Now That’s What I Call Art

Check out this item posted on the great Uni Watch blog this morning (click to enlarge):

What we have here is an incredible piece by artist Robert Marshall (still WIP) that depicts the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry.  More:

Essentially, I let history determine how it will look — winner of the game, home or away, the year, the score, Rose Bowl wins/losses, conference titles, were both teams in the top five, who won the intercollegiate conference of faculty representatives, etc.

I found it because my Google alert for Willis Ward was triggered by this note:

I still need to clear-coat it. As of now I have no mention of any player or coach, because it isn’t about individual glory, and it should be something equally fab for a graduate from either school, but for that very reason I have gone back and forth about putting Academic All-Americans’ names on the outside. I’m also going back and forth about doing something for Willis Ward and Dr. William M. Bell but have not decided yet how to do it. This has to win an infographic contest, since it took me four years to make!

Very cool.  I emailed Marshall this morning for some more details and I’m waiting to hear back.  Check out this section from the 1960s.  The uniform number is the year:

In the comments, reader ‘Moose’ (who appears to be Marshall himself), added this detail:

black means you won the conference but were denied a rose bowl birth for one reason or another.

yes the nobs are teams that [won] the conference, and rose bowl victory and loss is indicated on them as well.

i didn’t miss the 47 title, look again.

green years they didn’t play, if the statue is still painted with a uni 98, 16,17, they won the conference but it is indicated as shallow because they did not have to beat each [other].

maize and blue or gray roses means you beat the other guy but they still went to the rose bowl.

shit, there is a ton more, but i am late for work. see if you can figure it out, i get back around 5.

Love it.