(Actually, by about two feet) Go Blue!
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TWIWMFbH: Live! Willis Ward, Gerald Ford and 1934
It was a special *live* edition of This Week in Michigan Football History as Black and Blue director Brian Kruger joined me, Sam and Ira in the WTKA Bud Light Victors Lounge to discuss…what else? 1934 and the Georgia Tech/Willis Ward game. A big thanks to Ira for getting the audio clip: [display_podcast] You can catch all of the This Week in Michigan Football History clips here.
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Willis Ward Blitz
Funny, for tomorrow’s game we were supposed to honor perhaps the most famous (non-POTUS) Michigan athlete of all-time—Tom Harmon. That didn’t work out. Instead, we will be recognizing honoring one of the most controversial moments in Michigan football history—Willis Ward and the 1934 Georgia Tech game– something that occurred just a few years before Old 98 stepped on campus. My mini Ward shrine I’ve had for a few years: student ticket booklet, order form for tickets to the Tech game and of course the stub. The Ward story is blowing up here and there and there’s more to come. There’s no pre-recorded episode of This Week in Michigan Football History as I will be live in the coveted WTKA Bud Light (M)Victors Lounge on Saturday around 1:30PM EDT discussing 1934, Ward, Ford, Kipke and much more with Sam, Ira and Brian Kruger from Stunt3 Multimedia—producers of the wonderful documentary Black and Blue. For those out of town, I highly recommend tuning in via iHeart Radio or via the iHeart Radio app. Elsewhere: * Don’t miss the piece by Stephen Nesbitt of The Daily on the Ward affair. Includes a small line from me and loads of Bacon, which is never a bad thing. From ‘The Forgotten Man: Remembering Michigan trailblazer Willis Ward’, check out this nugget: It was April 13,…
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Meet AC, Marlin and “McLovin”
Via U-M media relations. Post-worthy given AC’s presence on campus: WHEN: SATURDAY, October 20, 2012 – 10:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. WHERE: Located in Michigan’s FanFest, on the southwest corner of Main St. and Stadium Blvd., across from Michigan Stadium. Full release: ANTHONY CARTER, MARLIN JACKSON TO APPEAR AT THE “SPORTS ILLUSTRATED HEISMAN TOUR PRESENTED BY NISSAN” The tour heads to Ann Arbor, October 20, when No. 23 Michigan takes on Michigan State in a Big Ten Matchup WHO: Meet Michigan football legends on game day … * All-America defensive back Marlin Jackson will appear from 11:00 a.m. until 12:30 p.m., participating in both an “SI Chalk Talk” session with Sports Illustrated writer Andrew “McLovin” Perloff from 11:00-11:30 a.m. and an autograph session from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. * Three-time All-America wide receiver Anthony Carter will participate in an “SI Chalk Talk” session with Perloff from 1:00-1:30 p.m., followed by an autograph session from 1:30-2:30 p.m. WHAT: Sports Illustrated and Nissan have teamed up to celebrate the Heisman Memorial Trophy and the most electrifying players in the history of college football with a 10-stop national tour at marquee matchups this season. Admission to the tour is free, and fans are encouraged to pick up a special Sports Illustrated special edition: “Running to Greatness” … compliments of Nissan. * Get your picture…
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Living Legacy: Interview with U-M Senior Melanie Ward
If you read this site you know that Saturday is officially Willis Ward Day in the state of Michigan. It is also not-so coincidentally the 78th anniversary of the infamous 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech game. I bet you didn’t know this: there’s a descendant of Willis Ward currently studying on campus in Ann Arbor. I met Melanie Ward, the grand niece of Ward (Willis is her grandfather’s brother), at a screening of Black and Blue at the U-M Alumni Center on campus earlier this year. Ward (left) is currently a U-M senior and was kind enough to chat with me this weekend as we approach the day that will honor her great uncle. MVictors: What did you know about your great uncle before coming to U-M? Melanie Ward: I knew that I had a great uncle who played football for the University of Michigan in the 1930s. I also knew a little later that Gerald Ford also played on his team. But I did not know anything about the Georgia Tech football game. MVictors: Do you have any other family members who attended Michigan? Ward: Just Willis and his sister-law, who is my dad’s mother. MVictors: So when did you learn about the controversy about the 1934 Georgia Tech game and Willis Ward’s involvement? Ward: At the screening of the documentary…
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Dr. Sap’s Decals – Illinois
Ed. Dr. Sap is back with his decals for week 6. This week I added the Editor’s pick, the Fan and the uniform entry. Here are the picks from Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4 & Week 5. Context: Back when Bo was coaching the Michigan Football team, he awarded decals for individual as well as TEAM accomplishments. He also selected Champions each week. Not only were the obvious categories (offense, defense, special teams) selected, but Bo also made it a point to recognize the not so obvious ones – Scout Team Champions and Team Hustlers – each week. Here are the picks this week: OFFENSE DENARD ROBINSON – I don’t know what else can be said about #16? Just when you think he is down, done, or hurt, Denard comes back stronger than ever! Maybe it’s the added weight/muscle? Maybe it’s the coaching staff calling plays to protect his body more? All I know is that when he came back into the game against the Illini, you could see/feel him take the team on his shoulders and WILL them to victory. That’s a sign of TRUE leader, and dare I say, true CHAMPION? DEFENSE KENNY DEMENS – The linebacker may have played his best game as a Wolverine with a key 4th down stop early in the…
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Mattison’s Mansters – Sights & Sounds – (Michigan 45, Illinois 0)
It’s seems like a simple expectation but you forget, especially in the aftermath of the Alabama and Notre Dame games, that these coaches have a track record of making players better. You are seeing it. The defense confident and fun to watch and they’ve retooled the gameplan with Denard and it’s clearly working. I’ll take this stat line 24/7: 7-11, 2 TD, 0 INT. The Manster Jake Ryan is suddenly a star. The defense is now in the top 10 in the country and the pass defense is ranked third. adidas sponsored Coach Hoke’s undershirt. No word yet on the black pants (Armani doesn’t make blue, people). The Stadium Bridge is almost done. Everything is working. Can I nitpick? Naturally. I realize that Bellomy was just inserted there at the end of the first quarter, but at a minimum I would have tried to draw Illinois offside on the 4th and 1 on the goal line (and either burn a timeout or heck, take a 5 yard penalty, who cares) and I would have gone for it either way. Yes – that seems like a silly thing to say at this point but I felt the need to prove my Michigan fandom. The Misc: * Ford Returns. Once again a nice job by #1000SSS with the Legends presentation. I’m not…
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What President Ford Might Have Said Today
Here’s most of a nice speech that President Ford delivered to the Annual Congressional Dinner of the University of Michigan Club back in March 1975. To me, much of it applies today as ever and if he were around I’m guessing he would have shared many of these memories on the field today: [Introductory portion omitted] You know, as a matter of fact, I can still remember spending a good part of my sophomore and junior years washing dishes in the DKE house–of which I was a proud member–and I mean washing dishes. As a matter of fact, I washed so many dishes I was the only athlete in Michigan history who ever had a football knee and dishpan hands at the same time. [Laughter] As I mentioned a moment ago, I was lucky enough to play football, first on Ferry Field and then in the stadium. And I was lucky enough to start a few games in the football season of 1934–and that was quite a year. The Wolverines on that memorable occasion played Ohio State, and we lost 34 to 0. And to make it even worse, that was the year we lost seven out of eight of our scheduled games. But you know, what really hurt me the most was when my teammates voted me their most…
