Thanks to some great spotting by Dr. Sap, check out this brilliant wire photo from 1973 currently up on eBay: What does this have to do with Michigan football? A lot, it turns about. (A lot more than M fans routinely beating themselves senseless in frustration near computer equipment during games). According to the caption on the back of the pic, the gent smacking his own skull with a stick is Elwyn Gooding, a researcher at the University of Michigan. Why he’s surrounded by enough computing power to launch and land an Apollo mission is unclear. Gooding is testing a prototype of a safer fireman’s helmet but his research extended to gridiron headgear: While the text is a tad foggy, the December 1973 article leads with this: A group of University of Michigan medical researchers have developed a new football helmet that they think is more comfortable and more effective in preventing brain and spinal cord injuries than any helmet on the market. Another hat tip to uni-guru Dr. Sap for passing along this link. According to Helmut Hut, a worthy source on headgear, this new design made it onto the heads of The Victors shortly thereafter in the form of the Bike-branded helmet: In the mid 1970s the Michigan athletic department along with local Ann Arbor scientists became involved…
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U-M Media Grudge Match
This morning on WTKA’s Michigan Insider Ira and Sam mentioned that Free Press writer Michael Rosenberg is leaving the paper to take a full-time gig at Sports Illustrated. After resetting his concerns about the quality of Rosey’s work, in particular the practice-gate story, Ira took it a step further and challenged Rosey to a charity boxing match. Certainly, this won’t happen but if it did, rest assured I’d be ringside. (And it’s not that I don’t like Rosenberg FWIW—he’s always been good to me.) A man can dream, so if we can get these two together in the squared circle they’ll need an undercard. Sticking with the media vs. media theme I have a few suggestions. Remember we’re raising money for charity fergodsakes (do you have a problem with that?) so this is for fun: Sam Webb (GoBlueWolverine/Scout.com) vs. Chris Balas (The Wolverine/Rivals.com) OVERVIEW: If you don’t know, ask somebody. Naturally, there’s an organic competitive tension between the two major U-M recruiting networks but call it a gut feeling, I’m guessing these guys won’t be sharing a Twosie anytime soon. In our 2010 interview Webb made it clear there’s no love lost between their crews. The message board minions would flock in droves to get a glimpse of this action, as long as their moms let them borrow the van.…
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Throwback Coverage
Via the indomitable Dr. Sap, his homegrown retro EA College Football covers. My favorite up first. Lytle: Terrible Tommy: Ricky Leach: Wangler to Carter (including an appearance from the most interesting man in the world in his suede jacket): General Bo:
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Righteous Stubs
I don’t feature ticket stubs very often on eBay Watch but this one is special. On its face, this musty, chewed up stub from the 1943 Michigan-Michigan State game doesn’t look very valuable, does it? I’m guessing the seller had no idea and is wondering why as of Saturday afternoon it had 17 bids, the tops at $330. It was a very nice season by Fritz Crisler’s crew, going 8-1, sharing the conference title and finally beating freaking Minnesota whom they hadn’t beaten since 1932. Readers of this site might recall that this is a very rare find, so rare, in fact is that it was the final stub that local Jack Briegel needed to complete his collection of every game played at the Big House (dating back to ‘27). Thanks to a gift of this stub in 2011 from fellow collector Ken Magee, Jack got that final piece of the puzzle. It’s rare for a few reasons as I explained in an earlier post: The ticket to that September 25 game actually lists Michigan State as the opponent. But the Spartans did not field a team that season as it was common for teams to shut down their football squads that year due to obligations to the war effort. Folks seemed to have better things to do that fall…
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Hang Five
photo via Macaroni Tony photo Paul Sancya (AP) via ESPN So from the recent comments of Mary Sue Coleman and Dave Brandon, rest assured that the ‘92 and ‘93 banners will remain on the shelf at the BHL evermore. But DB opened the door to honoring the controversial quintet in some other way: Are there (different) banners we could put up, though? Yeah, there are," he says. "I’d love to celebrate the Fab Five. Are there conditions on which that has to happen? For sure. But we’ve been very open and vocal about that, and there’s just nothing new on this subject. Brandon’s conditions are tied to Chris Webber admitting to taking money from Ed Martin and apologizing in some form. Don’t hold your breath. Based on the calls to WTKA I’m guessing most of you would just like to see nothing happen and move on. I get that. I’m ok with leaving the banners at the BHL but I would like to see these guys honored in some form or another. (I openly admit my huge bias—I was at U-M during the heyday of the Fab Five). A suggestion—when the time is right, why not retire #5 as a ceremonial nod to the group and a not-so-subtle tribute to Jalen (who wore #5 and was the leader of the…
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Director Brian Kruger discusses Willis Ward documentary (Black and Blue)
Brian Kruger and his partner Buddy Moorehouse of Detroit-based Stunt3 Multimedia are currently on a nationwide tour, screening their wonderful new documentary, Black and Blue. It’s the amazing but little known story of Michigan’s 1934 football game against Georgia Tech, and the circumstances that led to the benching of Willis Ward, an African American football and track star at U-M. The backdrop of the tale involves Ward’s friend and future president Gerald Ford, and it follows how the incident shaped their lives after college.
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Bailing out the Band (1910)
So certainly you’ve heard by now that the Michigan Marching Band won’t be heading to Dallas. I don’t like it either. Fergodsakes. Local radio host Lucy Ann Lance suggested via Twitter that perhaps we could have a fundraiser to get the band to Dallas. I’m not wild about putting that on the fans and geez, I hate to give the Machine more ideas about where to squeeze. That said, there is a historical precedent for passing the proverbial hat to get the MMB to big games. From my rundown of the 1910 season, there was a big plea made by students to make sure the band made the trip to the big game at Penn that year. An alumnus of 1848 helped out: Random Notes: The Michigan band wanted to make the trip to Philadelphia to support the football squad, but needed to raise some money to supplement the university’s funding to make it happen. The Daily reported that a Mr. Joseph R. Smith, U-M class of 1848, sent $2.50 to the band leader to help. Eventually, thanks in large to the attention given to the matter in the Daily, the funding was secured and the band made the trek to the game to support the Wolverines. I can tell that this happened frequently back in those days. In fact,…
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Bob Ufer’s Football Application
I love dropping by the U-M Bentley Historical Library. I stopped in recently doing a little research for the 2012 edition of HTTV and check out this gem Brian W., one of the archivists, shared with me: Now we know that the late, great U-M radio voice Bob Ufer played freshman football in Ann Arbor and was a U-M track star at Michigan, but I didn’t know he gave varsity football a run. Apparently so, as above is one of Fritz Crisler’s preseason surveys filled out by old Ufe himself. (Here’s Tom Harmon’s 1943 form, posted in 2010, worth a look if you haven’t seen it). He was living at the Phi Delt house at the corner of South University and Washtenaw at the time and as a good Pennsylvania worked in the steel mill during the summer. “VOICEM” Speaking of Ufer, had to scan eBay for a cool photo and jackpot. Here he is in 1976 showing off his luxurious sled and his fitting vanity plate:
