• Wire Photo Wednesday | Carlos Danger Izzo & Silver Ike

    Try to look away – you can’t: Unruly ‘fro + pornstache + saber-toothed collar + tight jeans = pure money.  Accept it before it destroys you!  Not sure what I’d do with it but I want it.          In honor of the 2014 Sochi Games, here’s a look at Michigan’s first Winter Games medalist, goalie Willard “Ike” Ikola.  From these pages a few years ago: A few years later Ikola minded the nets for the US Olympic hockey team in the 1956 Games, leading the Americans to the silver medal.   Although they dropped the championship game to the Soviets, the American inflicted some serious and surprising damage getting to that point.  In the battle against heavily favored Canada, Ikola stood on his head, stopping 38 shots on the way to a 4-1 shocker.   He, along with teammate John Matchefts, became the first Wolverines to medal in the winter Olympic Games. Ikola went on to a legendary coaching career at Edina East High in Edina, MN.  In 1991 he was named the John Mariucci Award as the American Hockey Coaches Association Coach of the Year, and later into the national high school coaches HOF and Michigan athletics Hall of Honor. Ikola was featured in Sports Illustrated in this 1991 article.     Above that’s Don McEwen, Michigan’s 2-time national champion…

  • Coach Red Simmons Passes Away at 102

    Coach Simmons during our interview at Crisler in 2009 (MVictors photo) It was very sad for me to see the press release this morning.   We lost a great man and incredible tie to the history of athletics in this area.  Simmons ran track with Jesse Owens and Willis Ward and was a pioneer in weight training and in women’s athletics at Michigan.  For football fans: I’m confident he’s was the last living person to see the inaugural game at the Big House in 1927. Here are a few videos I took of Simmons during our interview: Part 1: On his friend, track legend Jesse Owens Part 2: Police Department Part 3: Hired by Fritz Crisler Part 4: Working out at Crisler Arena Part 5:  More Workout at Crisler And here’s a link to several quotes from our interview a few years back, a few of my favorites: On meeting Fielding Yost: I met him, I think it was 1927. He was at a high school meet at some point. It was so long ago. My impression was that he was a very sociable man. He’d walk around and talk to you. There was no feeling that he thought he was special. He was just a regular guy.” On his friendship with Jesse Owens: I became friends with Jesse Owns in…