After all my dogging of former Ohio State players for selling their precious charm pants (which they receive if they beat Michigan) on eBay, look what just showed up in the memorabilia auctions. It’s a 1980 Big Ten and Rose Bowl ring. Often the OSU gold pants auctions hide the name of the original owner; in this case the name is in giant letters on the side of the massive ring: Did this beauty belong to coach Bill McCartney, architect of the McCartney’s Monsters defense as Ufer described them, who was an assistant under Bo Schembechler on that great team? There were no other McCartney’s on the 1980 squad. Did Coach McCartney voluntarily sell his ring? Maybe not. The auction specifies that this is a “RARE salesman sample with all proper markings inside the ring”. Whew…perhaps the integrity of the Michigan coaching staff is preserved! McCartney left Michigan a year later to take over the Colorado head coaching position. He led the Buffaloes to a national championship in 1990 and retired following the 1994 season. Sample or real, this is quite a piece of Michigan history will significant ties to the present. Check out some of the names on the 1980 team and staff: Assistant coaches: Lloyd Carr, Jerry Hanlon, Bill McCartney, Les Miles, Gary Moeller Players: Mike Trgovac, Butch…
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Joy Miller & The Disgrace of 1909
In an ironic twist to Yost's claim that the Irish held loose eligibility requirements, on Christmas Eve 1909 the New York Times broke the news to the world that Coach Yost's house wasn't quite in order. The headline declared "FOOTBALL SCANDAL IN MICHIGAN TEAM". The issue was with Michigan's halfback J. Joy Miller who it seems didn't bother to attend any classes in the Fall of 1909.
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1933 Michigan State College Ticket Application
Check out this Depression Era ticket application from Michigan State College to purchase tickets for the 1933 game in Ann Arbor
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The Wolverine Pack and 1926
Given the mood of most Michigan fans right now, it may be refreshing to take a look back at better days. Check out this graphic taken from the October 23, 1926 issue of the San Diego Sun which several members of the 1926 Wolverines.
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eBay Watch: 1915 Cornell Program
Here’s a real nice item that is being auctioned on eBay. It’s pre-World War I Michigan vs. Cornell program from the game that was held on November 6, 1915 at Ferry Field in Ann Arbor. It looks like a real beauty. The only problem? The dude selling the program set the opening bid price at $2,499.00. Say what? No surprise as the auction is about to end and there are no bids. Here’s what we know about the game.
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The Drunk and Old 98
Here’s a great moment of Michigan Football lore. Were you aware of the showdown between Wolverine legend and Heisman Trophy winner Tom Harmon and a drunken fan during Michigan’s game at Cal back in 1940. I recently purchased this page out of Life magazine on eBay for $6.50 and it depicts the scene. Additional research yielded some great quotes from the fan, enjoy: There are so many great things about this incident. The guy is just a real classic. After watching this thing and picturing Brennan giving the interview for Life magazine, you end up wishing he actually did bring Harmon down. I love that Harmon had to make a little move and apply a stiff arm to shed the pickled Brennan. The beauty of it is that Brennan, in his mind, feels like he actually did tackle Harmon, first saying he almost did, then he changes his tune by saying no Cal player tackled #98 all day but “I did.” This guy is a national treasure. I tracked down some more info on the game here, turns out Harmon called it a day before the first half even ended. The fact that Life took the pains to put this pictorial together is great as well [a 1940s version of YouTube], and their caption writer deserves major props, “..Brennan sinks…
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1901 Michigan Football Season Pass
Check out this beauty that sold last night, it's a season pass from 1901 for Michigan football, track, and baseball.
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Former Buckeye Player Sells Gold Pants Charm
As reported by Rusty Miller in the Detroit News, it appears as though one of the Buckeyes sold their cherished pants charm. This unique piece of jewelry is awarded to Ohio State football players if they beat Michigan. This one was from 2002. It has the score of the game and the player’s initials (M.C.?). The item was sold on eBay, reportedly for around $1000. I wonder which player sold his charm? (“Some people call him Maurriiiice”). Hmm. Here is an excerpt from the eBay listing: These are the coveted Gold Pants Charm that Ohio State Football players and coaches receive after each defeat of Michigan. This 2002 pair was awarded to a current player after last years win over Michigan in November of 2002 (14-9) at Ohio Stadium. The game that vaulted Ohio State to the Fiesta Bowl and eventually a National Title. It all started in 1934. The game against the University of Michigan in 1934 placed new coach Francis Schmidt into the hearts of Buckeye fans everywhere. Ohio State won the game 34-0, its largest margin of victory in the series to that point. Coach Schmidt changed Buckeye lore forever when, before the season, he was asked about beating Michigan. Schmidt commented that he didn’t see the problem. After all, the University of Michigan football players put…
