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.
Against #2 OSU and eventual Heisman winner Eddie George, Nov. 24, 1995. My buddy and I have a brick at Michigan Stadium commemorating that lovely fall day of our senior year.
Simply ridiculous. OSU simply had no answers.
I was there - good call on this one.
that OSU game in 1995 as well. My Dad and I sat in front of two annoying Buckeye fans who had the audacity to have roses in their hair before and during the game. Needless to say, they were real quiet and the roses were quietly removed well before the end of the game, he he he.
FYI, the Hot Dog Man, with those amazing Zubaz pants, was a mainstay of the student section for quite some time. It wasn't a one-time thing.
but had a chance to see him the one time. I was hoping someone knew more about this than me. I'm also hoping that there are more guys like this that make the gameday unique. The student section truly is the heart and sole of the crowd.
He always got thrown out of the game when he pulled the stunt. Thus, the best Hot Dog Man moment was when he came back into the stadium after being kicked out with a vengeance!
But, I'm going with one no one has mentioned. U-M v. MSU, October 8, 1988. On the heals of his successful Rose Bowl trip and co-B10 championship, George Perles brough his 0-3-1 Spartans into the Big House. Michigan won, 17-3.
But that wasn't even the best part. By the end of the game, we were all chanting: "Oh-Four-and-One! Oh-Four-and-One!" The entire student section and most of the rest of the stadium got in on the act. It was a blast and sent Sparty home in the proper way.
Beating ND last year, and seeing all of their students who drove up for the game thinking they could beat us 2 seasons in a row leave the stadium.
...and no "that time I had sex on the 50-yard line" stories?
I'll admit that graduation 2010 was a pretty big highlight. I was unprepared by how moved I would be, seeing the president in person, feeding off the crowd's energy.
Look at the first comment's reply. It has been said.
Cripes, don't I look like an idiot.
Well, nothing new in that!
in a previous thread...
(But not one of my greatest moments at the Big House, which was the premiss of this thread.)
I was a kid and saw Woody lose his shit and tear up the sideline markers while losing to Michigan in 1971. Sweet!
The third-ranked and undefeated Wolverines trailed the unranked Buckeyes until Billy Taylor scored on a 21-yard run in the final period. Thom Darden sealed the victory with an interception. Hayes believed Darden interfered on the play. When a flag wasn't thrown, Hayes responded by tearing the down-and-distance markers.
For me it was definitely beating Notre Dame last. I got spoiled because that was my first Michigan game in the Big House. I was absolutely hammered and just went crazy when we scored that last touchdown. I have never felt so comfortable hugging complete strangers in my life. Fantastic day.
Washington in 02
My best friend and the best man at my wedding was the starting OG for washington. He's also the one that got me tickets. This was my first game at michigan. When he saw i was wearing my michigan jersey he didnt talk to me for about 3 weeks after the game.
Seeing them run out of the tunnel for the first time I imagine is one of the best memories for everyone. First time for me was against Olklahoma St in 92
I remember the crushing defeats a little more vividly than the great Michigan plays cause your so excited and yelling and being told to sit down, it's just so overwhelming.
Mercury in the corner against VA, Chris Perry going over in OT against PSU, Manningham against PSU, the MSU game when I was ready to leave in the 3rd qtr cause I was so pissed but I stayed cause I was going to the basketball scrimage after the football game plus the temp dropped like 40 degrees that day during the football game. Every game in 97, iowa, osu and even the lesser games Woodson provided a highlight every game on reverses, hits etc. It's funny that Woodson didn't have all that many really great PR's, Breston probably had tripple of what Woodson had but that one was the biggest and he ran that punt right into the endzone that I was in.
It's funny the things you remember over the years, Brabbs missed FG's then hitting one to win the game against Wash., Butterfields' drop.
Also funny that at the time I though Scott Driesbach was going to be one of Michigan's best QB's ever and being so excited to see Guitierez start only to be listening to the radio on my way to the game and hearing Henne was starting.
I was also there for the Colorado 94 game, Johnny Johnson for Ill looking like Vince Young and McNab combined, seeing Collins air it out to Toomer for a sure TD that probably would have beat PSU in 94 only to see the ball just stay out of reach of Toomer's grasp. Homecoming games always sucked, they lost to NW in the rain, that Johnny Johnson IL game, 1 yr Wisc dominated them like 31-19.
A couple of the funnest things were one yr against MSU Michigan scored like 14 or 21 pts in the matter of minutes. 1 TD then an onside kick and then I think Wooson scored on a crossing pattern right before the half and the place was just nuts. And in 08 the Wisc game was incredible, I really thought that was going to be a turning point for the entire program...well I hoped it would be.
But KidA2112 brings up an interesting point above.
So many of us seem to remember the losses more so than the great wins.
And there have been SO MANY GREAT WINS! 80% of NCAA football teams and their fans would LOVE to have lived our games, and to have the successes that we take for granted.. (The other 20% are lying)
We have been so incredibly lucky to be Wolverines! Damn lucky.
Go Blue!
Greatest Moment That Wasn't: 1973 Ohio State, the 10-10 tie. My first game (I was 13), sitting about two thirds up in the end zone where Mike Lantry missed both winning FG attempts. The second one looked so good! Everybody was going nuts -- we were stunned when the ref waved no good.
Greatest Moment I Failed to See: 79 Indiana, Wangler to Carter. We were in the student section and M was driving away from us. After Russell Davis (I think it was) intentionally (it appeared) fumbled out of bounds right in Lee Corso's chest, I figured they had next to no chance with one play left. My roommate and I were very, very serious beer drinkers. They had passed a bottle-can deposit law that year. I was determined to get out of there at least with our empties, so I was scrounging around in the grunge at our feet stuffing Stroh's cans into a 12 pack. I glanced up and saw the ball in the air, but I figured I wouldn't be able to see where it came down (this what passes as logic when you're full of six Strohs and disgust at being tied by Indiana). Then everything exploded. Never saw AC catch and score until Michigan Replay the next morning.
Davis was probably a better back but he'd graduated the year before.
That happened to be one of two games I missed from about '78 to '83.
Freshman year, I came in knowing that we hadn't lost a home game in like 3 years, or some huge streak. It was a rough year. During the course of the ND game I went through the whole emotional spectrum, and was depressed. I felt like it wasn't our year, and it sucked.
I was ready to leave. I had walked down from my freshman seats (row 97!!) to the gate, ready to walk out. Lloyd argued for one more second and I stood in the gate (the walkway into the bowl) to watch the last play from there before starting my long, depressing trip up to north campus. Then, Henne to Manningham, and BOOM!
Best day of Freshman year for sure
With the varsity club milling around before the entrance and Brutus the Buckeye running up the field, Bruce Kimball flies out of nowhere and drops her with a dive at her ankles. Brutus comes up and starts bounding him with the now bent OSU flag before they eventually get broken up. Awesome.
Also, to the OP: the quote in your signature is written on a post-it and taped to the bottom of the screen of my work computer. It's one of my favorite quotes of all time.
1. Wangler to Carter "79 - BEDLAM! There were so many people on the field after the TD, the band couldn't line up!
2. Tribute to Bob Ufer at halftime of the Iowa game "81 - It was sad to say goodbye but one of the most rousing moments that didn't happen on the field. The crowd would have run thru a wall for him.
2. Last second win vs. Iowa "83 - Bob Bergeron's 45 yard FG with :08 left gave us the win 16-13.
woodson punt return against osu, i ended up in a pile a couple rows down from my seat in the student section
2002 Penn State - first game I attended. Great atmosphere with the OT win.
2008 Wisconsin - great comeback, even though Wisconsin turned out to be not #9 great
2009 Notre Dame - Great game, definitely the high of the season
Side note: 08 graduation to see Bill Clinton.
Biakabutuka blows up.
All Wolverine fans were in heaven - I still am when I reminisce.
We went 10 - 1 that season and every game in the Big House was just freaking exciting. Jim Harbaugh was considered to be a passing phenom (which is kind of funny now) and Jamie Morris was a truck. The D was awesome. Does anyone remember who we lost to? It wasn't OSU - we beat them in Columbus that year.