For tonight’s edition of This Week in Michigan Football History we went way back, 118 years to 1898.   It was on this day 118 years ago that your beloved Wolverines faced Illinois in a game played at the Detroit Athletic Club. Heavy rains rendered the playing field a complete mess, but that didn’t stop Michigan from getting the job in the 12-6 victory.  Here’s more: [display_podcast] As always, this segment appears on 1050AM WTKA and 1330AM WTRX’s epic KeyBank Countdown to Kickoff prior to each game.  During home games you can hear it live inside the Go Labatt Blue Light Victors Lounge starting 4 hours prior to kickoff.  Go Blue! You can listen to all of This Week in Michigan Football History clips here. Follow MVictors on Twitter script after the jump:

For Saturday’s This Week in Michigan Football History we headed back 78 years to 1938, the year Fritz Crisler made his coaching debut in Ann Arbor.  Fritz was brought in to do a fixer-upper, as the Harry Kipke-era left the program in a shambles: As always, this segment appears on 1050AM WTKA and 1330AM WTRX’s epic KeyBank Countdown to Kickoff prior to each game.  During home games you can hear it live inside the Go Labatt Blue Light Victors Lounge starting 4 hours prior to kickoff.  Go Blue! You can listen to all of This Week in Michigan Football History clips here. Follow MVictors on Twitter script: This week we head back to 1938, a season when many changes were afoot in Ann Arbor both on and off the field.   On this Saturday 78 years ago first year coach Fritz Crisler led his 4 and 1 Wolverines against one-time powerhouse Penn in a game played at the Big House.   Michigan lured Crisler from Princeton where he successfully turned around the once proud Tiger program winning  a pair of national titles..   Fritz would be tasked with another fixer upper in Ann Arbor, as previous coach Harry Kipke had managed only 10 wins over the four year stretch since Michigan’s 1933 national championship.  That stretch included four straight losses over Ohio State where U-M was outscored, cover your…

Dr. Sap's decals following Michigan's big win over the Maryland Terps in 2016.

Ed. Who knows the Bo era better than Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis?  NOOOOBBBOODY.  Here’s another great story from Sap: The first three games of the 1985 season brought about some major changes to the Michigan football uniform, some thirty years ago. In Game #3 against Maryland, the helmet manufacturer “BIKE” no longer appeared on the front of the Wolverine helmets.  “MICHIGAN” was now stickered on the front nosebumper of the maize and blue’s headgear. Game #2 at South Carolina brought a smile to my face, as the helmet stickers/decals returned to the Michigan helmets after a plain-and-boring-helmet-looking two year absence in 1983 & 1984. While these changes were somewhat cosmetic, the most impactful and most important change happened in Game #1 against Notre Dame.  The wristbands changed for the quarterbacks.  No, this wasn’t a cosmetic or color change, it was much more than that.  The wristbands had the offensive plays listed on them.  Not only did the quarterbacks wear the wristband playsheets, Cam Cameron, the Michigan Receivers Coach, did as well.  (see pics below) No longer would they be used to dab sweat or look cool – the QB wristbands were now a strategic weapon in the Michigan Football arsenal. Think that is overstating their significance and impact on the Michigan offense?  Well, in 1983 and 1984 the Michigan offense…

I assume thanks to my fondness for the Little Brown Jug, a few folks pinged me after the game about the Paul Bunyan Trophy.  To be clear: this trophy sucks. Historically speaking, Michigan never wanted this to be a trophy game or for that thing to be the trophy.  Of course given circumstances where there is a trophy when you win, we’d just assume win and take the trophy. If nothing else you keep it out of the opponent’s hands so it won’t sit in their football building and get a Santa hat around Christmas time. There is no sideline swap of the trophy.  There is no running across the field to take it back.  It stays in the locker room.  Spartan players like to bring it on the field – that’s fine – but that’s not what we do. Take a few photos with it after the game?  Fine.   But when you are done, put it on the truck.  When it gets back to Ann Arbor I just assume we keep doing what we’ve always done – tuck that thing away in Schembechler Hall until next fall: Update:  More historical context on this mgoblog thread, including: The following year in 1954, the trophy was left on the field for half an hour after Michigan defeated the Spartans 33–7. “We’ll find a place for the…

Here are the Decal Champions for week eight by Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis: George Perles used to say, “all games count one.” Not this one and not for the reason you might think. Not only did Michigan put another nail in the Spartan coffin, they made it real difficult if not unlikely for the Spartans to become bowl eligible.   This would also mean MSU will not have those 15 bowl practices which are critical for player development and evaluation.  Sucks to be Sparty! OFFENSIVE CHAMPION – If your receiver has a career day and makes crazy-tough, one-handed catches then that means your quarterback is making some crazy-clutch throws. Amara Darboh and Wilton Speight are starting to be like The Hawaiian War Chant and Temptation – you can’t have one without the other. If Michigan is going to be playing in January, #82 and #3 need to keep it up. DEFENSIVE CHAMPION – Gotta go with two guys: Jourdan Lewis & Jabrill Peppers. Lewis, because he single-handedly stopped two drives – one with an INT and one with a fourth down tackle at the UM goalline. Peppers, because of what he did all over the field and particularly the fourth down sack late in the game. Of course the 2-point conversion “Oh he has trouble with the pitch” play was the perfect exclamation…