Check this out. A family found this 50 Belgian Franc bill in their father’s possession after he passed away in 1998. The man served in Africa in WWII and like many soldiers, kept a few relics from his days abroad. It makes it on this site due to the inscription around the perimeter:
-
-
One Finger Salute to the Big Ten
You know the story back in 1973. Michigan and Ohio State tie 10-10 in The Game and each team finishes the season 10-0-1. The trip to the Rose Bowl is determined by a vote of the conference athletic directors, who, influenced by the injury to U-M QB Dennis Franklin, favor the Buckeyes 6-4. Bo tells reporters it’s tragic and the darkest day of his career (left). Ann Arbor is stunned. Students on campus were shocked as well. At least one student, Jeff Silvestrini, met the news head on with some early 70s snark in his letter to the Daily (right). I tracked down Silvestrini via email who wrote me, “I can still recall the mood on campus when that vote was announced and how stunned everyone was. I went to the UGLI that day and people could not believe that a broken collar bone could keep Michigan out, particularly as OSU had gone the year before.” I think that echoed the sentiment of most folks that followed the Wolverines back then (and now, I suppose, given that Ufer, U-M fans and elephants never forget). And to make sure that folks wouldn’t forget either, someone was inspired to get the message out on the cars and file cabinets across the land. Once again tapping into the Sapardanis archives from the 1970s,…
-
Jug Radio (WTKA audio – 08-10)
It was an early morning visit to the WTKA 1050AM studios to join Sam and Ira. We talked a little 1903 U-M football, and in particular, the real origins of the Little Brown Jug rivalry. Audio: [display_podcast] Caller JJ said he heard the jug was found on the sidelines. As I mentioned there are a few versions of the story but knowing what I know now about this story, the least sexy version seems to be the real deal. And in this case, it’s Oscar Munson simply finding the jug the next day (or even Monday) in the Michigan dressing room. Before he died, Minnesota equipment manager Oscar Munson claimed he helped Michigan pack up their gear in the dressing room after the 1903 game. Munson said he actually reminded the Michigan equipment manager (probably Tommy Roberts) to pack the water jug but was told, “get that damn thing out of here!” and the crock was kicked to the corner. The next day Munson said he found it sitting where it was left and brought it to athletic director Cooke. Other stories simply having him finding it on Sunday or Monday while cleaning up—no mention of a “damn” or a kick. Want more? You’ve got the complete Little Brown Jug Lore series here: Part I: What Really Happened in the…
-
More Two-Toned Pants
In this post, Steve Sapardanis mentioned the two-toned maize pants that were worn in the 1970s. I added a photo of Rick Leach but I’m sensing there are still some non-believers out there. Believe it – here are a few more photos thanks to Dr. Sapardanis:
-
Ty Tyson, WWJ and Michigan Football radio (1924)
With the announcement that football games are airing on 950AM WWJ this fall and for the next few years, here’s a brief look back at the first live broadcast directly from a Michigan football game. I’d typically offer up some original research for you but the Bentley Library has done a nice job already: For Michigan football fans, the most important first came at the 1924 Wisconsin game at Ferry Field when Edwin L. “Ty” Tyson and Leonard “Doc” Holland set up a microphone in the east end zone stands and did the first radio broadcast of a Michigan home game. It is believed to be the first “live” broadcast originating directly from a football stadium. Mr. Tyson had a long career in broadcasting and became quite the celebrity. Though he passed away in 1968, he’s a got strong presence on eBay right now as there are several photos of him available for bid, including this one with the WWJ microphone: Back to that first game, apparently, Yost almost squashed the idea fearing it would affect the bottom line: When Tyson first approached the Athletic Department with a proposal to broadcast the Wisconsin game, Fielding Yost was initially hesitant to agree. Like many Athletic Directors, Yost was concerned that providing a free broadcast of the game might hurt attendance. In…
-
The Sharps Don’t think Michigan is so Keen
In last week’s WSJ, Darren ‘My Main Man’ Everson reported that the Vegas wise guys have pounced on the early release lines on two college football teams—Georgia, who they feel is underrated in the early lines—and your Wolverines for a different reason: Conversely, Michigan looks overrated to the experts, who are skeptical of teams that have a new coach. Of the five Michigan games on the list of available matchups, four have moved by at least three points because of action against the Wolverines—most notably the Notre Dame game. Once a two-point favorite, Michigan is now a four-point underdog. I just thought it was interesting, not a big deal. And there are many reasons not to give a crap about this (and FWIW, the underdog in the U-M-Notre Dame game has a ridiculously good record in the past couple decades). The bettors are reacting to the initial lines set by the book, so they are not necessarily saying Michigan is going to suck. Even if they did, as we sit here before U-M has even had a fall practice, I’m guessing most fans wouldn’t care. Check out the whole story here.
-
Stonum, Hagerup Suspension Release
Looks like Darryl Stonum will be focusing on the books in 2011-12, making this Photoshop from last season a little more relevant: Sorry this had to happen, #22 seems like a great kid but man, under the circumstances you understand Hoke had to do something. I think a lot of folks projected at least the potential of a huge season in Borges’ offense, but each mention of that was laced with asterisks pending Hoke’s discipline. If you want to keep tabs on Stonum, he tweets like a champ so you can catch him there. I’m not clear on what Will Hagerup did but this hurts. I agree with Brian Cook’s assessment in Hail to the Kickoff 2011, he could have been even better than Mesko. Seriously. Still can I suppose, I just wonder what we’ll have back there now. Full release via Media Relations: U-M Football Head Coach Brady Hoke Announces Wide Receiver Stonum will Redshirt 2011 Season ANN ARBOR, Mich. – University of Michigan football head coach Brady Hoke announced Sunday (Aug. 7) that senior wide receiver Darryl Stonum (Stafford, Texas/Dulles HS) will redshirt the 2011 season. “While it would be great to have Darryl on the field this season, we feel it is in his best interest and the best interest of our program for him to redshirt,”…
-
Do you have Anything in Light Bright Maize?
Mgo-reader J.P. sent over this question into mgoblog. Brian forwarded it my way for some level 2 support: Is it just me or is the ‘maize’ portion of Michigan’s uniforms–in all sports except Hockey–getting lighter? I see old games on BTN and remember from watching Michigan for the past 30 years that the maize used to be a deep, rich, gold/yellow. Over the past 10 years, the maize has gotten lighter and lighter to the point where it looks pastel now. This drives me nuts. I can’t stand the winged helmet that’s highlighter yellow instead of the richer maize. The pants look canary in color! This seemed to have started at the end of the Nike era and carried over to the Adidas unis. I’ve attached some pics. So, is it just me and the color remained the same? Is my eyesight getting worse? Is it the setting on my tv’s over the years? After a quick read I escalated this to a Severity One ticket and dispatched Michigan uniform guru Steve Sapardanis to resolve this. Take it away, Mr. Dr. Sapardanis: Disclaimer Let’s get this out of the way first: never, ever, ever go by the color you see of pics online, in mags/programs or even in photos – see these Harbaugh photos as reference: These two pics are…
