Check out of few frames from a comic book featuring Michigan’s Heisman winner Tom Harmon and a few of the preseason college stars heading into the 1941 season. A true beauty.
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Terrible Tommy Nabs His Heisman | This Week in Michigan Football History
This Week In Michigan Football History, as played during the WTKA 1050AM 'Countdown to Kickoff' held November 28, 2020 before the Michigan-Penn State game. Michigan has three Heisman Trophy Winners (Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard and Charles Woodson). We consider former Michigan players that probably WOULD have won the Heisman has it been awarded prior to 1935 - including Willie Heston, Bennie Oosterbaan, and Harry Newman. And finally we look at Tom Harmon's brilliant career and in particular the 1940 season, concluding with his dominant performance against Ohio State.
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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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Harmon Wins the Heisman (1940) | This Week in Michigan Football History
Did you know it was 75 years ago Saturday that it was announced Tom Harmon had won the Heisman Trophy? Indeed, back then they voted, announced the winner, and held a ceremony to honor the recipient at a later date. So Saturday’s edition of #TWIMFbH talks a little about Old 98 and his finer moments on the gridiron (and off). Yes, in the radio clip I said Harmon “gave birth”. Ira busted my chops after that and wouldn’t let me edit it (to say “sired” or “fathered” which is probably a little more accurate, although I wouldn’t be against Harmon in life). Readers know the 1940 Cal game is one of my favorites; especially the drunk fan incident. More here and my tribute: You can listen to all 6 years of This Week In Michigan Football History here. And don’t forget to catch the whole KeyBank Countdown to Kickoff on WTKA 1050AM starting at 8am tomorrow, and of course live in the Bud Light Victors Lounge across from the Stadium on Main Street. See you out there. Follow MVictors on Twitter /script Well here were are, another regular season comes to an end as we face the Buckeyes in “The Game”. Today we honor so many great names in Meeechigan lore as we re- re-tire many jersey numbers, including the…
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Heisman Caliber Accessories
Check out this close up of Desmond at the GameDay desk from this morning: First off, you’ve gotta love the custom cufflinks. The one on his right cuff appears to be a photo of one of his sons. (I assume the left features another son). Love that. Next, is the ring. My instincts tell me that that’s not a Michigan ring, rather, it’s a College Hall of Fame ring. We had this discussion a few years back when I discussed the band Dan Dierdorf donned on a 2008 CBS broadcast: Reader David, who seemed to be in the know, asserted that the ring I spotted was indeed Dierdorf’s CHOF ring: Actually he wears one ring on each hand. On his right hand is his College Football Hall of Fame ring and on the left hand is his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring. Both have blue stones, but the one in the picture (right hand) is his College Hall of Fame ring which has a larger blue stone. I doubt I’ll see Desmond buzzing around in the press box but if I do, I’ll get on that. As far as the pink pen, discuss amongst yourselves. Related: ESPN GameDay – Then and Now This Week in Michigan Football History – Remy Steals Powlus’ Thunder (audio) Pre-GameDay Desmond on Strike Night…
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Hoisting A Legend
Author Bill Roose was kind enough to send along an excerpt from his new book on Desmond Howard titled, “I Wore 21: The Legend of Desmond Howard”. The book is dropping this week around Ann Arbor and will be available at the game on Saturday. While we’ve all seen the famous photo of Desmond making ‘The Catch’, how about this shot from page 69 of I Wore 21 of Howard celebrating with the lineman and the madness over in the student section? Look at the faces of the guys running up to him: Side note: I’m probably in that photo somewhere, over to the left. It’s up there with Woodson’s 1997 interception in East Lansing as the greatest Michigan catch I’ve witnessed. Here’s a clip from chapter two, Grbac talking about the play: Quarterback Elvis Grbac is still amazed by what Howard did that day. “I threw the ball up and it was really incomplete, to tell you the truth,” Grbac said. “Then at about the 5-yard line, Des looks up and he goes into another gear and absolutely runs by the corner and there are not too many guys who can do that. “That was a catch that just propelled him through the entire season, because now once we got inside the 20-yard line, people were like, ‘OK, what’s…
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Tom Harmon – Big Ten Icon #5 (Full Episode)
Big Ten Icon #5 Tom Harmon.. Follow MVictors on Twitter Related: Inside Big Ten Icons Big Ten Icon #5 – Why Tom Harmon Went to Michigan Tom Harmon – Big Ten Icon #5
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Tom Harmon Radio (Feb-3 – WTKA audio)
photo via this site I swung by WTKA 1050AM this morning to chat with Ira and Sam about the great Tom Harmon, the Big Ten Network’s #5 Icon. The show will air Sunday at 2:30PM (and re-air at 9pm, if the Super Bowl is a dud.) [display_podcast] – More Harmon stuff: Why Tom Harmon Went to Michigan Tom Harmon – Big Ten Icon #5 The Drunk and Old 98 Tommy’s the BMOC Harmon and Old Number..Six? Tom Harmon says ‘Vote Heston’ Harmon Jitterbugs with Joan & Jinx Harmon Goes for the Gusto
