[Update: Call ahead due to COVID restrictions] Want a rapid virtual tour of the Schembechler Hall Towsley Family Museum? Check it out here from 2020: Because the media huddles inside the museum inside Schembechler Hall (officially the Margaret Dow Towsley Sports Museum), I’ve been able to check out the displays quite a few times. I was never clear on whether it was open to the public. As far as I understand it, it was open many years ago, then closed for a spell for whatever reason. The hours are Monday-Thursday 9-12 and 1-4, and Friday 9-1. It’s worth a look and if you haven’t been there in a while they’ve added some new displays. Reader Corey recently visited and took some great shots, you can view them all here. A few favorities: Again, you can see all of them here. Follow MVictors on Twitter !
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TWIMFbH–Kipke, Crisler and The Dickinson System (1932!)
For the latest edition of TWIMFbH we step down to 1932 and check out when Harry Kipke’s undefeated crew, led by All-American quarterback Harry Newman faced a very familiar name—Fritz Crisler and his Princeton Tigers. We touch on that game played this Saturday back in 1932, but spend more time on the method to determine the national champion back then, namely, The Dickinson System. As always, you can listen to it out before the KeyBank Countdown to Kick-off on WTKA 1050AM tomorrow, or click play now: [display_podcast] You can hear all of the This Week… clips here. Follow MVictors on Twitter More on the Dickinson System here: See Dick Compute: How an Econ Prof determined the National Champion
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Needles, Bones, Stitches, Cigars and Pistols (Red Berenson audio)
subtitle: Why I love the Red Berenson show. Here’s a mere couple minutes from the opening segment of the WTKA 1050AM broadcast of last week’s show. Red talks about the bones he’s broken during his career, then tells a story from the late 1960s when he was sewn up by a poker-playing, cigar-smoking, pistol-wielding doctor. Awesome: [display_podcast] Check out all of the WTKA Podcasts here Follow MVictors on Twitter
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Leathernecks Help Dedicate Yost Field House (1923)
Check out this promotional bulletin produced by the U.S. Marine Corps in anticipation for their game against Michigan on November 10, 1923: Note that the print is signed by John Lejeune, the namesake of Marine Corps base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. You’ll also notice that it mentions that 2000 Marines would be in attendance for the game and with them, the Secretary of the Navy Edwin Denby. Denby attended Michigan law school at the end of the century and even played center for the 1895 football squad. Strapping lad! But this is what really why this caught my attention. The visit by the Marines coincided with the dedication of the newest super structure in college athletics—Yost Field House. According to the Michigan Daily [via Robert Soderstrom’s The Big House]: The Marines, 1500 strong, together with their famous band, made an inspiring sight as they entered the field house. They marched in a column of squads the full length of the building in an aisle between the thousands of spectators seated in the stands and standing on either side. Naturally The Bentley has some great photos, here’s one: You can clearly see the Marines on either side of the seated attendees and the band up front. It’s unconfirmed if the light shining through the windows is the grace of God.…
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Mail! To MVictors
More mail, this time including an actual piece of USPS mail. A big thanks to everyone for all the comments, tweets, emails and real mails lately: An actual Helmet Sticker: My jaw dropped when I open this piece of mail. A former 80s-era player is a fan of the new Dr. Sap’s Decals segment and sent me an actual sticker from his helmet, check this out: He added in his note, “Funny thing I never noticed before but it appears that the “wolverine” part of the sticker is clear so the blue of the helmet visible through the sticker.” It certainly does appear that way and that’s wild. Note the paint on left side appears to be a bit of paint that peeled off the helmet. For sticker sticklers, the decal measures 7/8” high and just about 1.5” wide. A seller is offering sheets of Michigan football helmet decals on eBay right now (but the wolverine is blue, not clear, FWIW). Griese A Good Michigan Man. As you might guess, PR firms more and more seem to be looking to blogs and social media outlets to promote their product/cause/whatever. Since I received four emails from these guys, I surrender, and want to let you know that Brian Griese has been awarded the 2011 Patterson Award for Excellence in Sports Philanthropy,…
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How Captain Conley Got His Charm Back
In the winter of 1965, just a few weeks after Michigan had capped its wonderful 1964 season with a 34-7 trouncing of Oregon State in the Rose Bowl, team captain Jim Conley entered the office of then-athletic director Fritz Crisler. Conley wanted Fritz to reconsider a decision that would affect his teammates and how they all would remember their historic year.
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Ufer Returns to WTKA Noon Saturday
God bless your cotton pickin’ maize and blue fedora-covered ears, old Ufe returns Saturday. Continuing an awesome tradition, starting at noon Saturday WTKA 1050AM will air another game from the Bob Ufer radio archives, this time the 1977 battle against Purdue played in West Lafayette. One of my spies tipped me off to the selection earlier this week and today The Michigan Insider’s Ira Weintraub confirmed to me that “toe meets leather at noon.” Nice. So after weeks of ignoring those important in your life, tune in while you are making good with your spouse, friends, family or even putting rake to leaf in the yard. Heck, grab a beer, if that’s your thing, and settle in. Maybe even Will Gholston will be tuning in from East Lansing :) Related: eBay Watch: Bo Rolls into Berlin (Navy 1976) eBay Watch: Where Ufer Laid Woody Hayes Away eBay Watch: WPAG Wall Clock (1940s) WTKA to broadcast Ufer, 1979 Indiana game today Follow MVictors on Twitter ‘77 Purdue stub via TicketMuseum.com
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Up Close: Helmet Numbers
The Helmet Hut provided Michigan and Notre Dame with the decals on each teams’ helmets for the game this season. Those watching at home may have noticed that the color of the stickers doesn’t quite match the maize wings and stripes on the helmets: Call it the Dr. Sap Disclaimer: “never, ever, ever go by the color you see of pics online, in mags/programs or even in photos.” It’s very apparent when you see them in person. I was able to get a few samples of the numbers from Helmet Hut (don’t ask–they don’t sell them). I tried a few different ways to take a photo that demonstrates the different tone. I found the best way to show it was like this, on an authentic Michigan helmet: Believe it or not I actually struggled to demonstrate the difference before doing it this way. I’m not exactly sure why Michigan went with the alternate shade. Per Helmet Hut, they have decals that match the maize and Michigan chose to go with the golder tone. Perhaps it’s more true to the Bump era color or maybe in a darker shade things blend better together.
