentary.  I confirmed with Doug Karsch that he will remain is his previous role handling the on-field duties.  I kinda hope Karsch would get the nod to be in the booth (in one role or another) but it’s hard to argue with the Brandy-DD team.  Heck, I didn’t even know Dierdorf was an option. You might know that Brandy stepped in to handle the radio play-by-play back in 2003 for the Northwestern game, but that’s not actually the first time he performed those duties during a Michigan football game.  It turns out that was way back in 1980…on TV.  Recently Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis shared with me the details of Brandstatter’s first shot calling the game: In 1980, Larry Adderley and Jim Brandstatter were all set to call the Michigan-Notre Dame football game from South Bend, Indiana for a local cable TV outlet.  Adderley, who had just finished 5 years as the host of Michigan Replay with coach Bo Schembechler, would unfortunately come down with laryngitis just before kickoff.  He made a valiant effort to do the play-by-play, but…

  • Super Toe’s Forgotten Field Goal | Storytime with Dr. Sap

    Guest post by Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis On a cold, cloudy, 34 degree November Saturday in Ann Arbor, Mike Lantry pulled Michigan from the depths of despair to the heights of ecstasy. In the last minute of the tenth game of the 1972 season against the Purdue Boilermakers, “Super Toe,” as Bob Ufer referred to him, kicked a game-winning field goal….that no one remembers. Before getting into the reasons why this moment is lost in U-M lore, here’s how it all went down: Trailing 3-0 at the half against a very determined Purdue defense, Michigan came out and scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second half. Unfortunately, Lantry’s PAT was wide right and the Boilermakers now only trailed, 6-3. After Purdue tied the game at 6 with field goal on the last play of the 3rd quarter, Lantry had a chance to give Michigan the lead early in the 4th quarter. This time his 49-yard field goal attempt came up short. Later in the final quarter, as Purdue drove down the field looking for the win, Randy Logan intercepted a Gary Danielson pass to set up a final shot for Michigan. With the weight of the game (as well as the season) on his shoulders and left toe, Lantry composed himself and calmly booted a 30-yard field…

  • Ufer Returns Saturday – Toe Meets Leather at Noon

    God bless your maize and blue fedora-covered ears, old Ufe returns Saturday. Continuing an awesome tradition, starting at noon Saturday WTKA 1050AM will air another game from the Bob Ufer radio archives, this time the 1976 battle between the #1 ranked Michigan men and Stanford from Ann Arbor on September 18, 1976.   Here’s the game boxscore from the U-M Bentley Historical Library if you need it: So after weeks of ignoring those important in your life, tune in while you are making good with your spouse, friends, family or putting rake to leaf in the yard.   Go Blue! More on Bob Ufer here.    Follow MVictors on Twitter there.

  • The Art of Michigan Video

    I’ve known U-M football archivist Art Vuolo for a while because he’s omnipresent.  You can find him rolling tape at anything Michigan related—games, busts, award ceremonies, outings…you name it. While he doesn’t have a high res shot of me catching Brendan Gibbons’ Sugar Bowl game winner, he’s got just about everything else.  Games videos, compilations and my favorite: complete games dubbed and synchronized with the Michigan radio broadcast instead of the clowns on ESPN/ABC/or NBC fergodsakes.  And he often includes extra features.  One of his finest is the 2011 Notre Dame DVD which includes all of the pre- and post-game ceremonies and celebrations, plus the halftime show. For the historians he’s got a collection of films with the call of Bob Ufer dubbed over (up until Ufe’ died in 1981).  Yes, I said it:  Ufer over the video. Everything doesn’t do this for profit.  Like me, he does this for the love of it. Checkout the U-M Football collection here, and everything Art has to offer here.