Loudest Crowds at the Big House

Submitted by Daniel L on

Loudest games you can remember at the Big House.

2003 Notre Dame (Pre kickoff and until it was 14-0 and everyone realized it wasn't a game anymore)

2004 MSU Comeback (It was louder with 15% of the stadium gone, the place was shaking.  Also the beginning of the - now misapplied - comeback song by the band)

2005 PSU (So loud it was resonating in the parking garage by Palio apparently)

MGoBoard
Michigan Stadium
Crowds

hat

July 11th, 2008 at 1:36 PM ^

2002 Washington - Brabbs's game-winning field goal. 2003 OSU - all game it was loud, but especially when Braylon caught the 85-yard TD that ended up being called back.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 15

dex

July 11th, 2008 at 1:41 PM ^

Agree with 2003 OSU and the part about the TD that wasn't. Also, 2006 MSU - but only when they played the Tiger highlights on the screen.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 1934

Desert Blue

July 15th, 2008 at 3:11 PM ^

Re: MSU 06 

That was one of the odder games I've been to. Sparty fans had mailed the season in and few actually came; those that did all were wearing Tiger hats, and all the talk was from Kenny Rogers the night before anyway, so the "rivalry" that year was quite subdued. But whenever the Tigers scored, people listening on the radio would yell out info and the whole place would spontaneously erupt. Really cool day, but really bizarre too. 

Joined: 07/14/2008

MGoPoints: 2

formerlyanonymous

July 11th, 2008 at 1:56 PM ^

at the braylon edwards show is too gracious. it was closer to 60%. I moved from my row 88 freshman seats to row 15, had plenty of room to jump up and down and not even hit other people. the entire south side of the end of the stadium was empty. It was night time. I'm sure you could have heard the send it to overtime crowd raucous in east lansing. i'm still pissed i had to go home for fall break for the PSU game. stupid weddings falling on holidays.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 38964

hat

July 11th, 2008 at 2:03 PM ^

I remember that the 2004 MSU game had a crazy temperature swing. It was like 70 at kickoff and maybe 40 after the sun went down. There were a bunch of people around me who were only wearing t-shirts at the beginning. Most got out when it was 27-10. But the crowd that stayed was fantastic.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 15

dex

July 11th, 2008 at 2:06 PM ^

I had some hippy friends that "loved football" but didn't, you know, like football that much, who left at 27-10 and spent the rest of the night bragging about how they tried to rush the gate to get back in during the comeback while the normals among us just kind of looked at them and said "why'd you leave in the first place?"

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 1934

MRG

July 11th, 2008 at 2:30 PM ^

Is the single loudest moment that I can recall. Combination of a "night" game plus a close game so everyone stuck around. However, the game as a whole was very average. Loudest sustained I can remember is '97 OSU. Maybe I'm overly romanticizing that game though.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 182

JeremyB

July 11th, 2008 at 2:40 PM ^

#1 in my memory is 2004 MSU, particularly Braylon's second TD and especially when we recovered the onside kick. But I was only at the Colorado game in 1997. 2005 PSU was indeed incredible, but only for a while after the game.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 1382

mjv

July 11th, 2008 at 2:57 PM ^

I would side with the 1997 OSU game. When Woodson scored and the pick-six, that was as loud as I can recall the Stadium. As a disclaimer, my seats were in the north enzone in 1997, and when my section turned to a student section the following year, I was moved to midfield, which would seem to be less conducive to noise.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 3656

Tubes

July 11th, 2008 at 3:31 PM ^

Brabbs' kick in 2002 was ridiculously loud. Penn State game that same year (Chris Perry had a "walk-off" rushing TD in OT) 2003 OSU

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 817

Yinka Double Dare

July 11th, 2008 at 3:38 PM ^

That was a great year for fun games at the Big House. The place going absolutely bonkers on Brabbs' kick, the first OT game in Michigan Stadium with Perry's TD, Wisconsin with the snow falling, and all of the signs making fun of Crack Smoker as the State game was right after the whole cocaine thing broke and they started Damon Dowdell at QB en route to a 49-3 beatdown. Of course, there was also the miserable Iowa game, which was about the least fun you could have at a football game, and the excruciatingly awful to watch Utah game in 90+ degree heat and students passing out all over the student section. Still the worst football game I've ever watched in person.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 9775

StevieY19

July 11th, 2008 at 4:20 PM ^

Purdue in '03 was a pretty loud one. Purdue, featuring Orton, was #10 and UM beat them down 31-3. The defense was amazing that day (held Purdue under 100 yards) and the crowd was very into it. It was a 3:30 start and there was a drive late in game for Purdue inside M's 5 in the South end zone...it was dark, the game was in hand, and I'd never been more impressed with the South end crowd than right then. They were up and loud and M held on a sweet deflection from Leon Hall in the corner. Obviously not the loudest I have heard it (OSU 97, MSU 04), but I'll never forget that one.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 127

Shop Smart Sho…

July 11th, 2008 at 5:00 PM ^

We get a bad rap in the South End Zone.  I guarantee that we make as much, if not more noise than any section outside of the student section.  We do all of this without the help of the band, who we can barely hear during the game.  Oh, and if anyone ever says shit about us leaving during halftime, I'll explain it very easily.  We don't stay because we can't hear the music.  I go to half the home games every year and have for the last decade.  I can remember less than 4 times that the band was audible at halftime.

 

Oh, and I was one of those poor unfortunate bastards who was freezing by the end of the MSU game in 04.  I then got a speeding ticket on the way home.  Bastard was obviously a MSU fan.

Joined: 07/10/2008

MGoPoints: 9602

hat

July 11th, 2008 at 5:06 PM ^

PU 2003 is a good one. I remember a great atmosphere that day. With the exception of 2000, Jim Herrmann would turn our D loose against Purdue and it was fun to watch. But then he'd always go back to his usual soft zone coverages the next week.

3:30 games definitely seem to have more consistent crowd noise. It helps to have the extra time to sleep/tailgate beforehand - although it's also true that we usually play bigger-name opponents in that timeslot.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 15

WolvinLA

July 11th, 2008 at 5:19 PM ^

Although when Mario caught the game winning TD in the PSU game was the loudest moment I can remember, the loudest game was probably the 2003 ND game. There was so much hype leading up to that, and I've never sworn so much in my life as I did walking to the Stadium that day. I was cussing out 50 year old women. The Stadium was nuts until it was clear it was a blowout. Oh, and I got an MIP that night. Fuck.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 875

formerlyanonymous

July 11th, 2008 at 6:31 PM ^

Something tells me its not the South End Zone... its everything from the 15 to the 15 on both sides of the stadium. But I did hear several complaints about South End Zoners complaining about the undergraduate contingent that was put in the South End Zone in [was it?] 2006. Telling them to sit down and be quiet, they were watching a football game. That didn't help their image. Or the fact there is always a large number of opposing fans in the southwest corner. Always a big dot of them around row 40 or so.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 38964

HenneManCrush

July 11th, 2008 at 9:58 PM ^

I know I'll probably get crucified for mentioning The Horror, and I haven't been to nearly as many Michigan games as some people on here unfortunately as I'm from Illinois and a college student (and typically therefore broke)...but of the games I've been to at a few different stadiums - including some incredibly loud games against PSU, Wisky, and Michigan this year at Illinois - the end of the Appalachian State game was incredibly loud. When Mike Hart broke that incredible run to put us back up on top at 32-27 or whatever it was, the place absolutely erupted. That run was pure studliness. That entire time period during the fourth quarter where the defense was pulling up big stops and the offense was playing well for a bit...the noise was incredible. I was sitting at midfield about 5 rows back so I'm not sure how that affects the noise. I would imagine being closer to ground level would make it louder, but who knows with the way the Big House is shaped. Either way, I remember it being deafeningly loud after the defense stopped the 'Neers and then Mike Hart scampered all the way to the end zone.

Joined: 07/06/2008

MGoPoints: 1366

hat

July 11th, 2008 at 10:40 PM ^

That may have been the best single play of Hart's college career. (His best *overall* play, of course, is The Run in high school.) Unfortunately, all UM fans have probably burned their game tapes so it'll be hard to find a replay of it.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 15

Casa Grande

July 13th, 2008 at 8:19 PM ^

There was a series of like 3 games in the late 80s - early 90s that Iowa and Michigan had decided on last second field goals or game ending plays. I was at the Iowa game in Ann Arbor where M kicked the 43 yard winner in the rain and wind to win as the clock hit :00. There is no question that was one of the loudest crowds because we did the Wave and Bo was fit to be tied. It was one of the first times the Wave was ever done at M Stadium and he wrangled up his head set into a knot, threw it on the ground and stomped on it because we - the fans - got a penalty for making TOO MUCH noise. That was before they changed that rule.

Joined: 07/13/2008

MGoPoints: 1

MaizeAndBlueWahoo

July 13th, 2008 at 10:38 PM ^

We sat in the student section and I borrowed an ID from a friend's brother who doesn't go to games; the ticket takers don't exactly scrutinize 'em. The school might as well throw another bone to the disabilities people by hiring blind ticket takers, they'd do the same work. I swear I temporarily lost hearing in my left ear when Braylon caught the tying touchdown. It was buzzing for a few minutes after the explosion of noise.

Joined: 07/02/2008

MGoPoints: 41586

meghan

July 14th, 2008 at 7:19 PM ^

'97 when Charles Woodson ran the punt back for a TD. '95 when Biakabatuka ran all over the #2 team in the nation. Good times. Good times indeed.

Joined: 06/30/2008

MGoPoints: 190

baleedat

July 14th, 2008 at 9:17 PM ^

hands down, the 1995 osu game. it was crazy. all you heard was "edie edie edie" on the way in. but those buckeye fans didn't say shit on the way out

Joined: 07/10/2008

MGoPoints: 272

chitownblue (not verified)

July 15th, 2008 at 5:22 AM ^

Loudest 3 I've been to: 1. 1997 OSU - when Woodson took the punt for the TD, I couldn't hear myself think. 2. 2002 Washington - Brabbs kick. 3. 1997 Iowa - Big comeback after the Tim Dwight 1st half dagger.

Joined: 12/12/2017

MGoPoints: 0