“You’ve got to remember, we were a bunch of losers.” That’s how 1964 Michigan team captain Jim Conley labeled his team before summer training camp. But somehow this group of losers, who won just 5 games in 1962 and 1963 combined, captured Michigan’s first Big Ten title since 1950 then pummeled Oregon State 34-7 in the Rose Bowl. Bump Elliott’s team transformed into a powerhouse that put away four top-10 squads, including powerful rivals Michigan State and Ohio State on the road. They crushed teams led by a returning Heisman-winning quarterback in Roger Staubach (Navy), and a squad (Illinois) that featured Dick Butkus, arguably the greatest linebacker in football history.
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Outscoring the Offense (Guest: Hawkeye Insider, Doug Wagner) | Professor and the Pundit – S1 Ep12
Steve and Greg deliver the season 1 finale, going around the world - from the British Open to the transfer portal, to a special guest dialing in from Cedar Rapids to talk about the Hawkeyes.
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Giving Jerry Green a Pass
Longtime writer Jerry Green was the honorary team captain at yesterday’s game. Bumping up this story originally posted in 2017 – congrats to Mr. Green!
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Michigan in the Comics (1950, 1956)
Thanks to local collector Ken Magee, here are a few more instances where Michigan legends (Tom Harmon, Bump Elliott and Bob Chappuis) were featured in comic books back in the day. They were found in issues of Treasure Chest, a children’s publication that ran from 1946 to 1972.
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Tar Heel Heat (1965), Hello Mike Hart (2004) | This Week in Michigan Football History
For this week's episode, a quick look at a weird 1960s season opener in Chapel Hill, North Carolina where Bump Elliott's crew faced the Tar Heels. Guess what? Two things were super hot that day: Michigan's start to the game, and the weather! We conclude with a short trip back to 2004 when Lloyd Carr's team looked to bounce back from a setback in South Bend. San Diego State's DARK SIDE DEFENSE was the problem. The solution? A dose of Henne-to-Braylon, and a dash of freshman Mike Hart.
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The Wolverbear Mystery? [Solved!]
For this ep I took a quick look at interesting Michigan Football uniform changes over the years. In particular, explored is the wolverine or 'wolverbear' patch U-M wore on its uniform for most of the 1962 season. It seems to have started with the game against the Army Cadets played on October 6, 1962 in Ann Arbor.
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The Legacy of Bump Elliott (1290AM WLBY audio)
Monday I visited The Lucy Ann Lance show on 1290AM WLBY. We not only discussed Bump Elliott’s legacy, but also a bunch of other topics (bowls, players not playing, advertising, the 1973 vote(!), and a bit on the 2000 Orange bowl).
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Talking Bump (WTKA audio)
Thanks to Ira and Sam for having me on WTKA 1050AM this morning to talk about the impact and Legacy of Bump Elliott. Here's that segment:
