Favorite MSU Memories
It's almost that time of year again. They are a wounded animal and need to be put down. Caution advised. I'm hoping Michigan lays wood like they did against the Irish.
With that out of the way; What's your favorite MSU related memory?
Two come to my mind. The first is a quote from my grandson. Despite high test scores, GPA, and parents each having two degrees from Michigan, he didn't get admitted out of high school. He went to MSU for one year, 4 pointed, and transferred. His quote: "I'd rather be considered arrogant than a loser."
One of my favorite MSU athletic moments was watching Michigan basketball beat MSU at home. Sean Higgins jumped up on the scorers table and cheered to the crowd. In the first row was a tall kid wearing a Country Day letterman's jacket. His name was Chris Webber, and he was looking up at at Sean, with a beaming smile on his face. Little did I know, that deal was done well before that game, but that's a different story.
Most of my crew from HS went to State, so I have endless stories of raucous game watching and near fist fights, although cooler heads always prevailed, and we all managed to shake hands and walk away after games. Even among my brethren, though, a simmering animosity has always existed on this weekend, that exists to this day. Terse "Good game", "May the best team win" texts are about it. Other than that, we leave each other alone.
What are your favorite memories, other than the next one? Go Blue! Take em to the shed!
November 15th, 2019 at 11:33 AM ^
Braylonfest game. I was in middle school at the time and the amount of ribbing I gave MSU fans at school the next day was priceless. It was a long the lines of oh that is so cute that you actually thought MSU had the game won. I am lucky one of them didn't take a swing at me, lol. But in the broader sense my favorite memory is when I could count on UM beating MSU 7 or 8 out of 10 times. Hopefully it seems like we are heading back towards that being the norm again.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
I had tickets to that game but came down with the flu and watched it with a fever of 101. Still maybe my favorite moment.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:48 AM ^
I was at an MSU - Michigan themed Bar Mitzvah that Saturday night for a State Fan. Braylonfest was a rite in its own.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:35 PM ^
I was up in Section 29 with the students and even before Braylon went Braylon, I was feeling smug because unlike the rest of the students, I checked the weather forecast and saw the temps were going to drop 25 degrees after dark. I was dressed appropriately and had the best time ever by the 4th quarter when everyone else was freezing their balls off watching MSU collapse gloriously.
#alwaysbringasweater
November 15th, 2019 at 2:38 PM ^
I was dressed in shorts and a golf shirt because it was 70 degrees in the morning. Never checked the weather forecast.
I left in the 3rd quarter freezing my ass off. Walked back to my car near the old school of architecture hearing the roars all the way due to the howling wind out of the west.
Happy ending - made it home in time to watch the 3rd OT.
November 15th, 2019 at 3:05 PM ^
I was one of those students in shorts and a t-shirt. I love that fact because after we won, I went with friends to a bar (I think Ashley's), and while we waited for our food, I ran to buy a sweatshirt to warm up. 15 years later and it is still my favorite sweatshirt, and I think of Braylonfest every time I wear it.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:46 PM ^
Be be thankful John L was smart enough to keep 5'9" Jaron Hayes on Braylon. Miss that guy.
November 15th, 2019 at 1:57 PM ^
....and after the game he did this....
November 15th, 2019 at 4:57 PM ^
Mrs. JDean and I watched that game in a house full of Sparty fans.
We were afraid to cheer for fear of not making it out alive (I'm somewhat kidding, but these people REALLY took the game with a rabid passion).
November 15th, 2019 at 11:33 AM ^
1979 - I'm in the MMB and we're at Sparty for the game. Sparty couldn't move the ball and Bo's kids ground up the clock with loads of running plays. There was no way Sparty could win. Late 3rd quarter or early 4th quarter, the Michigan fans in the visitors' seats rolled out a banner stating:
"Pardon Our Arrogance"
November 15th, 2019 at 12:02 PM ^
That was in direct response to MSU head coach Darryl Roger's post-game comment from the 1978 Michigan - Michigan State game, which Sparty won 24-15, where he referred to Michigan and it's fans as "Arrogant Asses".
November 15th, 2019 at 1:45 PM ^
Correct. Something like "A squared doesn't stand for Ann Arbor, it stands for Arrogant Asses"?
November 15th, 2019 at 1:50 PM ^
Lucky Roger didn't say that about OSU. Their fans would have pulled out their actual asses and shit in everyone's cooler, amirite?!
November 15th, 2019 at 8:34 PM ^
The '78 game was just a complete cluster f#ck. Tons of turnovers on INTs where the pass wasn't to the same area code as the receiver. The coverage in the secondary for MSU was crap; a pass within 5 yards of the receiver wouldn't have been intercepted.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:34 AM ^
The Woodson catch.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:35 AM ^
Meeting a MSU alumnus on new year's eve and realizing she was so stupid I would never see her again but riding those big melons into the morning.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:37 AM ^
Oh my.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:42 AM ^
Only 10 posts in, and you already win.
I tip my hat to you, sir, with a ;)
November 15th, 2019 at 12:16 PM ^
Everything else is just an epilogue to this one. Kudos.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:13 PM ^
That made me laugh way harder than it should have. Well played sir.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:36 AM ^
I was at Braylonfest. It was pretty damn cold and kind of wet, but that's easy to overlook for games like Braylonfest. People who say Michigan Stadium has kind of a laid-back, not-very-loud atmosphere were not there for Braylon's game-winning touchdown catch, at which I swear the explosion of noise caused a slight temporary deafness in my left ear, the way you might feel if you stood too close to a sudden firecracker bang.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:54 PM ^
I was also at Braylonfest, in the student section. But to my chagrin now, I didn't appreciate what was unfolding in front of me at the time. I was still relatively new to Michigan football and was like "Cool, they came back and won. That's nice." It wasn't until much later that I appreciated what an incredible win that was, and what Braylon had done.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:40 AM ^
My dad wouldn't pay for an application into MSU so I could be with my friends. "You're going to Michigan!"
Best kick in the ass I've ever had.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
2007 postgame. It was fun at the time.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:41 AM ^
MSU administrator perp walks
November 15th, 2019 at 11:47 AM ^
1989 Bo's 17th win over sparty in his 20 year coaching career in his last season.
Michigan ended up 8-0 in the BigTen as champions.
You could feel our will to win 10-7 in a classic old-school defensive battle.
Tradition.
November 15th, 2019 at 1:16 PM ^
Don't forget the goal line stand. Earlier in the game, Bo went for it on 4th & Goal from the 1 and Leroy Hoard went in standing up.
In the 3rd quarter, MSU also tried to score on a 4th & Goal...but they didn't have the same result....
November 15th, 2019 at 2:15 PM ^
Gosh. I should have wrote about that.
I'll never forget Tripp Welbourne with the clinched fist after STUFFING Ezor.
That was the game. Great video.... danke, "historian"... appreciate you!
November 15th, 2019 at 3:08 PM ^
Was at that game as well and we went to the Rose Bowl and saw how we got screwed by a terrible holding call on a fake punt. It sucked but made it somewhat palpable was a 2 week holiday in Maui. Still sucked. GO BLUE
November 15th, 2019 at 3:14 PM ^
Was at that game as well and we went to the Rose Bowl and saw how we got screwed by a terrible holding call on a fake punt. It sucked but made it somewhat palpable was a 2 week holiday in Maui. Still sucked. GO BLUE
November 15th, 2019 at 11:50 AM ^
Braylonfest hands down. Unreal. I was the only one still watching out of my family. Suckers.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
It may seem odd at first glance but possibly the 2005 game was my favorite moment.
Sparty was undefeated and ranked 11th, looking for revenge for the Braylon game. I remember tons of MSU fans talking smack that we wouldn't be able to score on them because they seemed to think that Braylon was our whole team the year before. Hart ran all over them and their season fell apart after that game (as usual). It was possibly the only bright spot in a pretty terrible season.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:54 AM ^
Manningham at Penn State doesn't bring a smile to your face?
November 15th, 2019 at 11:56 AM ^
Yeah, that whole 4 year stretch was UM and Hart specifically owning MSU in games they were confident going in or thought they had actually won like the Braylonfest game. It is funny that Hart gets so much crap for the little brother comment when he owned MSU and did it injured at least a couple different times. He can say whatever he wants about MSU as far as I am concerned, he walked the walk. The media acts like his comments were the catalyst that started MSU's run, but anybody with a brain knows it is because UM hired two shit coaches in a row.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:59 AM ^
"YeAh BuT wHaT dId He Do AgAiNsT oHiO sTaTe?????"
*Every MSU fan ever
I look forward to getting back to the days when MSU counts other teams victories against Michigan as their own because they can't beat UM.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:06 PM ^
Not only are we already there, but we've surpassed that benchmark. Do you realize that there are MSU fans posting screenshots of Army's schedule on Twitter after playing Michigan? A team that we beat?!
November 15th, 2019 at 2:32 PM ^
Just rewatched Wolverine Historian's video of this game this morning. 2005 also had the literal last second win vs. Penn State on the slant to Manningham was another bright spot in the dull 2005 campaign.
November 15th, 2019 at 10:38 PM ^
The one thing you definitely cannot call the 2005 season is dull. Nearly every game went down to the last play.
November 16th, 2019 at 11:20 AM ^
"The year of infinite pain."
November 15th, 2019 at 11:56 AM ^
Last years game has to be up there with me. It finally ended the "Michigan hasn't won a game on the road against a ranked team since X" talking point, and to do it there of all places seemed like some sort of destiny. Then the way the players rubbed it in was great. I look forward to a chance tomorrow to win this one at home for the first time in the Harbaugh era and let the players parade Paul around the big house.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:58 AM ^
My favorite memory was throwing out the application for admission. I was accepted to U-M before I started filling it out. I had no interest in going there so no need to apply.
My daughter filled out her MSU application before she was accepted to U-M. On the way back to our car after a game at the Big House she got the e-mail from MSU confirming that her application was accepted. I've never seen (before or since) anyone so disappointed about getting the "You're In" letter.
I don't really have a favorite MSU memory in the context of Michigan football because the good things are expected and the bad memories stick out. If I had to pick it was a story a MSU friend of mine told me about the 1983 game - she bought a T-Shirt before the game and the store told her she could come back after the game and they would put the score on it (we won 42-0 so no trip back to the store). My favorite MSU football memories are SOS moments against other schools such as the 1982 loss to Northwestern and the Lovie fest last week.
November 15th, 2019 at 11:59 AM ^
Was at 1988 game as a student, and Michigan was up 10-3 in 4th quarter and punting in Sparty territory, around the 40-45 yard line. Sparty rushed punter hard, and Mike Gillette, Michigan's punter, did a tremendous fake, ran around left side, and kept going until he hit the end zone untouched. The play was unreal - Gillette looked like a running back.
Final score - Michigan 17, Sparty 3.
November 15th, 2019 at 1:35 PM ^
Gillette was a damn fine baseball player too, if I recall correctly. He may be the best athlete ever to have kicked at Michigan, no offense intended to the Space Emperor of space.
November 15th, 2019 at 2:38 PM ^
The best part of that for me was that the play before MSU had actually blocked Gilette's punt and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game--but it was called back because they were offsides.
I'm sure that was part of why Bo ran a fake there.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:04 PM ^
When I got my Michigan acceptance package, and never had to seriously think about MSU again.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:04 PM ^
I was at the '07 game with my dad, we were given tickets by a Sparty season ticket holder who couldn't go so we were smack dab in the middle of a sea of green. Dantonio had mentioned sometime before the game that they have a countdown clock dedicated to the UM game. After Manningham caught what ended up being the game-winning TD my dad started shouting "START THE CLOCK MARKY" as loud as he could. I was pretty young at the time, so I think that saved us some harassment by the MSU fans around us. When I think back to that game I can still hear him shouting that. One of my favorite Michigan experiences and one of my favorite experiences with the old man.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:08 PM ^
This is probably different than most people's MSU memories, but ...
In 2017 my cat was diagnosed with a cancerous thyroid. It was debatable if it was operable, but my vet (UM undergrad, MSU doctorate) recommended that I go to a cancer specialist in Canton. That surgeon (a member of the MSU faculty) successfully removed the organ and gave me another year-and-a-half with my little guy.
So I will trash anything related to MSU's Athletics to kingdom come, but I'll always have a soft spot for one part of that institution.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:18 PM ^
My cousin went to MSU's Vet school, and over her faculty career at VaTech and Iowa St has become nationally recognized as one of the most accomplished educators in veterinary medicine. The notion that MSU is entirely a school for numbskulls is grossly inaccurate.
It's just partially true.
November 15th, 2019 at 1:36 PM ^
Their school of Animal Husbandry is top notch.
November 15th, 2019 at 12:10 PM ^
Born in 89, so Bo, Fab Five and before that aren't part of my memories:
Basketball - Aneurysm of Leadership, Stauskas Kisses, Moe Ankle Breaker
Football - Chris Perry 50 Carry, BraylonFest, Henne Teardrop to Matthews