We're out of space for scores on the Little Brown Jug (again!). Here's a look at the considerations and options for the oldest rivalry trophy in college football.
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MISSING: When the Little Brown Jug was Stolen!
The TRUE story of what happened in the 1930s when the Little Brown Jug was stolen from the Michigan administration building on State Street.
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Unsolved Questions | Little Brown Jug Lore
I started this project with a list of questions about the jug and the answers I found formed most of the posts in this series. Here are a few questions that remain unsolved: 1. What happened to the cap and ribbons that used to be atop the jug? In older photos of the jug there clearly is a more pronounced cap, which apparently held in place some decorative ribbons: They are missing from the real trophy today (but you can see them on the replica in Schembechler Hall). I asked Jon Falk about this. He told me he remembered there being a cap on the jug but doesn’t recall what happened to it or when it disappeared. I took a variety of photos of the jug and from the looks of it, someone ripped the top off but we just don’t know when. Note the inner circle of the jug, which looks to be torn (maybe Leach did it): 2. Where did the Jug’s carrying case come from? It was a surprise to learn that the jug has a customized carrying case. It’s basically a chest with a padded, velvety interior. Jon Falk showed it to me and here’s a compilation of it from different angles: What I haven’t figured out is who had this built, and when it came…
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Jug Radio (WTKA audio)
Getting tired of all the jug stuff? Too bad! This morning Ira Weintraub of WTKA 1050AM invited me and Ryan Forrey, the master potter at The Henry Ford Museum/Greenfield Village to the Michigan Insider radio show to talk some hardcore jug. Listen to these two segments and you’ll qualify for a bachelor’s of Jugology: [display_podcast] . Read all of these posts of Little Brown Jug Lore for your PhD. Also check out pieces in this month’s Ann Arbor Observer, GoBlueWolverine Magazine, and my small contribution to John U. Bacon’s great piece in the wonderful LS&A Magazine for some extra credit.
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Michigan Busted Bronko (1929)
The Canada-born Nagurski played his college days at Minnesota from 1927-1929. As if to get the upper hand on Danielson’s blowhole, I wanted to see if Michigan put a beating on Nagurski as they did with Tebow last season and thus sleep a little better tonight. While Nagurski’s Gophers beat Michigan in 1927 (his first year of eligibility) the legendary Bronko did not play a significant role on the conference championship team, according to his college football hall of fame profile, just seeing limited action at tackle. His role on the team picked up in 1928 but our teams did not meet. The pinnacle of Nagurski’s collegiate career was 1929 when he was named a consensus All-American. On November 16 of that season, new coach Harry Kipke and the M men traveled to Minnesota and returned with the Little Brown Jug after edging the Gophers 7-6 in front of a homecoming crowd of 58,000. This was the only home loss suffered by any of Nagurski’s Minnesota teams. Trivia:– The man had an interesting life after a storied career for George Halas’ Chicago Bears and parlayed his popularity on the gridiron into a successful career in pro wrestling.– He also was one sausage-finger-having fella, his NFL championship ring is said to be size 19 1/2.– He was immortalized by CBS color…
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Angel on WDFN: Players asked for 4-man front (audio)
The Angel, back on Shep, Shave and Shower on 1130AM-WDFN this morning: Notes: * Angel said Brandon Graham went to the coaches and requested they run the four man front. * Talked about the significance of the Little Brown Jug before and after the game to Rodriguez and drew some comparisons to how Carr treated it (thank you). * A caller bitched about the late hit on Odoms. Chengelis agreed it was a late hit and said Odoms should be ready this weekend. * Said Threet has a shot at getting back Saturday? * On Minor, Rodriguez said he’s dealing with a bunch of nagging injuries. Angel thinks Minor will be on the shelf this weekend. Elsewhere: Don’t miss Jim Carty, Esquire on WTKA 1050AM this morning.
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Final takes on the Gopher Snare
A few random takes on Minnesota, closing out the week: * Man, I can’t believe Tim Brewster didn’t rush things a little bit down the stretch. After watching Michigan control the ball in the final minutes of the game it’s clear it wouldn’t have mattered, but Brewster walked off the field with all three timeouts, right? And as the ESPN guy kept pounding home, they had no sense of urgency on offense in the fourth quarter. I don’t blame them for kicking that field goal, but they needed to get some hustle on. * Speaking of down the stretch, after all we’ve been through this season I caught myself watching the clock on every play. I wasn’t convinced we were going to win this thing until a few minutes to go. * Angelique suggested there might be a quarterback controversy this morning. I’m not sure about that–yes, Sheridan looked great but I’m still much more comfortable with Threet back there if he’s healthy. * A few in the local media have suggested that Michigan has given up in games, thrown in the towel, dialed down the effort. I haven’t seen it. In fact, during the Michigan State game one of my takeaways is how somehow these guys think they’re bad. Not bad meaning bad but bad meaning good. I mean…
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I promised myself I wasn’t going to cry
AP Photo
