From the front page of September 24, 1940 edition of the Michigan Daily, announcing the demise of the once-great University of Chicago football program: So why did one of the original members of the Big Ten, who brought us the heralded Coach Amos Alonzo Stagg (and Fritz Crisler, for that matter), ditch football? This issue of Sports Illustrated from 1954 put it nicely: The University of Chicago abandoned intercollegiate football in 1939 because the game hampered the university’s efforts to become the kind of institution it aspired to be. The university believed that it should devote itself to education, research and scholarship. Intercollegiate football has little to-do with any of these things and an institution that is to do well in them will have to concentrate upon them and rid itself of irrelevancies, no matter how attractive or profitable. Football has no place in the kind of institution Chicago aspires to be. It has been argued that Chicago is different. Perhaps it is and maybe it is just that difference that enabled the university to separate football from education. That’s sweet and all, but methinks the 85-0 beating at the hands of Tom Harmon’s Wolverines in 1939 had a hand in it as well. Here’s one of my favorite all-time photos featuring Tom Harmon cooling off on the sidelines during…
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Chic Beats Men (1919)
/shakes fist at mgovideo! Damn you for throwing down this unsolicited Tweet challenge to figure out what was going on in this clip: Michigan Football 1920s by mgovideo The think track on the investigation: * The title of the clip reads the 1920s so I assumed that was the timing or thereabouts. I have no idea why it leads with the German(?) text.* The field indeed looks to be Ferry Field (pretty sure) so this would predate the opening of the Big House in 1927.* Now…that player featured at the beginning…I was confident that is not a Michigan man: * The footage was good quality for the age, but it is short and didn’t help much to narrow down the score and significant players or plays. The German (?) title slide didn’t help much either.* So that leads up back to the gent above. A few teams that Michigan played from the era at home (and away for that manner) wore jerseys with that striped design on the front, most prominently Illinois, Navy and Ohio State. Red Grange in the early 1920s: * That limits the possibilities of the potential games this could be, but I still thought the best clue was that striped-clad fellow. If he was featured at the outset it must have been a prominent player. So…
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Smoking the Brand (early 1900s)
A look at the culture of smoking at University of Michigan and in particular, its tie to athletic teams and functions. I briefly discuss few items of smoking memorabilia like ashtrays and tins/artwork from "Smokers' --- campus social functions where students smoked tobacco together and rejoiced.
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Pandora’s Jug
Last football season I got a call from #1000SSS asking me to inspect a few photos of a certain piece of crockery that turned up in Ohio. Based on the pics it appeared to be an early, somewhat haggard replica of the Little Brown Jug. The photos were pretty interesting but I needed to get a closer look to make any proclamations about what we were dealing with. Fast forward to this spring. The owners put the piece up for sale and it was purchased by Ken Magee, a local collector and the owner of Ann Arbor Sports Memorabilia. A few weeks ago I got that closer look: Diane Diller, the ex-wife of the man who has held the jug for over 40 years, says that her husband Steve came into possession of the jug in 1969 when he attended high school in Pandora, Ohio, a small town 15 miles west of Findlay. In her words: The late John Michaels, who was the custodian at Pandora Gilboa High School at the time, was cleaning the auditorium. Mr. Michaels found the jug behind the auditorium curtain. Steve Diller, who was a junior, happened to be in the area at the time and was asked if he wanted to take the jug home. He did, and has had it ever since. Over…
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Bacon Saves your Soul (WTKA audio)
You missed it. I’ve got it. From this morning it’s author John U. Bacon who joined guest host Larry (Pee Wee boys machine-pitch baseball coach) Lage and Ira in studio at WTKA to discuss his latest tome, the long awaited yet-to-be released Fourth And Long: The Fight for the Soul of College Football. [display_podcast] Bacs was kind enough to share an advanced proof copy of the book with me and I’m digging in right now. I can already tell you my favorite chapter is entitled “The Battle for the Brown Jug” and the term “Brown Jugologist” made it through the first few edits. $$$ A few less jug-enabled media members have torn through the book as well and here are a few testimonials: “John U. Bacon went deep inside the world of college football, penetrating the locker room doors to meet some players you won’t forget and, most amazingly, learn the secrets coaches protect more fiercely than the CIA. By getting so close to the heart of the sport, Bacon reminds us what we love about our greatest game.” – John Saunders, studio host at ESPN and ABC College Football “John Bacon’s exploration of the uncontrolled greed, intellectual corruption, and sheer mendacity that have captured college football would be depressing – if it weren’t so wonderfully reported, engagingly written, and…
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Calisthenics with Coach Kipke (1933)
Thanks to Black and Blue creator Buddy Moorehouse for sending this over. There’s no audible sound but this clip is worth checking out nonetheless. It’s from 1933 featuring Coach Harry Kipke, several of the players and includes some game footage and a lot of shots of the team warming up and going through drills. Buddy found this on a recent visit to Grand Rapids to check out the Growing Up Grand exhibit at the Gerald R. Ford Museum: I love the vintage game footage of the kick-off 45 seconds in. The opponent throws up a double wedge but the Michigan men maintain their lanes and squash the return. The full clip is 9 minutes and is property of the U-M Bentley Historical Library. Also on display at the exhibit is the RIGHTEOUS pigskin from the 1934 Georgia Tech game: Buddy also passed along that in honor of Gerald Ford’s 100th birthday on July 14, 2013, every PBS affiliate in the state will be airing Black and Blue. Nice! Follow MVictors on Twitter
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Wings and Stripes, Maintain your Distance
Longtime Michigan fan Dick Furnier of Canton, Michigan is passionate about the winged helmet. He called me recently, urging for to share his vision for minor tweak (if there is such a thing!) to the coveted headgear. An excerpt of the note he sent to me discussing his idea: ..The helmet was [originally] made of leather and constructed by sewing the wing and stripes onto the base helmet. This construction provided full definition to the wing and stripes, allowing them to stand proud of the helmet base. Because of the need to further protect the players, the helmet has completely changed to a one piece plastic shell with the wing and stripes painted on the same surface, therefore, losing the full definition of the wing in particular. With this letter, and enclosed pictures, I’m hoping that you will consider, at little cost, a minor change that will come close to restoring the full effect of the wings.. Here’s a snapshot of what Furnier would like to see changed on the helmet, from the current helmet (left), to the subtle addition of a thin line separating the stripes and the wings (on the right): Yes, this season marks the 75th anniversary of the wings and since the helmets for next season are probably already reconditioned and ready to go, nothing will…
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The Original Big House (80 A.D.)
A comparison of Michigan Stadium and the Roman Colosseum.
