Favorite Moments in Big House
I wrote a post earlier asking people about their favorite moments at Yost, and enjoyed everyone's shared memories. Although, its an entirely different atmosphere, I was thinking we could do the same for the Big House with hopefully a great span of memories from "The Catch" to Braylon's show, to 2 seconds.
Although I was there for the Brady, Henson, and Navarre years, my favorite game and fan memories came after school. I think the most exciting game I have been to at the Big House was actually last year at the Notre Dame game. It seemed to have everything, with key scoring plays, key stops, a great rivalry game, and maybe it is the new construction, but I have never heard the crowd so loud, before, during, and after the game.
My favorite fan moment, came a few years ago when I had tickets in the student section, it may have been against Minnesota, but I can't really remember. What I do remember is that after the third quarter, as everyone was sitting down, a student arose with a hotdog, and he pitted the different sections of the students against each other to deem who could cheer the loudest, earning the hotdog as a prize. After the first hotdog was flung, a second appeared, and then a third, and then another. I honestly can't remember how many hotdogs actually were hurled out, but everytime we thought he was done, another would appear to the approving roars of the crowd. Of course the ushers found this act dispicable enough to boot the kid, with an appropriate boo from the students. I have to admit though, this was the best quarter show I ever saw there.
Last year's ND game, especially because I had on old friend (and 3rd gen. Domer) sitting next to me...nothing better than some noterdamenfreude...
I spent a little time there on the 50 yard line with a girlfriend one evening my senior year. Good times, good times....
the time-honored tradition.
One evening a couple years ago, my girlfriend and I "gazed at the stars" from not only the 50 yard line, but both end zones as well.
I was 5 rows up on the 10 yard line in the student section. We went ape shit when Woodson took that punt back. I don't remember him past the OSU 40, as the mosh pit had started in earnest.
My eyes still burn a little when I think back to rushing the field. Man, they went a little crazy with the pepper spray. I had a chunk of end zone turf for four years from that game.
Perfect season, perfect game.
I kept the chunk of grass I harvested that day, after rushing the field, in a Ziploc until about 2003, when my wife decided it was just too disgusting to keep anymore.
The only thing that topped it was being on the field after winning the Rose Bowl two months later and having my arm around Charles Woodson as the media interviewed him--that didn't suck.
Single greatest day, other than the birth of my kids. I remember every detail of that day - the drive into town, the clouds, the snow on the ground, the timbre of Frank Beckmann's voice in the pre-game radio show.
Rushing the field. Getting a high five from Griese...
Good times...
When Charlie Heisman took that return back, the place went insane. I remember being on the field high fiving with the likes of Woodson and Griese thinking that this has got to be the best day of my life. To this day, I have never experienced a comparable moment asa sports fan. I still have the clump of dirt from the field in my freezer. Just awesome!
Man do I long for those days.
1979. I was a sophomore that year. On the flip-side, I was also at the Colorado game.....
Told my girlfriend that the odds were "one in a million".
She convinced me to stay.
I will never leave another Michigan game early.
Married her.
Big:
* Tate's game-winning pass to Matthews last year. (As loud as I've ever heard the crowd...)
* John Thompson's "buffalo stampede" interception return against Wisconsin. (Ditto...)
* Brabbs' game-winning field goal against Washington.
Small:
* Every time a giant inflatable dong is tossed around the student section. (I guess that would be big, too.)
Touchdown! Back breaking play to crack the Buckeyes. Under the lights, in the rain, the crowd went Crazy!
...as well. I went crazy. I absolutely agree with you.
Ditto
Just before the play, I yelled to friends that they were single up on him and had 8 in the box. Bruce said afterwards he didn't know Kolesar was that fast. I was bummed when he was later fired, silly me.
Yelling at the other students not to leave because we would come back in the 4thQ and having people look at me as though I were crazy.
Showed them.
in Boston during the game. With 8 minutes left and down 27 to 10, the bar emptied out to just a few of us. Since most of them probably took the T (subway) home, I could only imagine their suprise when they got home and saw the final of 45-37. Man that was a great game. The crowd that remained looked amazing and loud on TV though, so as the saying goes "those who stay..."
MY dad came with us to that game and he is always so dead-set on getting to the car and "beating traffic" at any sort of event that he watched most of the end of the game on a concession stand tv.
Great game.
I had to find a satelite TV to watch that game while I was in Haiti that semester. No one around me could figure out why this game was such a big deal to me that I would skip dinner and stay glued to the TV through the whole thing. So satisfying and draining that the only way I could celebrate was in awed silence as I watched the sun set into the Caribbean while sipping an ice cold coke I had stuck in the freezer during the second OT.
I had to find a satelite TV to watch that game while I was in Haiti that semester. No one around me could figure out why this game was such a big deal to me that I would skip dinner and stay glued to the TV through the whole thing. So satisfying and draining that the only way I could celebrate was in awed silence as I watched the sun set into the Caribbean while sipping an ice cold coke I had stuck in the freezer during the second OT.
Dang't.
Dirty Desmond and the pose in '91
I wish i'd been a Michigan fan back then. Then again, i was only 1 yr old that year. It makes me sad to know I didn't get into college sports until I actually got to college in 2007.
The crowd roared when he scored, but whent crazy when he struck the now famous pose.
Will never forget it...set the tone for a spectacular year.
Wisconsin '08. Biggest comeback in the Big House. Everyone else i was with left...I got the chance to gloat about being in that game for weeks later. Especially cause the season was so bad, so I was there for one of that year's few highlights.
You wouldn't think the Big House could be so loud only half filled.
It was 50% full, but 100% of those were true fans. All the flip floppers left early.
I don't think I've ever heard the big house louder than during John Thompson's interception return.
I think it was '95, comeback against Viginia. It was so hot that day, pretty boring game really until the end....heave ho to Mercury Hayes with no time on clock. Place went totally crazy!
Definitely my #2 behind OSU 1997. I just remember Mercury making that catch and me jumping from like row 55 onto some girl's back in row 37. Everybody was just piled on top of each other. So great.
Probably has to be when I put the team on my back and had those 3 TDs against MSU in '04.
-B. Edwards
I remember a pretty uproarious, rough-and-tumble celebration at the end of that game.
Must have been a GREAT ONE!!!!
LoL
- Literally jumping onto the field and hugging absolutely everyone on November 22nd, 2003
- Henne --> Manningham
- Forcier --> Mathews
- The concourse after the '09 ND game when everyone (old, young, all in and not) high-fived each other in solidarity
- The '03 38-0 shut out of Notre Dame and chanting, "Hou-ston's Bet-ter! *clapclap clap clap clap* at the end
- The '04 MSU game (one of the most amazing memories of my entire life)
- The '08 comeback against Wisconsin where I (literally) burst out crying
The Heisman pose and Mercury Hayes' catch to avert an upset by Virginia. If I was the kind to have nightmares about football, the Barber twins would have provided plenty. Hayes kept them from being part of what would have been a legendary upset for their program.
As for the Heisman pose, I really can't say anything that hasn't been said a thousand times. My other great moment in the game was watching the OSU fans leave well before the game was over. It was the first time I had seen anything like that in the Big Game.
I still rely on that memory to remind me that Michigan is due to turn the cycle back around on OSU.
but it is truly difficult to pick a "favorite" as there have been so many moving experiences.
'97 OSU - giving Jerame Tuman a high five on the field after the game.
'99 OSU - watching Dhani Jones grab an orange from someone in the student section, hold it above his face and obliterate it so the juice could victoriously travel into his mouth.
'02 - Brabbs 44-yarder vs. Washington
'04 - Edwards vs. MSU
'05 - "Touchdown Manningham!!!!"
'10 - Denard's 4 all-purpose TDs against MSU in Michigan's 63-24 victory. CNNSI homepage the next day with a picture of Rich Rodriguez and his 6-0 team with the caption "Machine of Destruction Running on All Cylinders."
Flying up from tampa for the MSU game this fall, so I have to agree with your last "memory"...I would love nothing more than to wave bye-bye to the arrogant MSU fans as they leave in the third quarter.
I also live in Tampa what part do you live in?
It should probably be favorite(s) moment(s). Most likely this post will end with me spending an hour or two on youtube trying to relive each of these moments.
That's what just happened to me, haha. This thread spells doom for my productivity today, but I'm even more hyped up for the season to start.
Only 78 days til kickoff when we'll be able to add amazing '10-'11 memories to our all-time lists!
I've got two good ones:
1) '03 OSU. Rushed the field. Best moment of my life. Enough said.
2) '08 Wisky. Got told I was going to "have my fucking teeth kicked in" by an old guy after I told people to shut the fuck up and stop booing the team. Glad the team backed me up there.
Cannot wait for my chance to rush the field...
OSU 2011, anyone?
I haven't been to the Big House in years, but that game sticks out the most.
It looked pretty bad at halftime, after Tim Dwight returned a punt as time expired.
I remember how electric it was in the second half when Michigan stormed back and took the lead. The A-Train emerged that day as a houehold name.
That was a pivotal game for our national championship run, and one of my favorites.
1) My First and only Michigan ever, so far. September 19th against Eastern Michigan University
2) From my house...TOUCHDOWN MANNINGHAM!!!
and of course..."Forcier Throws, CAUGHT, TOUCHDOWN GREG MATTHEWS!"
edit: three