What happened Saturday was the fulfillment of the promise of Harbaugh – the antidote for the seemingly unbeatable Buckeyes. For all the times people tried to channel Bo and the 1969 (24-12) game during the last dozen years, it actually happened in 2021 – when no one really talked about it or prophesized it. Click here for the Sights and Sounds:
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The Case of the Missing Helmet Decals | Storytime with Dr. Sap
In my never-ending quest to accurately recap the history of the Michigan Football helmet stickers, I have since determined, and confirmed with Jon Falk, that there were indeed three versions of the Wolverine decals. The image below recaps the nuances of the three versions:
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Michigan Helmet Stickers with Jon Falk
Bo era savant Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis recently caught up with Jon Falk to get down and dirty on the decals. And if you are wondering when this site is going to stop talking about helmet decals, the answer is NEVER.
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Will the Decals Return?
So if Harbaugh is indeed introduced next week, a big question for Michigan uniform mavens concerns whether #4 will re-introduce the helmet decals. Bo actually invented the concept while at Miami, and brought them to Ann Arbor in 1969. Here’s a brief run down of the stickers over the years thanks to Dr. Sap: You’ll note above that the decals actually took a break in the mid-1980s during Harbaugh’s tenure, but did indeed return for his final two seasons, including his captaincy in 1986. We also know that Coach Harbaugh used them in Palo Alto: Coach Hoke was asked about this by Wojo back in 2011 and obviously nothing happened, but with Harbaugh? You’d have to think there’s a good chance we’ll see them on the field in 2015. What do you think? [poll id=”72”] Update: Amani Toomer chimes in with authority: Related: Harbaugh’s Top 5 games while at Michigan The full U-M uniform timeline can be found here. Follow MVictors on Twitter
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Dr. Sap’s Decals: When the Decals Returned
Ed. The Decals don’t stop just because it’s a bye week. Here’s Steve “Dr. Sap” Sapardanis with a guest post and a little decal history: After a two-year hiatus, award decals returned to the Michigan helmets in 1985. Bo removed them from the helmets after the 1982 season because he felt there was not enough emphasis and focus on The Team, so off they came. Michigan still kept track of them for the 1983 and ’84 seasons, but in 1985 somebody convinced Bo to put the decals back on the helmets. (My guess is that somebody was Jim Harbaugh, but that is a story for another time.) When Bo first debuted them in 1969, the decals were crudely shaped footballs that were more orange than yellow in color. In 1975, a snarling Wolverine head was added while the shape became more rounded and elliptical. Ten years later, the now more spheroid-shaped footballs centered the Wolverine head on them and added laces. The 1985 season was a great year for Michigan and that team will forever be remembered for having one of the best defenses in U=M history. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the top two decal award winners came from that side of the ball. All-American Mike Hammerstein had 48 decals on his helmet at…
