Ann Arbor-based uber Michigan memorabilia collector Ken Magee has been busy on a couple of fronts. First, as a follow-up to their successful book The Little Brown Jug that covered the history of the Michigan-Minnesota rivalry, Kenny has partnered with Jon Stevens again to produce The Game: The Michigan-Ohio State Football Rivalry (Images of Sports). Like the LBJ book The Game run downs season by season in the rivalry using classic photos, clippings, and memorabilia as a backdrop. Stevens put a nice little FAQ together here. It’s worth a spot on the bookshelf next to the personal Wolverine shrine in your den, office, bedroom or basement (yes, I know you have one). While I didn’t contribute nearly as much as I did in the Jug book in The Game, Ken and Jon did use a photo of mine from Harbaugh’s opening press conference…but sadly not this one:
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The Jug Rivalry: Illustrated
Congrats to Ken Magee and Jon Stevens for pulling together their outstanding book The Little Brown Jug: The Michigan-Minnesota Rivalry to be released on September 1. I helped them out with a few things – some of the history of course and with a few photos – and from the early specs I’ve seen the book is a fantastic way to consume the history of this great rivalry. The photos alone – over 200 inside – are off the charts. Props to Kenny and Jon for scouring the earth to dig up many of the beauties inside. My buddy Oscar Munson made the cover: Here’s the official release: The battle for the Little Brown Jug continues: New book commemorates Michigan-Minnesota football rivalry Though the University of Michigan and the University of Minnesota may be in different divisions after this year’s game, the 110-year legacy of the Little Brown Jug lives on. In the latest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s Images of Sports series, authors Ken Magee and Jon Stevens take readers on a visual journey of this iconic rivalry’s history in The Little Brown Jug: The Michigan-Minnesota Football Rivalry. “We hope that the readers will gain a better appreciation for these two great universities and how much of football parallels history,” Magee said, “be it the early century, roaring 20s ……
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The New Schembechler Hall Towsley Museum
The new Schembechler Hall museum is quite a sight – definitely check it out next time you have the means. A virtual tour from 2019 if you prefer it:
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Holy Moly! The Rosy Grail (1902 Rose Bowl Program)
There are certain pieces of Michigan football memorabilia that many would consider a holy grail of sorts. Really anything to do with the 1901 perfectly perfect season fits that bill nicely (I’m still kicking myself for not buying this 1901 season pass), and there’s probably nothing more precious than this beauty. Earlier this year local collector Ken Magee of Ann Arbor Sports Memorabilia snagged an original game program from the 1902 Rose Bowl, yes, the birth of the Granddaddy of the All.
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Celebrating Uber Fandom
Today I bumped into uber fan Bob MacLean, the man who has an active streak of attending Michigan football games (home and away). Saturday’s Akron game will mark his 504th in row, and the run dates back to the 1971 Ohio State game. Here’s Bob outside Fraser’s Pub looking fit and not anywhere close to breaking the streak: Keep it rolling Bob. And speaking of uber fans, another that you may know is Ken Magee of Ann Arbor Sports Memorabilia. A portion of his epic Michigan collection is on display at ‘The Museum’ on Main St. in Ann Arbor now through December 1. The exhibit is titled, ‘The Legacy of Michigan Football: Collection of a Superfan.’ Here are the details: Through a selection of items from the private sports collection of Ken Magee, you will experience the inspirational tradition and history of Michigan’s key coaches, players and games. This guest exhibit is co-curated by University of Michigan, Museum Studies Program students Megan Boczar and Alicia Juillet. Highlights include game day programs over the years including a rare and original program from the first Rose Bowl ever played in 1902 where Michigan beat Stanford 49-0. The Museum on Main Street, 500 N. Main St., Ann Arbor MI (at the corner of E. Kingsley and Beakes St). Open on weekends: Saturday &…
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Pandora’s Jug
Last football season I got a call from #1000SSS asking me to inspect a few photos of a certain piece of crockery that turned up in Ohio. Based on the pics it appeared to be an early, somewhat haggard replica of the Little Brown Jug. The photos were pretty interesting but I needed to get a closer look to make any proclamations about what we were dealing with. Fast forward to this spring. The owners put the piece up for sale and it was purchased by Ken Magee, a local collector and the owner of Ann Arbor Sports Memorabilia. A few weeks ago I got that closer look: Diane Diller, the ex-wife of the man who has held the jug for over 40 years, says that her husband Steve came into possession of the jug in 1969 when he attended high school in Pandora, Ohio, a small town 15 miles west of Findlay. In her words: The late John Michaels, who was the custodian at Pandora Gilboa High School at the time, was cleaning the auditorium. Mr. Michaels found the jug behind the auditorium curtain. Steve Diller, who was a junior, happened to be in the area at the time and was asked if he wanted to take the jug home. He did, and has had it ever since. Over…
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Righteous Stubs
I don’t feature ticket stubs very often on eBay Watch but this one is special. On its face, this musty, chewed up stub from the 1943 Michigan-Michigan State game doesn’t look very valuable, does it? I’m guessing the seller had no idea and is wondering why as of Saturday afternoon it had 17 bids, the tops at $330. It was a very nice season by Fritz Crisler’s crew, going 8-1, sharing the conference title and finally beating freaking Minnesota whom they hadn’t beaten since 1932. Readers of this site might recall that this is a very rare find, so rare, in fact is that it was the final stub that local Jack Briegel needed to complete his collection of every game played at the Big House (dating back to ‘27). Thanks to a gift of this stub in 2011 from fellow collector Ken Magee, Jack got that final piece of the puzzle. It’s rare for a few reasons as I explained in an earlier post: The ticket to that September 25 game actually lists Michigan State as the opponent. But the Spartans did not field a team that season as it was common for teams to shut down their football squads that year due to obligations to the war effort. Folks seemed to have better things to do that fall…
