With Notre Dame facing Syracuse today at Yankee Stadium, I thought it appropriate for a recap of Michigan's visits to the Bronx. The results didn't turn out well for your beloved Wolverines, but the 1945 game in particular holds a special place in the history of all of college football:
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Hanging Football Coaches in Effigy (1958)
In 1958, in the midst of a brutal football season and in particular, a 55-24 loss to Northwestern, some students banded together & hung a likeness of Michigan coach Bennie Oosterbaan from a tree on campus.
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Stanford 1973 and The Vote | This Week in Michigan Football History
This week we get into our history playing Stanford – the first Rose Bowl, 1947 and finally 1973 as Bo’s #5 Wolverines faced the Cardinal on this Saturday back 45 years ago. Of course we can’t leave 1973 without mentioning the infamous postseason vote and I’m not naming names (yes I am) but your beloved Meechigan got screwed! Audio:Listen to it “live” tomorrow afternoon on the KeyBank Countdown to kick-off on WTKA 1050AM….or inside the Go Labatt Blue Victors Lounge!script after the jump: Today we look back to September 22, 1973, as General Bo George Patton Schembechler’s 5th ranked Wolverines were set to take on the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford holds a special place in Wolverine football lore. Not only is it where Jim Harbaugh established himself as an elite coach, historically speaking, they were Michigan’s opponent in the first Rose Bowl. Really it was the first bowl of any kind, played back in 1902 when they faced Fielding Yost’s undefeated, untied, unscored-upon squad in Pasadena. The Indians as they were then known were pounded early and often by Yost’s point-a-minute wrecking crew. With 8 minutes STILL left on the clock, Stanford tossed in the white towel and conceded the 49-0 defeat.Nearly half a century later these two teams met again on October 4, 1947 this time against Fritz Crisler’s Mad Magicians. Stanford…
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The Legend Bennie Oosterbaan | This Week in Michigan Football History
This Week in Michigan Football History returns for the home opener with a honoring the Michigan legend Bennie Oosterbaan who was officially launched into the Michigan Football Legends program on this Saturday back in 2012: Check it out Saturday live from the Go Labatt Blue Victors Lounge and on WTKA 1050AM starting at 8am. script after the jump:
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Bogus Votes (1973), Wear 3 Coats (1950) | This Week In Michigan Football History
This edition of #TWIMFbH first goes back to a dark day in recent lore, the 1973 Big Ten AD vote that sent the Buckeyes, not your beloved Meechigan men to the Rose Bowl. But then we shoot back to 1950 to one of the wildest games in college football history – to be forever known as The Snow Bowl. Go Blue! Here’s the clip: ?TWIMFbH is sponsored by Hillside Terrace of Ann Arbor. This segment can be heard on the Keybank Countdown to Kickoff and you can listen live on 1050AM in Ann Arbor & on wtka.com around the world. This segment plays approximately 2 hours before kickoff each week – specifically around 10am Saturday morning before THE GAME. You can hear the archive of This Week in Michigan Football History clips here. If you have suggestions for future games hit me on Twitter @MVictors. Go Blue! /script …after the jump
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Luring Tom Harmon (1937)
Eighty years ago today on November 13, 1937, this Western Union telegram landed in Ann Arbor (a copy was later obtained by the Michigan Daily and plastered on the front page): In the fall of 1937 things were a bit dicey for the football program. Since the 1933 national championship, coach Harry Kipke’s crew had just a handful of wins on the field. And in November 1937 the university launched a well-publicized investigation of the program, suspecting that football players were being “subsidized.” Kipke was sitting atop a flaming hot seat. If you need a two-minute version of Kipke’s mess, check out this episode of This Week in Michigan Football History: As the drama unfolded, eyes turned to Michigan freshman Tom Harmon. Despite the struggles on the field (..but perhaps due to some of the questionable behavior off the field), Kipke landed the multi-sport high school superstar from Gary, IN. In the fall of ‘37, he suited up for the freshman football team as was required back then. Harmon’s athletic exploits in high school made him widely known in the sporting world and even as a freshman, having yet to take a snap on the varsity squad, a Chicago Tribune headline dubbed frosh Harmon a “star”. Suddenly Harmon found himself involved in the off-field drama. He was named in the…
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The Reunion Game (1978) #TWIMFbH
This week's game hits an anniversary of "The Reunion Game" - a resumption of the Michigan-Notre Dame rivalry after a three decade+ hiatus. Billed as 2 legendary college football schools of course, but also a battle of Joe Montana vs. Rick Leach. Montana was coming off the classic Cotton Bowl win the season before, and Leach was hyped up as one of the nation's most talented quarterbacks.
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Bo Reloads (1972) | This Week in Michigan Football History
Could Bo reload? That was the question before the 1972 season after losing 4 All-Americans. I’ll give you the answer now: Damn right Bo could reload! But there were a few nervous folks in these parts as we kicked off Bo’s fourth season at the helm. Adding to the anxiety was the prospect of opening the season with a conference game, as the Northwestern Wildcats strolled into town. A few notes: I’m not sure how the passing of Harry Kipke was treated in Ann Arbor. He won a national championship as a player and coach (twice), but his coaching regime ended in a shambles amidst scandal in the late 1930s, opening the door for Fritz Crisler. That’s why his name is on a service drive in the Michigan Stadium parking lot. Speaking of the reception, I wonder if Michigan fans in 1972 had any emotions about having a black quarterback take the reins – did anyone care? I was too young, but I remember the buzz around guys like the Redskins’ Doug Williams and all that. And speaking of breaking barriers, this game marked the first gender-integrated Michigan Marching Band. I did not know that there were no female musicians marching back in the day. Check out James Tobin’s fine piece in Michigan Today for more on this…
