What Michigan moments have brought you to tears?

Submitted by The King In Yellow on

Sorry, this is not for the manly men.  This is for those who are not ashamed to shed a tear, good or bad, over Michigan athletics.  

The reason I am asking is because of some weird youtube hole I found myself watching Brock Mealer videos and found myself tearing up.  What are some of your Michigan moments that got you the most emotional?  I'm sorry if this has been covered before, BUT I'M EMOTIONAL! 

As I ponder right now I think my top 3 (other than Brock) are:

  • Michigan beating OSU in 2011.   It was my senior year and kind of in a weird way meant the end of my college life at UM and the fact that all of my friends and football players would almost certainly be in a different place a year from then. 
  • Michigan beating ND in 2011.  Ok so some of these might just be based around my senior year, but this day was one of the best of my entire life.  I will never forget this day.  
  • I realize as I'm writing this that i'm very focused the last 3-5 years, but regardless, I think that MBB game against Kansas made me cry my last, truly suprising tears of joy.  My friends and I were punching each other because we had no other way to express the joy of that shot.  Oh man.  

Anyways I know my choices have are all fairly recent.  I'd love to hear some other emotional memories.  i'm sure it will make me cry.  CUZ I'M SENSITIVE, OK?

MGomaha

August 20th, 2014 at 2:00 AM ^

I was in seventh grade and I heard a score on the radio and I don't think it's something we should ever talk about that team ever again.

Oh, who do we play week one? Shit!

LSAClassOf2000

August 20th, 2014 at 6:15 AM ^

This is right up there on my list too - my office at the time was in Ann Arbor (our Ann Arbor Service Center off of Wall St.) and I was on my way back from a training session downtown when they broke into the press conference at Providence Hospital and announced that Bo had died. I was somewhere along M-14 in Plymouth at the time, and I pulled over and cried for a bit (it was pretty close to noon at the time, I think). That, in addition to the loss in The Game, made it a rough weekend emotionally. 

BlueKoj

August 20th, 2014 at 8:30 AM ^

Bo's death is the only one where I actually came to tears. 

The 1976 Rose Bowl was pretty emotional for my 7 year old mind too. When Ricky Bell went down, I cheered and my Dad yelled, "don't ever wish harm on a player" (but I think he was happy too). But UM still lost.

Junior Hemmingway's speech hit me for some reason at the Sugar Bowl. Tears of joy and shock, no doubt.

TheNorm41

August 20th, 2014 at 10:30 AM ^

I was at a recognition luncheon for the hospital I used to work at, and a friend sent me a text message during that lunch. It was a very sad moment for me, and I'm not ashamed to admit I teared up at that. 

As for good tears? Probably The Game, 1997 and Henne to Manningham against Penn State in 2005. 

Ali G Bomaye

August 20th, 2014 at 11:01 AM ^

I can't imagine there will ever be a bigger lead-up to a Michigan sporting event.  Two undefeated teams, #1 vs. #2, Bo dying... that whole week was incredibly emotional.

But there are three other games that got to me as well.  The first is when Florida State beat us 51-31 in the Big House in 1991.  I was 9 at the time and had never seen Michigan just crushed like that.  Michigan had a great team that year, and FSU just seemed faster and more athletic everywhere.

The second is the Webber timeout, and the third is Colorado, 1994.  I don't think I need to describe why.

Ccapilla

August 20th, 2014 at 1:02 PM ^

I vividly remember sitting in the office and getting a call from my mom which is a rare enough event when I'm at work to indicate that something is wrong. I answered the call and she was choked up on the other end and simply said "He's gone." About that same instant, I started getting texts and emails coming out of the woodwork from people expressing shock, sadness, etc.

It took me a minute and a few hanging questions to find out that it was Bo passing and not my dad. Honestly, I'm not sure which one would have surprised me more.

Regardless, the moment hit pretty hard and I ended up taking the rest of the day off to sort of wander around aimlessly. I managed to stop the aimless wander and return to work in the following days but I'm not sure our football program ever has.

Actually, I'm not sure I've ever fully recovered from that weekend either.

MichWolve95

August 20th, 2014 at 2:20 AM ^

Bob Griese getting choked up in the booth when Brian Griese is announced as most outstanding player in the 98 Rose Bowl game (97 season). I was watching the game with my dad. My best Michigan memory, no doubt


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Prince Lover

August 20th, 2014 at 2:18 AM ^

But I remember I was furious after UM lost to Loyola-Maramount in the tournament in 1990. I swear every shot LM took, they hit. How can they have never missed? Why won't they just miss?!?! But we were preseason #1, we were on the cover of Sports Illustrated!!

Oh the memory....The horrible, horrible memory.

B-Nut-GoBlue

August 20th, 2014 at 2:33 AM ^

I honestly can't think of the games (may have been a basketball game, but I'm thinking more football within the past 2-3 years) and it wasn't the actual loss that made me tear up.  It wasn't quite a real outpour cry but I obviously had some pent up emotion and something about a loss and the effort and devotion and overall emotion that gets put into these games/kids/outcomes kind of came to a tipping point and I had to walk out to my balcony and take a few minutes to put shit together.

This happens every now and then for me when something (song, movie, moment) strikes a chord and I realize I've had some stress and emotion built up.  Honestly, everyone should go have a cry every now and then (whether it's every few weeks or years) when too much life gets build up inside; it helps and for some reason helps the brain's phenomenal power put things in perspective.

 

*it may have been after the Louisville game after my buddy left my place.  That was a touuuuuuugh loss

CoachBP6

August 20th, 2014 at 2:34 AM ^

1997 victory over OSU, Charles Woodson wins Heisman, Last play vs Washington State in the Rose Bowl.  Then there was a long break until I got to visit the Big House for the first time in November of 2006 vs Ball State.  I'm an out of towner from Upstate, NY and never made it to a Michigan game despite being a fan since 1991.  When I walked into the stadium and glanced at the big house from the inside for the first time I cried like a bitch lol.  Again on many memorable senior days.  Again for the 2011 OSU victory and the Sugar bowl win.  Nothing since unfortunately.  

Maizenblueball

August 20th, 2014 at 2:41 AM ^

It was when Bo died.  It was sad not only because Bo passed away, but for me personally, Bo represented a special time of my childhood that I shared with my father, who passed away when I was a boy due to Cancer.  My dad was a HUGE fan of Bo.  My dad introduced me to Michigan football and those special fall Saturdays.  We had season tickets until my Dad passed away when I was a teenager.

Anyway, when Bo passed it was like I was somehow losing that chapter of my life that I shared with my Dad too. To make it even worse, we lost to OSU.  I thought for SURE that we'd win that game for Bo.  

This is Michigan

August 20th, 2014 at 2:39 AM ^

Brock Mealer walking across the field and touching the banner.

Senior Days in general get to me, but in particular Denard's senior day. I've been there before, even injured like DRob, and I'll never forget that day.

Hoke's introductory press conference. This is Michigan fergodsakes.

Desmond's number unretired to Legends status. Some of my earliest childhood memories of Michigan Football.

Rich Rod's press conference regarding the allegations and coming to defense of his players. That shit was stupid.

I get chills whenever I watch something iconic to Michigan Football History. For example, Bo's speech, UM over Ohio in 1969, 1997 Rose Bowl Championship etc.

UMfan21

August 20th, 2014 at 3:07 AM ^

None.

I've been ecstatic, frustrated, pissed off, jubilant, defeated, proud, and a whole host of other emotions.

I've felt my blood pressure rise, felt goosebumps, and everything in between.

The only time I remember happy tears was when my first child was born. I got a little choked up at the alter though.

Sports is important to me, but it's not on that level. I'm not sure how I would feel if it affected me that intensely.

nowayman

August 20th, 2014 at 7:53 AM ^

At least not at the time the game is on.  Movies, songs have no problem making the tears flow but football does't.  

I just get angry.  I nearly broke my foot putting a dent in a three foot high metal trash can during the psu game last year.

I'd much rather get sad at the time of the game, honestly.  A bad loss will, however, keep me virtually depressed for a long time after the anger fades.

Wolfman

August 20th, 2014 at 7:54 AM ^

with the words moving, endearing, sentimenta, etc.   Moving someone to tears does not necessarily denote sadness. In fact, the opposite is normally the case.

With that said, watching the toughest fb player I've ever seen, Steve Everitt, simply return to the field and snap with his off hand after taking one of the hardest shots I have even seen in my life was very emotional for me.  Brock Mealer had tears streaming down my face like a slow moving tributary.  Watching Denard whip 113,000 fans into a frenzy simply by jumping onto the bricks separating the fans from the playing field was so damn emotional and beautiful and so far removed from "the much" from when he came, I welled up there as well. 

nowayman

August 20th, 2014 at 8:21 AM ^

can bring tears for most people.

I have three emotions when it comes to sports, though.  Excitement, anger, and sadness.

And, personally, tears only come when the emotion is tied to sadness.  

I do experience the same (as much as one can assume that) emotional rollercoaster, for things related to sports but aren't actual games. But no tears yet.  2006 would probably have done it if I was an active fan then. I didn't even follow football prior to attending Michigan and I'm from way down south.

Darker Blue

August 20th, 2014 at 3:41 AM ^

I can think of a few. When we beat OSU in 2011 I cried. That was such a happy day, to finally beat those fuckers from the south. The '97 National Championship brought tears to my eyes. Bo's passing made me cry like a baby. Evan Turner hitting that half court shot during the 2010 MBB B1G tourney also made me cry becasue I was fucking pissed. In more recent news Ausin Hatch walking onto the court for the first time also brought tears to my eyes. 

 

Perhaps I'm too emotional. 

StephenRKass

August 20th, 2014 at 5:57 AM ^

This is an interesting post. The first thing is, I don't exactly cry. Well, my eyes get a bit moist at the corner, and I blink a bit, and I don't talk because I don't want my voice to crack, and a few people who know me well know what is going on, especially my wife and my daughter. But I don't cry. I don't cry. Here are some for me.

  1. The first has to do with Bo's passing. That was bad enough. But I actually fell love with this here blog as a result of a piece by Brian entitled Eleven Swans. You really should read it . . . this will give you a glimpse into Brian's history, and that of the blog. I still get misty when I hear the song Brian linked called Seven Swans. (The link is broken in the piece Brian originally wrote.) Listen to the song as you read the post, and remember a cold grey November. Some of you will understand why we love Brian, and his identity with MIchigan, and his heart for this blog, and why we'll always give him a pass.
  2. The second for me has to do with passing on the torch. My adopted son is 13 and in 8th grade. He is now in his pre-season, practicing football every day, and getting ready as strongside linebacker for his team. Unlike some on this board who own endless shirts and Michigan stuff, I can't afford to pay full freight for multiple jerseys. In fact, I've never owned one. But last summer, I was in Ann Arbor with my family for the first time in years. Kyle and I went to MDen on State Street, and in the sale section were racks of Denard jerseys. Buying Kyle his first jersey, and seeing him wear it proudly on sports days, brings a tear to my eye. As we watch Michigan games on TV, and hopefully go to our first game in Ann Arbor this year, as he plays xbox and chooses Michigan as his team, I smile. This is something good I share with my son, and I'm thankful.
  3. Everything with Brock and Elliot Mealer and the accident tears me up. ESPN did a companion E60 piece on the Mealer brothers.I'd encourage you to watch it. It still chokes me up to see Brock come walking out on the field to touch the banner in the Big House.
  4. A last one for me is a cancelled Michigan football game. Some of you are too young to remember, but on September 15, 2001, Michigan's game vs. Western Michigan was cancelled in the wake of the 9-11 World Trade Center bombing disaster. I remember feeling numb that week, and it was right that there was no football that Saturday. We all as a nation put things into perspective. It also was the beginning of radical change in all sports venues, with heightened security and bag checks from that point forward. I felt old, and something in me died.

 

StephenRKass

August 20th, 2014 at 7:36 AM ^

Notre Dame was scheduled to play Purdue on 9/15/01. Michigan was originally scheduled to play WMU on 9/15/01. (check the link.) Here's another LINK explaining the rescheduling of games for the following week, 9/22/01. Regardless of the exact schedule, those who were around then can remember the mood and the numbness for the week after 9/11.

ndhillon

August 20th, 2014 at 5:59 AM ^

Not because we lost, but because we weren't getting blown out. (And a fifth of jack Daniels didn't help)

I was at that game, yelling "Borges" at the top of my lungs while shaking my fist in the air.