Proud Proclamations of a Michigan Fan
My "Ohio" thought balloon went over like lead, which is totally okay! I really like the "Confessions" thread as it is always nice to vent a little bit.
However, here positivity reigns.
What are the things that make you love Michigan?
It doesn't have to be related to football or even athletics. I'll suggest some sharing some of the smaller, more subtle points that you love about this great Michigan of ours, but you're welcome to pull the "Most Wins" card, as we are all appropriately proud of it. Here's some of mine:
- The moment you walk underneath the entry portal and Michigan Stadium opens up to you.
- Holding a fist in the air for M Fanfare.
- The Diag and Angel Hall
- Road-tripping senior year to Kansas City to watch MBB in their first tourney in a decade after spending many games in a Maize Rage with only a hundred or so others during some of the lower TA days.
- Jordan Morgan, Jordan Kovacs, Sierra Romero, Samantha Findlay, Zach Putnam, Steve Luke and Kellen Russel and countless other elite athletes that represent UM in the best way possible, yet don't get all the fanfare.
- Hoopin' at the IMSB
Let's hear them!
1. The winged helmet 2. Everything that happens on a fall saturday in Ann Arbor, from the tailgate party to the game. No other place in the world I would rather be. 3. John Beilein
makes me turgid.
As hell.
Things I cherish:
Touching the banner
Wathcing Bo give a halftime ass-chewing
Seeing Jon Falk naked on an exercise bike
Ok, so maybe not the last one, that is more like an emotional scar.
I think you have some explaining to do.
Being a fourth generation grad with high hopes my kids will be the fifth.
Watching the players take the field.
Brock Mealer.
Remembering my first game with my dad.
Entering Section 23 and seeing a past vision of Michigan Stadium as it was when I was 9 in 2004 when I walked through that same entrance for my first game.
No boxes. Just a clear sky with the M panel at the top of 23.
Lots of hot girls, contrary to popular belief. And they're actually smart!
The number would probably be quite staggering if I were to list all the players I am proud of who have had both great athletic careers - should insert Jalen here, made Bayless look real bad - then accepted his explanation of supposed "misunderstaning" with class.
After last season's NC game, my son called me and after rehasing the game for a bit, he asked me my thoughts on the televised interviews of both qbs. I admitted to him I didn't catch that part of the after game celebration because I had switched the station. He explained to me just how poorly both of the qbs came across during their interviews and the thought of those named above, along with our starting qb this year, who is working on his Masters epitomizes the very real Michigan Difference. Many fans of other schools believe it's mere arrogance speaking when we point out that (Stanford would be included now, but has to do if for awhile) that Michigan, and I don't believe I have to add any caveats here offers the best combination of academics and athletics. Bo wrote about it in Tradition and it was easy to determine of the many traditions that make Michigan special this was perhaps his favorite one.
I must admit my chest swells with pride when I see a Dhani Jones interview just as it it did when Dan was analyzing pro football games, coming across as an English Major. Devin definitely falls into this category of people who have received a great education and display it whether through a simple interview or if spotlighted for a lengthy segment. When I met Jamie at the '03 Rose Bowl, it was obvious why Bo created the position for him in the AD and I really don't know the title. Probably something as obvious to Assistant to the AD. Although Bo went on record as saying he was one of his all-time favorite players and then a few pages later admitting the young man drove him crazy trying to learn the proper way or running the football and sometimes screaming, "next time I want to recruit a 5'6" football player, someone remind me I'm out of my mind." He simply oozes charisma and is a great communicator.
We've certainly had our players that got into trouble both while here and after they graduated. But I think, overall we would rate extremely high if a study were taken measuring success of athletes who never played at their particular sports top level along with those going on to distinguished careers after their playing days were over for those fortunate enough to reach the big time. There really is a measurable Michigan Difference and this is perhaps what I am most proud of in regard to Michigan athletics.
This was my most proudest day as a Michigan fan... I was crying like a baby when I saw this! Go Blue!
Same here. Great moment, even though 99% of the people watching it didn't understand it.
I like fall.
My grandfather graduated from the Dental school in 1902. My dad graduated from the Dental school in 1951. I did not graduate from the Dental school in 1999.
Wow, nearly a hundred years between the time your grandfather graduated and you didn't. There's only about 50 years between the time my grandfather didn't graduate and I did.
Sporting the block M in my travels all over the world and being greeted with "Go Blue!" everywhere I go.
That first stroll through the West Engineering arch into the Diag on a Saturday morning in October. The leaves have turned all shades of orange and brown, those that have fallen are crunching under your feet, there's a slight chill and crispness in the air, and Michigan is going to play football in a few hours.
I can't wait for my children to be old enough to experience days like that.
I admit that I count the 1992 season as a national championship. We were undefeated! I don't care if we tied three times. No one beat us.
Hey, you know Auburn would have counted it as a title.
1000 things but the moment in Michigan Stadium that I'll never forget was UTL1 when Roundtree caught the TD with 8 seconds left. It went from a roar, to what felt like an eternity watching Dendards pass in the air and dead silence, to one of the loudest noises I've ever heard.
on the first game, after such a long offseason...to see the Team come pouring out of the tunnel...even though the opponent may not be of first world quality is one of the best moments of the whole year.
I loved seeing Tom Harmon's Heisman Trophy, 3 feet away thru the glass case...it was a moment of silence for me.
Picking one game and hosting a tailgate at the golf course, early fall of course, worth every penny to spend a day with friends.
The finish of the UTL1 game was mind-blowing. I was there with my brother who rarely attends due to his distance.
The 900th win presentation caught me totally off guard, that was a very proud moment as a fan.
So many other great wins over the years, just to name a couple, Chad Henne throwing a TD on the last play right in front of my nose, even Kordell's Hail Mary, while disappointing, was a marker play. Rod's boys making a huge comeback against Wisconsin. Desmond Howard striking the Pose.
Last year's game against Ohio, would we have gotten 2 and held on, was going right on the top of them all, given the rollercoaster year and their high single digit ranking, I was going to run screaming straight to downtown AA and drink with my buddies until the bars closed. That didn't quite happen the way I wanted, but in the moment before the play, I looked around me, to see the despair, the fear, the angst, in those red-coated faces...they had swarmed into Michigan Stadium to see their team blow a big hole in the Block M for 4 quarters....was quite a consolation prize.
and when the crowd, gets Totally Into the game, its magic in there...