On this day in 1979 the #1000SSS gave the keys to the Big House over to Slippery Rock, who hosted Shippenburg. Over 61,000 fans attended, good enough for an all-time Division II attendance record. Here’s the history of this great Michigan tradition:
Most Saturdays in the Big House you’ll public address announcer Carl Grapentine share scores of college games around the country, including a score that’s not quite like the other. I’m talking about Slippery Rock of course, and to this day it receives a big roar from the Meeechigan faithful if they happen to win.
Calling out the Slippery Rock score at the Big House started in 1959 when then-PA man Steve Filipiak (FILL-IPEE-ACK) saw the score of a team with a funny name come across the wire. He decided to liven up what was a boring game and—-> the crowd LOVED it. The tradition continues today as it should.
Did you know it was on this day 39 years ago in Michigan football history that a record crowd entered the Big House to see….Slippery Rock play in Ann Arbor. Yes, opportunistic AD Don Canham was no dummy and over 61,000 fans witnessed The Rock take on Shippensberg, It was enough to set the All-Time Division II attendance record.
Did you know Slippery Rock got its name during the French and Indian War after the Seneca Indians had trouble crossing a nearby creek in their moccasins? So much trouble in fact that they gave the the creek a name that I’m not going to try to pronounce here, but as you guessed it the English translates to “Slippery Rock”
While their tradition is not quite as deep as your beloved Maize and Blue, Slippery Rock actually started playing football in 1898 – the year of Michigan’s first conference championship that inspired Louis Elbel to pen ‘The Victors’. They have an all-time winning percentage of around .600 –
That 1979 game went over so well they were invited back again in 1981, and returned most recently in 2010.
Good luck Slippery Rock tonight against MERCYHURST
And more importantly, Go Blue!! Beat the Wildcats and for more check out MVictors.com and WTKA.com. For the Key Bank Countdown to Kick-off, this is Greg Dooley.
