In 1958, in the midst of a brutal football season and in particular, a 55-24 loss to Northwestern, some students banded together & hung a likeness of Michigan coach Bennie Oosterbaan from a tree on campus.
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Wild, Wild Wildcat Champions | Dr. Sap’s Decals
Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game. Sap has pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past. I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter: So how many of you thought this game was over when the score was, 17-0? As poorly as the Wolverines looked, were you confident they would rebound? Did you really think this was going to be a tale of two halves? Did you know that prior to the Northwestern game in 1984, Bo said this? The more things change, the more they stay the same. So in that vein let’s hand out some helmet stickers, just like Bo did back in the day. OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – In tight games, like this one was, you wanna put the ball in the hands of your playmakers. Saturday night, that playmaker was Shea Patterson. When a 3rd down conversion was needed to keep the drive (and game) alive, #2 kept moving the chains with his arm and/or his legs. He played a gutty game and willed his team to victory. A game like that will not only endear you to your teammates & coaches, but…
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Slippery Rock and the Michigan Tradition | This Week in Michigan Football History
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…
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What you Kept
Do you have a unique U-M or Michigan football-related item that you’ve held onto for many years? Either something from your school days (if you went to U-M) or from early days of your fandom that you now deem somewhat sacred? For example: the Desmond Howard stadium banners from 1991. I’m talking outside the norm of jerseys, footballs, ticket stubs or stuff sold to the masses over the past few decades. If you’d be willing – shoot me a pic and a brief explanation via email [mail @ mvictors.com] or hit me on Twitter. Update: Like this: @MVictors What I kept? Does this piece of Michigan Stadium original concrete and steel bench support count? pic.twitter.com/CEvdaz2xvq — Allen ][V][ (@buckeyehater76) September 27, 2018
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Overwhelming – Sights & Sounds (Michigan 56, Nebraska 10)
The most complete performance in a while and yes, Harbaugh’s Michigan teams have proven very adapt at pounding the crap out of weak opponents. Plenty of sights and sounds from the game: Husked. We’ve done this before to the Huskers, back in 1905 the Yostmen rolled up the Huskers 31-0 at Ferry Field and the Daily pulled out the thick typeface to let campus know: ICYMI, we had less luck in 1911 when we tied, 6-6 but team, fans and everyone had a lovely time afterward at the joyous feast. Pregame. I must say I love the James Earl Jones-narrated pregame hype video that they blast out before the team comes out. And props to the athletic department for updating it each week -for Saturday they slipped in the “Go Blue” that Emmy winner Darren Criss dropped in his speech. Well done.I’m also a sucker for the parachute drops, especially parachute drops with an on-field hype man barking out stuff until they land. Spectacle. An underrated must-watch element of these games is watching punter Will Hart kick the snot out of the pigskin. If he qualified (not enough attempts) he’d be #2 in the country with a 52.6 average, just behind a gent from Georgia State (Go Fighting Peaches!) with 52.8. The current #4 spot requires a 47-yard average. Also Michigan…
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Stickers All Around | Dr. Sap’s Decals
Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis is a Schembechler-era savant and once again he’ll be diligently handing out his postgame helmet stickers after each game. Sap has pored over hours and hours of U-M games over several decades, and in these posts he’s able to tie the present to the past. I encourage you to subscribe to Dr. Sap on YouTube, or follow Sap on Twitter: By Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis Before I talk about how great the entire Michigan team played in all phases of the game on Saturday, and before I talk about how Michigan outhit Nebraska in all phases of the game, that performance (for both teams) should serve as a reminder for everyone on how much work it takes to restore a once-proud & mighty program back to where it was a few decades earlier. Attitudes have to change and players have to buy in to the new staff’s direction. Remember the “All In For Michigan” slogan a few years/coaches ago? The Michigan program, players & fanbase have been exactly where Nebraska is right now. It takes time – and a few blowouts like this – but The Big Red will be back, just not this year. Enough perspective – onward to some helmet stickers! OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – There have been some impressive offensive performances down through the…
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Stanford 1973 and The Vote | This Week in Michigan Football History
This week we get into our history playing Stanford – the first Rose Bowl, 1947 and finally 1973 as Bo’s #5 Wolverines faced the Cardinal on this Saturday back 45 years ago. Of course we can’t leave 1973 without mentioning the infamous postseason vote and I’m not naming names (yes I am) but your beloved Meechigan got screwed! Audio:Listen to it “live” tomorrow afternoon on the KeyBank Countdown to kick-off on WTKA 1050AM….or inside the Go Labatt Blue Victors Lounge!script after the jump: Today we look back to September 22, 1973, as General Bo George Patton Schembechler’s 5th ranked Wolverines were set to take on the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford holds a special place in Wolverine football lore. Not only is it where Jim Harbaugh established himself as an elite coach, historically speaking, they were Michigan’s opponent in the first Rose Bowl. Really it was the first bowl of any kind, played back in 1902 when they faced Fielding Yost’s undefeated, untied, unscored-upon squad in Pasadena. The Indians as they were then known were pounded early and often by Yost’s point-a-minute wrecking crew. With 8 minutes STILL left on the clock, Stanford tossed in the white towel and conceded the 49-0 defeat.Nearly half a century later these two teams met again on October 4, 1947 this time against Fritz Crisler’s Mad Magicians. Stanford…
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Sights & Sounds | Michigan 45, SMU 20
This was a strange one at times. Pregame Saturday had more of a feel of a true season opener as last week it felt like fans were still suffering over their hangover following the loss in South Bend. The mood was up, the day was hot but beautiful and it just seemed more lively out there. Then the game started and once again the fans got testy after a few stalled drives in a row, and a few instances where the offensive line seemed overwhelmed or at best, confused. There were even a couple glaring defensive breakdowns. More and more it does seems to be about what we thought it was – the offensive line. If there’s a shot at a truly great season it’s coming down to the in-season maturity of that group. I’m certain the coaches are taking a hard look..like, this hard: Jury’s out. Sights and Sounds: He Stayed. That’s Michigan Man Dick Caldarazzo, offensive guard on Bo’s 1969 team, looking great in the blue lot before the game: Forbidden fruit. Each week this guy taunts the band as they march out of the stadium, imploring them to take a cookie. Of course your beloved Meechigan Marching Band is supposed to be in Queens guard mode and dutifully march on as if there were no cookies dangling…
