History of two of the most famous college football strategies: The Flea Flicker and "Punt, Pass, and Prayer"
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Three and Out– John U. Bacon
It’s official, John U. Bacon wrapped up the book and you can pre-order on Amazon.com now. Three and Out will be released on October 25, so get some! (Ed. As a reader notes, I believe the final title is Three and Out: Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the Crucible of College Football and that’s the written title on the Amazon listing…perhaps the Denard Heisman pose won’t be the final cover pic either):
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Throwback Logo Hunt over
My quest to answer this question more definitively. Eureka: And expect to see this show up on a lot more items in days to come:
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Michigan Legacy Throwbacks Revealed
As if you hadn’t heard(!). I’ll say what I said before—I wish they had more specific references to history. The guy from adidas basically said that they trolled through the old team photos and found some stripes on the 1890s-era teams, and AD DB suggested that the stained glass (I think Ira has that trademarked now) design is indicative of stitching on the old block M uniforms. Fine. I would have had a design that pointed to specific elements from uniforms for a specific team or era of Michigan football history. That being said, I really like the helmets and the gray throwback facemasks. And—the jerseys definitely look much better on the players and over the shoulder pads. I think having Denard wear it for the unveiling helped—the dude can make anything look kind of cool, right? And it’s not just that they look better on the players. The shoulder-pad fitted “sleeves” are shorter on the actual uniform than in the version that the public can purchase. Thus, there are about half as many stripes and it deemphasizes that aspect of the ensemble (as do Denard’s dreads): Here’s RVB’s helmet: those are RVB’s forearms, not mohair extensions on the sleeves It’ll be interesting to see if those number decals stay on the helmet. I’m guessing a few will be displaced…
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From the Heart Outing Recap
Another outstanding event benefitting C.S. Mott today on the U-M Golf Course as the folks from the Michigan From The Heart program held their annual outing. Celebrity chairs Zoltan Mesko and Anthony Thomas didn’t disappoint, hanging out with the golfers all day and offering a few words at dinner. Zoltan delivered a heartfelt speech, admitting that as a U-M student when he was first asked to visit the children up at Mott hospital, he thought first of how it might strengthen his resume’. All that quickly changed for him when he met the kids, and Zoltan got choked up talking about how important the visits became for him. Knowing what Mesko has been through is his own life, it was really touching to see him speak so passionately about From The Heart. It’s a wonderful concept and a 100% volunteer-driven charity; if you want to help check out this site. A few more pics from the day: Founders Ed (middle) and LeAnn Boullian (right), along with their daughter Channon The A Train was outstanding, chatting up the golfers. He’s in Houston now, working with the fire department PIGSKIN FROM SPACE!! Related: Plans Sunday? Support Mott, and Golf the U-M Course ‘Michigan From the Heart’ Radio (04-22 WTKA audio)
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Plans Sunday? Support Mott, and Golf the U-M Course
[Update 6/3 12pm – . I jumped on WTKA this morning to promote the event and discuss SweaterVest McCheaty Pants, 1964, the Little Brown Jug and more. Here’s the clip: [display_podcast] Original Post: A spy told me there’s still a couple foursomes available in this Sunday’s Michigan From the Heart Golf Outing at the U-M Golf Course. Interested? Go to their dedicated website here. I’ll be there with a few former athletes and no doubt a few surprise guests. Sign up now! Registration is at 10am, shot gun start at noon. Why support this cause? The Michigan ‘Michigan From the Heart’ program, among other things, arranges for the hospital visits by U-M athletes to the kids and their families at CS Mott. Did you know the program has it roots back in 1991? Did you know that Desmond (Magic) Howard had a role in its founding? Did you know it’s a 100% volunteer-run non-profit organization? Do you know the Michigan hoops and in particular the Fab Five was heavily involved at the beginning (and many of the guys are still today)? Do you know how you can ensure this program continues for decades to come? I discussed these things and more back in April on WTKA. Hope to see you Sunday. To help: * Want to donate or get involved…
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The Kipke Culture
Over the past few days I’ve heard many Michigan fans comparing the 1990s Ed Martin scandal to the Sweatervest mess. To me, this is much more similar to the events that led to the downfall of former Wolverine star and 1930s head coach Harry Kipke. There’s a reason why we have buildings named after Schembechler, Yost, Crisler and Oosterbaan while the Kipke surname adorns a service road/path on the athletic campus. Love this wire pic- on eBay right now Like Tressel, Kipke had early success—winning league championships in his second and third seasons before taking back-to-back national championships in 1932 and 1933. Unlike the Vest, Kipke’s fortune turned sharply midway through his coaching career including the worst stretch in Wolverine football history from 1934-1936. While it’s not clear to me when the corruption started, it’s safe to say Kipke had a bit of a system rolling when he was sacked in 1937. Along with illegal summer practice up at Ford and some sketchy associates, under Kipke’s watch incoming freshman were given “jobs” (note me also doing air finger quotes right now). According to a university report players were basically guaranteed a wage at certain jobs whether they showed up or not. The local employer was “instructed to bill another Ann Arbor firm for the time the freshman collected for not…
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Prophecy (Mostly) Fulfilled
2008:
