Viewers of Hardcore Pawn have no doubt spotted a winged helmet and a framed Wolverine jersey in the office of Seth Gold, one of the stars of the show. Yes, he happens to be a Michigan graduate. As a fan of the series and someone who delves into Michigan football memorabilia and history, I was thrilled when Seth invited down to the shop to talk about the business, the show and even about his beloved Michigan Wolverines. Here's our interview:
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Faster Than Jesse Owens (1935)
A few moments during the film drew a verbal reaction from the crowd (including John U. Bacon’s hilarious description of Henry Ford’s henchman Harry Bennett) but none more poignant than the gasp when it was noted that Willis Ward once defeated the great Jesse Owens on the track.
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Black and Blue–Ann Arbor Screening
For U-M fans in the area, I’ll be attending this screening of Black and Blue at the Alumni Association building on Thursday evening. If you attend definitely stop by and say hi. I understand there will also be a little Q&A portion as well. Not sure about the cocktail situation. Details via the official site: Black and Blue: The Story of Gerald Ford, Willis Ward, and the 1934 Michigan-Georgia Tech Football Game Thursday, February 16, at 6 p.m. (Doors open at 5:30 p.m.) Alumni Association, 200 Fletcher St. In Celebration of African American History Month and the U-M 26th Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Symposium, the Alumni Association is hosting a special free screening, followed by a Q&A with filmmakers Brian Kruger and U-M alumnus Buddy Moorehouse, ’82. This Quick Study lecture is sponsored by the Alumni Association’s Lifelong Learning program. When Georgia Tech came to Michigan in 1934, the Wolverines were forced to bench their best play, Willis Ward, because he was an African-American. The incident infuriated Ward’s best friend on the team, a future president by the name of Jerry Ford, who threatened to quit the team in response. The friendship that began in the Big House lasted all the way to the White House. This is the story of two schools, two friends, and a…
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Michigan Spring Game–April 14, 2012
Details via U-M media relations. And once again, unlike in 2008, you are not required to sneak in to see it. Not just football that weekend: Michigan Athletics Announces Spring Football Weekend Activities ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The 2012 Spring Football Weekend promises to be an action-packed two days (April 14-15) of athletic competition for University of Michigan sports fans of all kinds. The 2012 Mott Spring Football Scrimmage sponsored by PNC Bank anchors the weekend festivities along with the inaugural match-up with Ohio State in lacrosse immediately following the football scrimmage. Team 133 will take the field for their annual spring scrimmage at noon EST on Saturday, April 14. Prior to the football team’s debut, the Victors Classic Alumni Flag Football Game will be held at 10 a.m. from inside the Big House. Following the football scrimmage at 2:30 p.m. will be the “Battle in the Big House,” which pits Michigan’s first-year varsity lacrosse team against Ohio State. Admission to all of the events Saturday at Michigan Stadium is free to the public. Fans can make a donation of choice to C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital upon entering the gates of Michigan Stadium. Both the spring football scrimmage and the lacrosse game with Ohio State will be televised live on the Big Ten Network. In between the action, the BTN…
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Enhancing the Heisman Triple Play
Back in June 2010 I spotted a photo of Old 98 dropping what looked to be a Heisman pose for the cameras. Well, up on eBay right now is a shot of Tom Harmon donning the winged leather doing a Denardesque in-game Heisman with some styling block ‘M’ socks: I like this one better. While Terrible Tommy’s pose in the 2010 photo looks more like the actual Heisman Trophy (ball tucked away in left hand; right arm extended), the pic above fits better with best Howard & Woodson thank-you-ma’ams on file: You can pick up the photo of Touchdown Tommy on eBay right now, bidding starts at $24.88.
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Schembechler Snaps!! (Photos)
Photos of Bo Schembechler losing his mind on the sidelines.
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Brady’s Brilliance and Football’s Sweeping Rule Changes a Century Ago
If you read this site somewhat regularly you’re familiar with the work of my pal and football historian (Natural Enemies) John Kryk. Well, in good news for football fans everywhere, Kryk recently was named as the NFL columnist for the Toronto Sun, & according to the paper he’ll be “the first full-time, year-round NFL beat columnist in Canadian sports journalism history.” So what can we expect from Kryk? We’ll see—but based on the evidence his first few columns there’ll be the occasional nugget of Michigan football history. Check Kryk’s piece on Tom Brady this week that focuses in on a single moment of brilliance in the ‘99 Penn State game. It wasn’t a TD toss or a sharp pass or even the start of a key drive. It was a critical, seemingly unconventional decision to do nothing…that is, just let the play clock run out despite having a couple timeouts. Kryk explains here. And yesterday Kryk took us back a century ago Friday when football enacted sweeping rules changes (including the opinion of Fielding Yost) that altered the face of the game forever : It was exactly 100 years ago Friday — Feb. 3, 1912 — that the U.S. college football rules committee (there was no pro league yet) agreed to pass the last of a series of sweeping, epochal…
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Harry Kipke Tames Lions (1935)
I don’t if Harry Kipke liked to be photographed, or whether the press chased him around a lot but, brother, there are always a lot of interesting photos of the former Michigan All-American player and coach. Just right now you can find photos of Kipke in scenes that have nothing to do with football—[left to right above] on vacation with his wife in Florida chilling in a bathrobe, hanging out with golfing legend Gene Sarazen, and most frequently, Kipke on his boat sailing or hanging out with other people who love to sail. I don’t know if there are any Kipke family historians out there, but I’m guessing you can piece together Kipke’s life (certainly in the 1930s and 1940s) through solely the lens of newspaper wire photos that pop up on eBay. Here’s my favorite and this might end up in my man cave. Taken in May 1935 (notably after the horrific ‘34 season), on the left that’s Kipke’s son holding what you have to assume is a leather Michigan helmet. Kipke is kneeling in a sharp 3-piece suit with a flower tie as he tangles with two baby lions at his feet. Harry’s no fool—note the protective oven mitts. So what’s the deal with all of this? First, chalk this up to a day in the life of…
