Well, quite a few in the media are pounding the most-losses-in-129-years drum. That’s true of course but Rich Rodriguez’s 2008 debut will not be the worst season in Michigan football history. The percentage of games in the loss column is certainly among the worst but consider that Michigan didn’t consistently play more than eight games for the first 62 years of its existence. If we’re going to toss around the 129 years number, the worst season record-wise belongs to the 1881 team that played and lost three games, scoring just four points to 28 for our opponents (Harvard, Yale and Princeton). But since there wasn’t a coach or a conference or any known photos of the 1881 team, we’ll have to look a little further down the line for a comparable loser. Harry Kipke’s 1934 outfit is probably the definitive low point for Michigan football [see my post ‘The Fall of 1934‘ for more on this season]. The Gerald Ford-led team went 1-7, scored just twenty-one points while being shut out in five of the games. Kipke’s 1936 team also went 1-7 but played just five league games and scored a few more points than Ford and company. What’s remarkable about the 1934 skid was that Kipke’s teams had lost just a single game in the previous four seasons, winning…
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Everitt Rules
Former Michigan offensive lineman Steve Everitt (89-92) was one of the honorary captains at today’s game. A few quick stories:* After a bowl game (I believe the 1993 Rose Bowl in Everitt’s senior year), ABC was doing a post-game interview when a deep voice bellowed, “EVERITT RULES!”* He lost his helmet and had his jaw shattered in the middle of the 1991 Notre Dame game. Doctors put three plates to stabilize his jaw and they gave him a special chinstrap. He returned to play 20 days later. One of the screws they used to insert the plates came loose and has yet to be found.* During a trip to the Rose Bowl, Everitt climbed that hill that has the Hollywood sign. Someone got a pic of Everitt dangling from one of the letter Ls.* While playing center he broke his snapping hand. He learned how to snap with the other hand and didn’t miss any action.* The sideline Wok microphones were aimed at the offensive line one game, I don’t know the circumstances. The team is watching the game film. Everitt pancakes a guy from the other team, gets right in his grill, and asks him over and over, “YOU LIKE THAT, HUH? YOU LIKE THAT, HUH?”.
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Broncs Cheer
photo: mgoblue.com I went to Yost to see a rout last night, instead I witnessed a Western Michigan squad gut out a tough 2-1 win. For the biggest run down of notes and analysis you’ll get anywhere, go to The Blog That Yost Built. My takes: * Western celebrated like they just beat the Russians after the game, piling on their goalie Gill and one guy scrambling to grab the puck for a keepsake. I think I saw one guy try to cut the net off the goal (can they do that?) and another dude trying to jam the Score-O board into the team bus. Guys, great win but act like you’ve been there before. * We saw the 2008 debut of the women’s synchronized skating team at Yost, giving a solid performance with only a couple slips. One gal went down pretty hard at the end, tried to get up only to be denied her footing. She finally made it back to the group to the relief of the crowd but her frown revealed she was hurt or pissed or maybe both. I think they should spice up the show by skating in a costume-wearing villain character, perhaps a guy in a wolf getup or a sweatervest and have the girls somehow subdue the rapscallion. * The Michigan players…
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Benny Friedman juggled Chairs
Check out David Davis’ interview on Nextbook.org with author Murray Greenberg on his new book, Passing Game: Benny Friedman and the Transformation of Football. An excerpt: How exactly did Benny Friedman transform college football? In the mid-1920s, at the University of Michigan, along comes Benny Friedman. He had a unique ability to grip the football and throw it down the field with accuracy. As a kid, he had ambitions to become a strongman, so he’d done a series of exercises designed to stretch and strengthen his wrists and arms: lifting heavy chairs and tossing them from hand to hand, things like that. Combined with his physical strength, he had nerve. He was completely unintimidated and uninhibited. He’d throw the ball on any down, from anywhere on the field, when that was practically a mortal sin. later: In the book, you point out that Friedman played at the University of Michigan while Henry Ford was promoting anti-Semitism in nearby Dearborn. How did the anti-Semitism of the day affect colleges and college football? The Jewish college football players of Friedman’s time walked an interesting tightrope. On the one hand, if they were good enough, they were welcomed onto the teams. On the other hand, they knew that schools had Jewish quotas and that, if they weren’t football players, they wouldn’t be welcome.…
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Blue Books: Bo’s Winless Season
Thanks to the profileration of sports media folks in Haiti can tell you that Michigan’s going to end up with its first losing season since 1967, a couple years removed from Bo Schembechler’s arrival on campus in 1969. Bo started the streak and only dipped to .500 once, in 1984 when Jim Harbaugh was hurt and they lost to #1 BYU in the Holiday Bowl. But Bo wasn’t foreign to tough seasons in his professional life before leading Miami, OH and Michigan. In fact, he lived through the worst season you can possibly have during his time as an assistant in Northwestern. With the Wildcats heading into town Saturday this version of Blue Books pulls an excerpt from John U. Bacon‘s tome Bo’s Lasting Lessons, this selection from Chapter 2: Seek Mentors, Not Money: I learned an awful lot from Ara in my first year at Northwestern, but I learned a heckuva lot more from him that second season, when we lost ’em all. And what I learned was how a real leader leads when things aren’t going his way. Ara treated the staff as though we were winning every game. He never gave the slightest inclination that we were the problem. He not once blamed any assistant or any player for any loss we suffered that year. NOT ONCE.…
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Power Index Week 11
Sorry for the delay getting this out, a crazy week in the Big Ten and certainly a few things to make the pollsters think. The net? Penn State was definitely knocked down a few pegs but remained in the top spot. Michigan? Yes, they looked good against Minnesota but the group wasn’t ready to give Michigan major props and didn’t pull the rug out from the Gophers. The latest:
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Rich’s Arse (YouTube)
Check out this guy
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WTKA Moves Huge Show to 6-8pm slot, on delay
For those who listen to 1050AM WTKA may have noticed that the Dan Patrick Show has run the last couple days in the slot that used to be occupied by Michigan radio host Bill ‘Huge’ Simonson. WTKA has moved the Huge show out of the drive time slot and onto a 6-8pm window and on delay. I called the station to ask about the decision. Sounds like it came down to a ratings and perhaps a few complaints from listeners. While Huge is technically a local show, the frequent focus on Central Michigan athletics I think wore thin on some Ann Arborites. So they’re moving Dan Patrick into the slot. I didn’t hear Huge’s reaction to the show (because Dan Patrick was on!) and I didn’t hear the delayed show. I’m sure he’s pissed but sometimes radio hosts downplay setbacks like this. A few quickly scribbled thoughts: * I’m not a fan of the Dan Patrick show. To me, Patrick is still a witty teleprompter highlight reader and not a radio host. The cute frat boy towel whipping humor is really for the birds. * I’d prefer a local host, Huge included, cover this critical slot especially during football season. I still miss Dennis Fithian [MVictors interview] and without knowing the financials behind the decision, think it was a big…
