Greatest UM wins vs ND & Bob Ufer
I did not see this posted. MGoBlue is going through the top 5 wins over ND and has video clips of the bottom 2. I was lucky enough to have listened to Bob Ufer and one of the clips is the 78 game with Bob almost crying at the end of the game, though it was not that close. I think he did cry when AC scored against Indiana on the last play of the game to break a 21-21 tie in 1979.
I wonder which one will be #1: The first UTL or the Catch?
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:38 PM ^
Ha Ufer would never be allowed to call games today. That guy was nuts.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:49 PM ^
than Jim Brandstatter. Jim's a great guy and he has the homer going, but his play by play is painting by the numbers compared to the oils Ufer created.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:53 PM ^
Ufer was extremely good at painting a story. Probably the best that I've seen.
He'd be fine on a pro michigan radio channel broadcast.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:27 PM ^
but I sure loved him.
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:09 PM ^
>> That guy was nuts.
Yeah, but what a lovable nut.
I grew up on Michigan football back in the day when radio was the only way to catch games other than being there in person. The Michigan - OSU game was always televised, but we were lucky to have maybe one other game on TV. Otherwise, it was radio. WPAG Ann Arbor carried Ufer. My little radio could just barely pick it up in Howell. But I'd sit riveted to the game and Ufer's call. To this day I can hear snippets of Ufer in my head, and it never fails to bring my thoughts back to fall days in Michigan and college football.
I find it hard to gin up the same feelings here in Tucson. It was 103 today. :-(
September 4th, 2014 at 2:12 AM ^
Oh for sure. The downvoters seem to think I meant that as an insult, which is not the case. The guy is a legend, and there has never been another one like him. He was an incredible broadcaster. Unfortunately, and unknown to most, he was also not the world's nicest person away from the booth.
September 4th, 2014 at 10:47 AM ^
Yeah, I understood what you were getting at with your original post on that.
Your point about whether Ufer would be allowed to broadcast today is an interesting one.
Assuming Ufer was coming in as a new broadcaster ... that is, without all the built-up affection for him from his 40+ years of broadcasting ... would his hyper-partisan style be acceptable?
I think the notion of the impartial team broadcaster went by the wayside many years ago. Now I think home team broadcasters are expected to be supportive of "their" teams. The question is then whether Ufer's "over-the-top" style would scare broadcast producers away.
I think probably so for big outlets like WJR. But not for some local Ann Arbor station. I think if Ufer was alive today trying to crack into the business he'd find a spot, but it'd likely be a niche spot initially. Eventually I think he'd move into a bigger role. Yes, he was "over the top," but in a fairly likeable way.
>> "he was also not the world's nicest person away from the booth"
Really? I had not heard that. I was always under the assumption he was well regarded in and out of the booth.
(Ernie Harwell was, I understand, just a total class act regardless of in or out of booth.)
September 4th, 2014 at 8:09 AM ^
He was extremely passionate about Michigan and Michigan football, and also highly expressive about his feelings even on the air. He was clearly a Michigan homer, and by today's journalistic standards maybe he would not be a network's first choice. But nuts? No.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:53 PM ^
One thing that is interesting in the 1978 clip is that you'e looking at one of the two interceptions of Jerry Meter in his time at Michigan. The other one was against Stanford in 1976. I believe that his 12 tackles in that game were the second most in his career as a Wolverine as well. If I remember correctly, the ND quarterback in this game was some dude named Joe Montana.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:55 PM ^
whatever reason.
Joe Montana was less than impressive. He makes up for it after college.
September 3rd, 2014 at 9:57 PM ^
He beat us the following year.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:07 PM ^
that game, Montana was drafted in the 3rd round of the '79 draft.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:17 PM ^
1978 was the first game after a long break in the series.
September 4th, 2014 at 8:05 AM ^
a Jerry Meter number 46 jersey from 1977 that I got at the sporting goods store on Main St. (may have been M-Den then, not sure). My friends and I were from the same high school where Jerry M starred (Andover in Bloomfield Hills), and we came up with this scheme as freshmen to get on national TV at the Texas A&M game by all wearing the special-order 46 jerseys and holding up a sign. Plan didn't work, but I still have the jersey to this day.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:38 PM ^
The interception by Wolverines co-captain Jerry Meter, whose father played for Notre Dame in the last meeting between the schools in 1943, returning it to the Notre Dame 34-yard line was epic.
Hope to see a lot of those this year!!
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:40 PM ^
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:42 PM ^
Greatest Michigan win ever. Nothing else is even close.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:52 PM ^
Oh come on.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:56 PM ^
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:04 PM ^
I liked that game quite a bit. I still have a soft spot in my heart for Tate Forcier and the promise he showed. He masterfully took Michigan downfield in the closing minutes in that game. Great game, no doubt. Best ever? Well, the whole question is debatable (which is why it's so much fun). Still, great game.
September 4th, 2014 at 9:01 AM ^
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:51 PM ^
Desmond Howard, "The Catch" ... 1991.
September 3rd, 2014 at 10:58 PM ^
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:10 PM ^
Ufer had a similar reaction to the 1976 Purdue game. Michigan was ranked #1 in both polls and was unbeaten. They lost to Purdue 16-14 with Michigan missing a last-second field goal. I can still hear Ufer on the car radio ... "No good. No good. No good."
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:18 PM ^
Wangler to AC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yWT2pzvzals.
Tate will be remembered as that guy on one of those crappy teams during the great football depression.
Thank you Wolverinehistorian for the youtube post..
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:30 PM ^
Wangler and Carter's reaction to Ufer's call is pretty sweet as well.
September 4th, 2014 at 9:31 AM ^
"Like a penguin with a hot herring in his cummerbund." -- Bob Ufer
You just don't hear that said enough these days! We lost him way too soon.
September 4th, 2014 at 12:27 PM ^
He had a bunch of sayings like that: "Like a bull with a bee in his ear" and "didn't he look like a runaway piano?" come to mind.
September 4th, 2014 at 1:06 PM ^
The words were actually, "runaway in Vienna."
Ufer made many wartime references in his broadcasts. One of the most famous is the story of the "Bo 'George Patton' Schembechler Scoring Horn." The horn Ufer used was given to him by the nephew of George Patton, which was willed to him. The horn was on Patton's jeep in the battles through France and Germany. The newphew, who lived in Chicago, asked Ufer if he'd like the horn. Ufer responded with, "Is the Pope Catholic? You'd bet I'd like it!"
Ufer blew the horn after each TD, field goal or extra point.
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:29 PM ^
Michigan was #4 and ND was #15. I remember turning down the sound on the TV and cranking up Ufer. Hard to believe I was in the 10th grade, wanting to be the next great QB at UM.
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:39 PM ^
The last time we played ND before '78 was back in '42. ND feared Michigan and did not want to have a loss in the season. I wonder how long this hiatus will last before the series is renewed?
September 3rd, 2014 at 11:35 PM ^
Boo to mgoblue for including memorable wins for Notre Dame as well.
For nearly a decade, we had ESPN Classic to constantly show us Rocket Ismail, the index card game and Mike Gillette missing that last second field goal. Don't sink to their level, mgoblue.
September 4th, 2014 at 6:53 AM ^
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
September 4th, 2014 at 12:05 AM ^
September 4th, 2014 at 1:25 AM ^
Gallon's cloaking-device assisted catch and run stands out as just one of many spectacular plays in the last 2:00 ofUTL I.
September 4th, 2014 at 7:39 AM ^
The Catch, and here's why. As great as the UTL I game was, it still was a furious comeback to make up for 2.5 quarters of awful. The '91 game was a tightly fought contest and Moeller calling for a pass on 4th down clinging to a 3 point lead is one of the gutsiest things I've ever seen from a Michigan coach.
September 4th, 2014 at 11:27 AM ^
September 4th, 2014 at 12:40 PM ^
Four year losing streak.
1987 - Michigan turnover fest in what would prove to be a season-long theme.
1988 - Reggie F*#king Ho, whose infamy is only outstripped by Rob F*#king Houghtlin.
1989 - Stop kicking it to Rocket Ismail!
1990 - All I remember of this game is a Grbac pass glancing off the pads of Micheal Stonebreaker and falling right into the hands of Reggie Brooks to deliver the final dagger.
Three of these games were absolutely winnable and you could easily make the argument Michigan outplayed the Irish in each of them. My roommates and I were convinced Holtz had sold his soul to Satan.
But you're absolutely right about the elation that came with winning in 1991. The younger guys on the board will never understand, but back in the late 80's, early 90's the team that always ruined Michigan's season was the Irish. Getting over the hump on them in '91 was like Michigan finally beating OSU in 2011, it was that big of a deal.
September 4th, 2014 at 3:07 PM ^
UM was up I think 24-14 in the second half and had the ball in the red zone looking to add to the lead. Grbac throws an INT and Uncle Mo switched over to the Irish for the rest of the game.
September 4th, 2014 at 7:42 AM ^
The Under The Lights games were great, I got to attend both. However, nothing can beat the two 38-0 beat downs we gave them. Those would have to be my four greatest Michigan-Notre Dame games I will remember.
September 4th, 2014 at 8:11 AM ^
September 4th, 2014 at 8:29 AM ^
September 4th, 2014 at 5:02 PM ^
...because Rick (sorry, "Ricky") Leach over Joe Montana.
2009-2011 might as well be considered a single game because they were all the same script, basically. I'd include all of them on the strength of Tate/Denard (especially 2010 for Denard...that long run at their joint is still one of myfavorite UM highlights ever)
I'd include 1994 because it was nice to see US winning on a late field goal for once (thank you, Remy Hamilton...and at their joint) for once.
The 2006 game...Lloyd's next-to-last game...that has to be in there. Thrashing them at their place...I love the 38-0 wins at home, but 2006 was when things started to turn around (seemingly for good) in that series. And it was past due, to be honest.