Bygone Traditions at Michigan Stadium
Despite being a tradition-bound place a number of traditions at Michigan Stadium have faded away over the years. A few I recall:
*All-male cheerleaders doing back flips off the 3’ high brick wall after touchdowns.
*Getting a contact buzz sitting in the student section (mid 1970s, with my mom!)
*The Bullwinkle song
*Our cheerleaders ramming the opponent’s mascot into the goal-post spread eagle style
*Marshmallows
What else has faded away over the years?
[edit: H/T to bjk for suggesting the better title]
February 19th, 2010 at 6:05 PM ^
Wins.
I, for one, would support bringing THAT one back.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:05 PM ^
You listed some great ones!
On another thread a while back, someone mentioned that the score of the Slippery Rock game is no longer announced - which is a shame.
For me, the biggest tradition killed is that the band no longer is the source for in-stadium music. The current piped-in low grade techno and hip hop, to me, is the opposite of Michigan tradition. We can do better than spinning Jock Jam 43 in Michigan Stadium.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:20 PM ^
That is not true. I guarantee everyone that goes to the game still loves the M fanfare, The Victors and Lets Go Blue one after another more than the piped in stuff. It's just easier to get the crowd loud during 3rd downs with piped in stuff.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:58 PM ^
I understand the point about amping the volume (and crowd). Those are indeed important. I just think that, hey, we can do better. I bet that we could find a lot of amazing hype music with which we could create our own version of Michigan Jock Jams (if we must). As it stands now, our musical experience is the same as the majority of minor league hockey teams. Not a good thing.
February 20th, 2010 at 4:50 PM ^
While I'm willing to keep an open mind, I really don't see why the band doesn't just play louder and/or eliminate the woodwinds that nobody can hear in a stadium anyways. Turn in your clarinet, pick up a trumpet.
Why not also pipe in band music if it's clear that large sections of the stadium cannot hear the band at all.... /sarc
February 20th, 2010 at 7:40 PM ^
I think there's an inherent difficulty in wiring a marching band for sound (especially given the need for wireless mics and different channels for the different sections). Not being a sound engineer though, I'm not sure...
Worst case, we could easily record the band playing various drum segments and whatnot as the fire-up's to pipe in instead of Neil Diamond. Think about one of the most popular stadium tracks ever - boom boom clap, boom boom clap - simple can work very well.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:23 AM ^
We'd love the band's Trio of Songs even more if we could here them in the Southwest corner of the Stadium!!
February 21st, 2010 at 9:22 AM ^
I sit close to the southwest corner and can hardly hear the band play. From my seats the visiting band is a lot louder than ours.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:21 PM ^
We can beat the music debate into the ground but for the record, you can't hear the band all over the stadium. I hate the Jock Jams as much as you do, but it's more disappointing that the band is quieter/ill-positioned/lacking family values, or whatever the reason is that you can't hear them. Clearly, piped-in music cannot replace the band, but it does offer something that the MMB has been lacking in recent years: volume.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:18 PM ^
the tradition of not hearing the black eyed peas is one that i hope is brought back soon.
that and throwing toilet paper.
pissing in a trough
February 19th, 2010 at 7:13 PM ^
My first year at UofM, we would throw out TP after the first Michigan score.... Stopping the game for 5 min to clean up the field was kind of a downer. The best part was, the dorms would stop handing out TP on game week on Tues/Wed. Duh...so we would just stock up on Mondays.....Then they started searching you when you enter the stadium to stop the TP tradition in 88' or 89'. That did bring on the rise of an even better tradition in my opinion....MARSHMALLOWS!!! I still remember throwing them at the Minnesota tuba player as they lined up on the sidelines getting ready to march.... that was awsome...
February 19th, 2010 at 10:16 PM ^
We got to piss into a damn waterfall. I really hope that survives the renovations.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:50 PM ^
While I love the freedom of pissing on a wall, the splashbacks were never welcome...especially during warm weather games while wearing shorts.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:26 AM ^
The waterfall in the bathroom under the Press Box has survived the recent renovations. Somethings should never die - and this is one of those.
February 20th, 2010 at 4:52 PM ^
Totally agree.
February 20th, 2010 at 6:02 AM ^
Pissing in a trough. 1929-2008. RIP.
February 20th, 2010 at 11:12 AM ^
How did people relieve themselves in the first two years of the stadium's existence?
February 20th, 2010 at 3:29 PM ^
You don't want to know...
February 20th, 2010 at 7:56 PM ^
Of course -- 1927.
Thanks for correcting me with humor.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:06 PM ^
Winning seasons.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:08 PM ^
Although this wasn't just UM -- it was the going thing late 60's-early 70's. Dad and I had season tickets to '69, and he finally let me bring a roll, maybe it was for Purdue. Unfortunately, my arm wasn't of the best and it only went 10-15 rows. Must have been hell for the cleanup crew in those days.
edit: Tripp beat me to it.
I remember the back-flips. Did the wall height change since '69? I wonder if that was the reason for the demise of that tradition?
February 19th, 2010 at 6:12 PM ^
The wall height can't be the issue, as male cheerleader alums flip off them like nobody's business, and they risk having their bones turn to dust upon landing (and are thus extraordinarily awesome).
February 19th, 2010 at 6:13 PM ^
the field was lowered when they switched from astroturf to real turf. that wall is pretty tall now and i am sure that liability insurance is more expensive as well.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:14 PM ^
When they lowered the field prior to the 1991 season, the field was dropped about 5 or so feet. Now, especially in the end zones, it's a LONG way down to the field. Doing flips off that wall could get a tad dicey.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:08 PM ^
To quote Mike Ditka, "The past is for cowards and losers." Seriously, I respect and appreciate the traditions of Michigan Stadium. But a topic like that only ignites the haters. Just like Lloyd said, "Appreciate what you had AND WHAT YOU WILL HAVE HERE."
Go Blue!!!!
February 19th, 2010 at 6:16 PM ^
what would ditka say about your 1990 avatar of Desmond being tripped or your quote from not the previous coach, but the one before the previous coach? :)
he would probably say something about the 85 Bears is what he would probably say.
February 19th, 2010 at 11:24 PM ^
What would mini-Ditka say vs. God in a debate, and who would win?
February 19th, 2010 at 6:37 PM ^
Tradition has always made M different and, well, better. When Bo came to shake up the Crisler-Oosterbaan-Elliott succession, he stressed tradition. Tradition isn't for haters -- those are called fair-weather fans. Real haters don't last long. Go Blue!
Edit: Maybe if the thread title were called "Bygone traditions," it would neutralize the impression some have that it rallies malcontents and haters.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:09 PM ^
Well, until recently, Michigan hadn't had a male cheerleader on the field in years which would probably contribute to the lack of back flips as well as the notable absence of the awesome twirling ninja knives that we're treated to at homecoming. Also, the M-I-C-H-I-G-A-N locomotive cheer has been "lost" or at least homecoming only.
I do seem to remember Goldy getting crotched on the goalpost as recently as 2005 (or possibly even 2007), as well as Purdue's creepy mascot being screwed around with, so I don't know that that's really lost, just less uncommon.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:17 PM ^
Less uncommon?
February 19th, 2010 at 6:24 PM ^
I was in the middle of writing "less common," then I thought to myself, "there's a word that means that, it's 'uncommon.'"
And there you have it.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:28 PM ^
Les
und
Common
February 19th, 2010 at 10:30 PM ^
For extra credit conjugate the verb "to crotch."
February 19th, 2010 at 11:32 PM ^
crotcho, crotchare, crotchavi, crotchatum est.
February 20th, 2010 at 11:36 AM ^
Veni, vidi, crotchae.
(I came, I saw, I crotched.)
February 19th, 2010 at 6:36 PM ^
I really just miss the random squirrels that would sneak into the stadium and run rampant to the crowds delight... let those critters back onto the field!
February 19th, 2010 at 6:42 PM ^
the tradition i miss is the four years when i would get up at 7am and drink beers until stumbling into Michigan stadium to watch football games.
now i live 2500 miles from dear Ann Arbor town; though, i've tried to keep up this tradition by replacing "Michigan stadium" with "my unsuspecting neighbor's living room."
February 19th, 2010 at 7:01 PM ^
This is quite nitpicky, but I'm not a huge fan of when the players have undershirt sleeves coming out of the jersey. For some reason, it seems like part of the uniform has been altered when they do that.
However, if it is 35 degrees out, players can do whatever the hell they want.
February 20th, 2010 at 9:27 AM ^
Yeah, I've tried not to let it bother me, but I'm with you on this one. Especially because it seems like a distinctly adidas-brand addition, though I can't really put my finger on why, as there's no three stripes. It's too Nike Pro Combat for me. Ah well, I'm sure I'll get over it.
February 20th, 2010 at 11:15 AM ^
Those sleeves look odd.
February 19th, 2010 at 6:57 PM ^
The Frisbee catching dog (cmon I was a kid)
and
Miller Lite's Less Filling, Tastes Great, routine.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:22 PM ^
The crowd would go nuts when he approached the goal line. Anybody remember his name?
Also, "To kick off for Michigan" ((crowd joins in))
Ali Haji-SHEIKH
February 19th, 2010 at 11:55 PM ^
was Whiskey
February 19th, 2010 at 7:19 PM ^
enough said
February 19th, 2010 at 8:23 PM ^
Passing the girls up was a hallowed tradition.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:06 PM ^
Hot coeds? Sorry, you must be thinking of Michigan State.
February 19th, 2010 at 10:32 PM ^
When did passing around hot coeds stop being just good clean fun and start being assault and battery?
February 20th, 2010 at 12:59 PM ^
It's not, my avatar is me getting lifted 16 times for Miami (NTM) in 2008. I assure you no charges were filed :]
February 20th, 2010 at 3:34 PM ^
It's hard to see with a small avatar, but if that's you getting lifted up and down, like a push-up as seen at ND and such, that's not what they were talking about, though glad to see it happening, legally.
They're talking about where a girl would get picked up (hopefully willingly) in like row 5, and be carried over the crowd, crowd surfing up to say row 88. Or sooner if she got dropped or tired of people copping feels.
February 20th, 2010 at 4:11 PM ^
Oh ok, I've never seen that, just the one for each point, which security heckles us for anyway.