Here’s a candid shot of General Bo in the bowels of the snakepit peeling off his wildly long coaching socks following the 14-3 victory over the Buckeyes on November 25, 1978. This was the final battle with Woody in the Ten Year War and gave Schembechler the 5-4-1 edge in the series. To celebrate Bo flashed his feet and treated the media to the gun show: Next up, continuing with the candid shots of Bo, here he’s planting one on Miss Texas Luann Caughey as the team arrived for the 1981 Bluebonnet Bowl. It almost looks like Bo went straight for the lips…but Luann evaded him with a quick lateral move? Thankfully Bo didn’t enjoy Texas too much.
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Fritz Crisler Demonstrates the Dropkick & 1922 Ohio State Buckeye Smacktalk
It’s hard to beat this awesome shot of Fritz Crisler: Is that Fritz Crisler dropping the ball? No way man – he’s demonstrating the dropkick. Back in 1958, Crisler was chairman of the NCAA rules committee and a major change for that year was the introduction of the 2 point conversion. Coaches weren’t sure what the impact would be—many thought teams would go for 2 after TDs early in the game and then see how things played out. But it was quickly figured out that hitting paydirt with one play from the three-yard line was far from a 50/50 proposition (one source had the success rate in 1958 was around 35%), and most coaches defaulted to kicking the extra point. Bringing us back to the photo, it was also suggested that having the option of the two point conversion might result end up in more teams trying the old dropkick. I think the scenario was that you’d see teams effectively lining up in a triple threat position where the offense could try to run or pass for 2, or execute the drop kick for 1…but that really didn’t happen. (Heck, it hadn’t even happened in pro football since 1941 and until Doug Flutie’s epic dropkick in 2007). From a June 1923 athletic department publication, that’s a shot of one of the…
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Wire Photo Wednesday | Cutting Nets and Dr. Shake
Good Wednesday to you. Leading off…T Mills: Leading off, the man coach Bill Frieder personally visited at Romulus High literally hundreds of times – to keep him away from Jud Heathcote and MSU, here from April 1989 presumably from the Kingdome following the NCAA title victory (Ed. However as a commenter pointed out, M wore blue of course in the finals—so perhaps an earlier round or something else]. From 1970, an awesome shot of back Glenn Doughty posing between an unidentified pair of Bo’s bruisers. Great shot. Following his Michigan days he became Shake and Bake, and later (after completing his PhD in Groove from Funkalicious University [Dearborn]), just Dr. Shake: He earned the nickname “Shake and Bake” during his years with the Colts, and the nickname was also extended to the 1975 Baltimore Colts offense. The Colts Record of 10-4 reversed the prior year’s 2-12 record to set the greatest one year turn-a-round season in NFL History. The Colts won the Eastern Division Championship. Doughty played a key role in leading the Colts to three straight Eastern Division Championships for the first time in Colts history. 1975 also saw Doughty, a Motown native, create the Shake & Bake Band. The Group consisted of Tight End Ray Chester on bass, Lloyd Mumford Defensive Back on harmonica, Fred Scott…
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Wire Photo Wednesday | Men Amongst Boys
This week WPW takes a look at three outstanding shots, each featuring a unique perspective of three Michigan greats – Cazzie Russell, Tom Harmon and Bill Yearby: Crisler is known as the house that Cazzie built, but here’s a look at Cazzie’s original digs: Yost Arena. Dang it looks pretty cool in there and I love the angle of that photo. Memo to #41: Nice socks, Milhous. Speaking of that venue, who’d like to see a hoops game at Yost? Get on board #1000SSS. And maybe they’d even bring back the Old Man?: Speaking of cool angles, I’m not sure I can recall a old shot quite like this, here you’ve got Old 98 Tom Harmon in 1938 trotting out of the tunnel handling a pigskin. Uniform snobs will note the block M socks. I also love the cheerleader’s sweater and the shiny pants (that guy has a little Barney Fife in him). Turning to the crowd, clearly if you didn’t wear a hat (children and ladies included) to the game back then you were a square, Daddy-O. A real flat tire. What I can’t make out is what’s on the guy’s sweatshirt behind Harmon? Best guess – it either reads “Maroons” (played in the Big House 10/8/38) or “Spartans” (the season opener 10/1/38). Hmm, who do you…
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Wire Photo Wednesday Cries Wolverbear!
WPW keeps rolling with a great shot that sheds some light on uniform history: First up, this isn’t a wire photo but something a little cleaner: it’s a 35MM negative from the 1962 game in East Lansing that is incredibly crisp. In the U-M lily whites you’ve got a wincing Tom Prichard (21) backed up by a flying Ron Kocan (88). The Spartans snuck by 28-0. More importantly, this slide appears to have solved a little uniform riddle that has bugged me and the illustrious Dr. Sap for a while. We had seen some photos from this era of players wearing what seemed to be a circular patch on their jerseys…but couldn’t confirm what it was. Sap dug an old shot with the mystery patch that we mulled over a year or 2 back (also obviously from the ‘62 State game as well, featuring Prichard, could be the same play): The first shot clearly confirms what is chilling on the left shoulder…the wolverbear ! </insert Happy Valley roar sound, slightly higher pitch> Viva the sailor wolverbear! Here’s more on the U-M logo history via my man Craig at HSR. Here’s the auction for the 35MM slide. Here’s another shot from the 1962 game via my friends at The Only Colors. Oh, and the Uniform Timeline is now updated…scroll down to…
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Wire Photo Wednesday : Illini Stew & a Trashed Yost
Edition number 3 of #WPW gets emotional: Maybe this is why Illini fans really hate us? From 1948, a homecoming display on campus featuring the recipe for a little Illinois Stew. Well done. Bennie Oosterbaan’s #1 ranked Wolverines got a battle from the unranked Illini on October 30, 1948 but prevailed 28-20. Above you’ve got Michigan head hoops coach Bill Perigo checking out the damage in Yost Field House from the storm that ripped through the athletic campus back in 1959. The damage amounted to $100,000 according to the wire caption which, coincidentally, is exactly the revenue from Twizzler sales at the Wisconsin game on Friday night. 2412 Below, from a 2010 post, a great shot above Yost from the same storm: That’s head hoops coach Dave Strack, who succeeded Perigo, a bit distraught on the sidelines. Strack, the man who coached the great hoops teams of the mid-1960s, passed away in January at age 90. Previous editions: Wire Photo Wednesday : Smooth Swing, Smooth Ride Wire Photo Wednesday – The inaugural
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Wire Photo Wednesday : Smooth Swing, Smooth Ride
The second edition of #WPW. If you’ve got any cool wire photos in your personal collection and would like to see them in a future post send them along. Johnny Smooth… – A sweet shot of Michigan golf legend John Fischer’s swing, NCAA individual title champion in 1932 and he later won the 1936 U.S. Amateur (which golf fans know is a big fricking deal – and even more so back then). Serenity NOW COACH! – In the aftermath of Woody slugging Clemson’s Charlie Bauman, here’s a look at Buckeye Ken Fritz trying to calm the old boy down. Take the Field – An awesome shot of Bo leading out the troops, presumably before a spring practice/media day event. Smooth Bennie – When you are the greatest athlete U-M has ever seen they put you outside the Ferry Field football gates in a fresh sled and take your photo. Even in 1927. Related:* Wire Photo Wednesday – Edition 1 – Bo cuts the cake, the Ferry Field Clubhouse and the all-Whites Follow MVictors on Twitter
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Wire Photo Wednesday
eBay provides a seemingly never-ending flow of classic photos featuring historic Michigan figures or scenes. Today here are a few favorites after scanning the auction site: The Cake of Victory – Bo’s men famously cut down Ohio 24-12 in 1969 and soon after, apparently the Ann Arbor Quarterbacks Club had Schembechler slice up this victory cake. Ferry Facility – A very cool shot of the athletics “Club House” facility outside Ferry Field. Via the U-M Bentley Historical Library: A “club house,” or locker room, located at the east end of Ferry Field, was completed in time for the 1912 football season. Previously the Michigan and visiting teams used the locker rooms in Waterman Gym on the north edge of campus, making the almost one mile trek along State Street before and after games. The building, designed in the style of an old English club house by the Detroit architectural firm of Smith, Hinchman and Grylls, provided separate locker room facilities for home and visiting teams as well as offices and lecture rooms for the Michigan coaches, as well as a lounge area. Total cost of the club house and equipment was $37,000. Now known as the Marie Hartwig Building, the former club house currently houses the Ticket Office, Sports Information Office, Development Office and other Athletic Department…
