What U-M 30-for-30 Would You Like to See?

Submitted by BursleyHall82 on

After re-watching "The Fab Five," I got to thinking: What other U-M story should be made into an ESPN 30-for-30? Thus far, that's been the only Michigan-based 30-for-30. ESPN also did "The Brady Six," but that was a Year of the Quarterback documentary, not a 30-for-30.

There have also been Michigan documentaries in recent years on HBO (the Michigan-Ohio State one) and the B1G Network (the 1989 basketball team). The B1G Network also aired the Billy Taylor documentary, although they didn't make that one. And the excellent Willis Ward/Gerald Ford documentary ("Black and Blue") was on PBS.

So help me out here: What U-M story that hasn't been told needs to be a 30-for-30?

(And forgive me if this has already been a forum topic...)

DoubleYost

February 11th, 2015 at 8:15 PM ^

Don't care if I get negged I wanna see one that covers that spans from Bo's death all the way through running Lloyd outta town, to the fuckery RichRod did, to the kind-heartedness of Brady right down to 2 years from now when Harbaugh is locking his chops at the BBQ at the Big House.

Wheatley

February 11th, 2015 at 8:10 PM ^

Willis Ward story. Without A Doubt. It would be tough to do because there is minimal footage and it was so long ago. But I believe that story is very much in need of a bigger audience .




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TX Maize-Blue

February 11th, 2015 at 9:08 PM ^

Henson is a pretty good dude also. I moved to Dallas when I was 4 from MI and I've bled Maize & Blue since. About a year ago my brother did some work at his house and told Drew how big of a fan I was. My brother left with a couple of autographed cards for me to add to my collection.

LSAClassOf2000

February 11th, 2015 at 9:12 PM ^

A 30-for-30 on the 1988-89 season would be interesting if it had a heavy emphasis on the Frieder-Schembechler dynamic and the abrupt switch to Fisher. It may not be that season and that run so much as an interesting perspective on coach / AD interplay, especially when it is a tense, uneasy relationship. 

Wolverine Devotee

February 11th, 2015 at 8:35 PM ^

In short: it was utter chaos during the war.

Example: from 1943-1944, players on the roster were not listed by class.

They were listed by military status. C: Civilian, M: Marines, N: Navy, R: Reserve.

Players were ripped from the team at a moments notice to go off to battle. Michigan was getting transfers from places due to guys being discharged/relocated. 

4 GREAT players at Michigan came here due to those circumstances.

  • (later-traitor) Elroy Hirsch from Wisconsin, 1943
  • Len Ford from Morgan State, 1945-1947
  • Howard Yerges from Ohio State, 1944-1947
  • JT White from Ohio State, 1946-1947

All of those guys were on championship teams here, whether it be B1G or National Championship teams. All of them played big roles. 

Yostbound and Down

February 11th, 2015 at 8:58 PM ^

The service teams at the different bases would be interesting to know more about. It is crazy to think the sport survived the war at all.

Because Harbaugh gave his seal of approval I grudgingly decided to track down the Rosenberg book on Bo and Woody and give it a read. The context in which the rivalry and their coaching took place definitely didn't click for me until giving that a good read. Woody naming his audibles "Patton" (run) and "LeMay" pass, for example. Woody in particular had an obsession with war, I don't think Bo shared that at all.  

Yostal

February 11th, 2015 at 8:18 PM ^

We start on the Sunday after the Indiana game in 2006. We end on the 2008 Citrus Bowl. We deal with all of the awfulness in the meantime. Bo's passing, the OSU game, the Quagmire, Ford passing, the Rose Bowl debacle, the Horror, Sucks Unlimited, the Mutated Sea Bass game, and finally the Citrus Bowl. It would be hard, but riveting TV.

Danwillhor

February 11th, 2015 at 9:38 PM ^

but this is the second time I've seen this & I like it in that it'd be so hard to watch but really educational to non-UM fans & current teenagers. So many kids being recruited the last few years truly don't know anything but "UM losses to osu all the time but it's somehow a rivalry & msu is kind if the same way". They have no clue about how truly beaten our entire program became the second Bo died. He dies, we're undefeated and about to play an undefeated osu in Cbus in mere hours & the winner is playing for a NC against USC once they stomp lowly UCLA. We come out manball, old-school style & march it down their throats. Tressel then immediately abandons their gameplan in favor of their "coming from behind/two minute offense" (his own admission) which was the Heisman winner lining up 5 wide & quick passing for 5yds a pop or running for 5yds if zone. osu slowly takes control but in the second half we battle back, have all the momentum & force Smith to simply run oob on a 4th & long to get the ball back.......only for Crable to hit him a solid 2 steps after he was oob. Yet, we still fight & barely lose by 3 in Cbus. Until late, when osu dared to man it up vs us we kicked their ass. They played bitch ball all day on offense on the day Bo died. I'll always see that as chicken shit but whatever. Then....USC loses! Everyone is talking rematch. It's Michigan or Florida, a team with a bad loss already. Live on ESPN both Carr d Meyer get to state their case. Carr, the gentleman, quietly stars his case. He says what is obvious. Meyer goes swift boat on his ass. He politic'd his way in that night. No need for the BCS results, human vote was in. Michigan would go to the Rose Bowl. Anyway, we then don't even show up for the Rose Bowl vs USC in a beatdown where we looked like we couldn't care less. The program was dead, most just didn't know it. 2007 comes and all of it. Carr's last game shows we all have life but we're making a change for the future. RR years.....Hoke years....all that's with it. THE GOOD BAD & UGLY. Show ends on the hiring of Harbaugh. Credits show school records, past glories, etc. Basically, how a man's death hit so hard it killed the program he loved, the program that loved him. I like the idea.

Danwillhor

February 12th, 2015 at 11:59 PM ^

I'm sorry fellas, it had zero features. Not even spacing for paragraphs. Though, I use Swype Type and while it's VERY fast (I wrote all that in about a minute or so) it's autocorrect is iffy & I'm sure I not only wrote poorly in haste but missed several autocorrect mistakes. It's favorites are "funny" in place of "don't" & "puerile" in place of "people". PS: Thank you, Bando. Not a debate as we all lost but the call was right. I knew it right away. It was clear as day & , IMO, cost us that game.

Mr. Yost

February 11th, 2015 at 8:22 PM ^

...and Malik McDowell

...and Alex Kozan

...and Jordan Payton

...and Ronald Johnson

...and...okay, I'm done.

In all seriousness, one on the evolution of recruiting  (both from a player and university perspective)  would be awesome. I'd also include the evolution of recruiting websites/services in there. I like to think of broader topics rather than Michigan only topics. The Fab Five, Abbott, and Tom Harmon certainly transcend a Michigan-only or B1G niche.