Could Crisler/Yost ever be renamed?
This question stemmed from a short conversation I had with my mother (MSU alum) during graduation weekend. We were talking about Crisler Arena and she asked "who is that named after?" And I said a former football coach and athletic director. Then I thought, Yost is also another former football player and coach. I began to question, why are our basketball and hockey arenas named after football coaches? Shouldn't they be named after basketball and hockey legends?
So, MGoBlog Community, do you feel that our arenas should be given new names at any point at all? Yes, the amazing legacies of Fritz Crisler and Fielding Yost should not be forgotten, but they were known for football, not basketball and hockey. I propose 3 options to tackle this question:
1. Keep Crisler/Yost the same. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
2. Rename the arenas to Russell Arena/Tomjanovich Arena or Berenson Ice Arena, etc.
3. Compromise and do the trendy thing in college sports: Russell Court at Crisler Arena or Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena, what have you.
It would be very, very tough at this point to rename iconic buildings that have stood for many years, thus my vote would go for option 3 if we were to acknowledge a U-M basketball and hockey legend.
Put helmet stickers on the arena.
Option 5 - Throwback Name Games?
Michigania Stadium... Catholepistemiad Arena... Horace Pettyman Field...
/s
If there was ever a resolution to rename anything Prettyman it would have my full support.
Oh my god, yes! Something at UM needs to be renamed after Horace Prettyman. Doesn't matter what it is, I'll support it.
Also, something should probably be named after William Ward, too, while we're renaming stuff.
Prettyman Department of Cosmetology? Works for me!
MICHIGAN IS FOOTBALL, FOOTBALL IS MICHIGAN .
Option 1, for sure.
I'm not a big fan of naming fields, courts, or ice surfaces. It's tacky and stupid. Seems JV or bush league, IMO.
Let's be honest about Michigan's history. A lot of our overall academic reputation and athletic success can be directly attributed to the early success our football team had getting the Michigan brand out across the country, so I have no problem honoring them (even though Yost and Crisler's AD contributions merit the naming of those buildings anyway).
No renames needed
How 'bout this (Musburger): "You're looking live at Krazy Jim's Blimpy Burger Stadium at LeDog Field, otherwise known as the Big Barbeque" Yeah... that bout sums it up.
Buildings are often named after the people who had a large role in getting them built or were a major contributor to their cost. Hence the Natatorium bears Don Canham's name, the new football indoor practice facility is named after Al Glick and Ferry Field was named after Dexter Ferry.
Yost Arena is named for Fielding Yost not because of his exploits as a coach, but because he oversaw the largest expansion of U of M facilities during his tenure as AD. With all the facilities he built, the least the University could do was put his name on one of them.
Same goes for Schembechler Hall. Bo personally oversaw the fund-raisng program back in the 80's that allowed that facility to be built.
I'm all for honoring past Michigan greats, but Tomjanovich's number is hanging in the Crisler rafters and the University will find an appropriate way to pay homage to Red after he retires (not soon please!). But if you pull Yost's name off the hockey arena, where do you put it? Yost Football Stadium? Nice ring, but nobody is going to go for it.
Leave tradition alone.
Put a bubble over Michigan Stadium and rename it the AT&T Wolverdome.
...of a no brainer. 1.
I couldn't imagine going to watch Michigan hockey at anything besides Yost Arena. The names of these buildings are so classic and central to Michigan athletics that it's outrageous to change their names.
The only way I could see that is if I was going to go watch Michigan hockey in a brand new facility. Why Michigan would want to replace Yost with a brand new facility I have no idea, and I hope I'm not alive to see that day come.
Didn't they already name a couple of the lines on the ice after Coach Berenson?
blue berenson? never heard of him.
Fact of they day: they used to call it the Gordon line at center ice.
Space Emperor of Space Arena?
The B-School, for example, was previously named something completely different, and was then torn down, and renamed. I forget what they call it now. Something about the Miami Dolphins. I don't know.
So if those buildings were torn down, they could then be renamed.
which just goes to show, donating 100 bajillion dollars to a university does not hurt your case if you want an entire department named after you.
i do wonder if coaches like Berenson and Hutch will have things named after them. Those coaches are literally the faces of those programs and have been for 20+ years. Unfortunately for them, M athletics are so good that that might not be enough. I'd venture to guess they both love the university enough that they won't mind
i do wonder if coaches like Berenson and Hutch will have things named after them. Those coaches are literally the faces of those programs and have been for 20+ years. Unfortunately for them, M athletics are so good that that might not be enough. I'd venture to guess they both love the university enough that they won't mind
that they will ever have any building/stadium named after them (actually, considering "Alumni Field" isn't exactly the name of a legnendary coach/AD/specific donor, I could see that potentially being renamed after Hutch when she retires), but I think that they'll get something. A Berenson statue outside of Yost/inside the concourse? I'd be fine with that, as long as he's wearing either his old jersey or The Unit. The only problem then would be Vic Heyliger (and to a lesser extent Al Renfrew) don't have anything named after them (OK, Vic has a team trophy and Renfrew has half the "rivalry" trophy with Minnesota, but not much) and if Red gets something, they probably deserve something. But then maybe Red just gets a trophy named after him. Berenson award for leading scorer on the team?
Basically, there are a lot of options for naming things after people, it doesn't have to be a whole building and everybody that deserves it will be remembered in some way.
Crisler Arena was named affter Fritz Crisler because he was the athletic director who concieved it. It was named after him to reflect that and the many other things he did for Michigan, even changing football forever in the process (the platoon system).
Yost was named for Yost because Yost thought of it and wanted it named after himself. It was originally a fieldhouse used for practice and even basketball games, and was later converted to an ice arena. "Yost Field House" is engraved right into the thing, so changing the namesake of it would not only be weird, but in complete disregard for the history of the building.
Both men deserve the buildings named after them not only because of what they did in relation to the building and for what they did in football, but for Michigan and in many ways college athletics as a whole. The names should remain (although if we ever had to make a new building if something bad happened to either of them, I would agree that it should probably be named in honor of a Michigan great of that sport, barring a repeat in circumstances that would dictate otherwise as the case with Crisler and Yost is now).
Edit: Somebody brought up softball. I would not be surprised if Alumni Field were one day named after her. It will come for sure after she retires and maybe even after she passes away in the far future, but I'll bet it'll happen.
At the University of Toledo, the basketball Arena is named "Savage Hall" after John Savage, the Donor who jumpstarted having the thing built. A few years ago, they did renovations there and they wanted to pay homage to UT's 'legendary' basketball coach (He did lead UT to multiple NCAA tourneys). They weren't going to take Savage's name off the arena, so they named the court. It is now Bob Nichols Court at Savage Hall. His signature is painted on the court.
Should they want to honor some other people at M, they may do something similar. Yost Field House may see the refrigeration unit/floor replaced, and they could become "Berenson Sheet at Yost". Etcetra.
Is the dumbest thread ever. Period.
Just when I think I've seen the Scouties dumb down this board to lows never before even conceived, this appears and sets a new standard.
That would be the biggest outrage ever. First they are the two of the greatest coaches ever to be at Michigan and second of all if they changed it you may have some people not go and protest because of this. Its just to much of a tradition to change it. Get real.
It's almost as bad as I imagined.
I move we dole out some recognition on mgoblog. Lets start out with the Richard Rodriguez Message Board.
Or maybe the Gerg Beaver Main Board(Insert your own favorite inappropriate activities with dead animals pun here).
Dibs on the Desmonlon Edwoodson Moderation Action Doucheboard(rolls off the tongue doesn't it?).