What Was Your 1st Gameday Experience
With the first game of the 2015 season upon us, this got me reminiscing about my first Michigan game. It was 1990 ( I was only 9) in South Bend against #1 Notre Dame. We had endzone seats which was cool because we could see Touchdown Jesus over the other side of the stadium. I know a lot of people hate Notre Dame, but they have an amazing campus. And even though Michigan ended up losing 28-24, I fell in love with Michigan because of that experience.
So what was everybody else's first experience, home and/or away? What memories did you take away?
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^
2008 Northwestern. Yup.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
I was there, too. It was a shitty game, freezing cold, and raining/snowing. To top it off, we lost.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:26 PM ^
The Braylon Show and I almost left eternally grateful I did not.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:27 PM ^
1995 Kickoff Classic against Virginia was my first game. Dreisbach to Hayes in the corner to win it with no time left.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:27 PM ^
The Horror....sigh
Luckily my gameday experience was much improved two weeks later when we shut out Notre Dame.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
Me too. First game freshman year...
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
Seeing the ND game was a great 18th birthday though
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
Seeing the ND game was a great 18th birthday though
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
Mine as well. I didn't speak to anyone for 6 hours after.
Next game was Oregon. Only game I have ever left early.
I didn't go to another game the rest of the year, for fear I was a curse.
Surprisingly, I was 2-1 in 2008. Go figure.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:56 PM ^
Yep, I also thought I was a curse.
As shaky as 2007 was, I'm glad I got to see the Big House before the renovations.
Don't get me wrong, I love the renovations. However, I'll never forget the feeling of shock entering the stadium and seeing how big it was after being not so impressed from street level. Best troll job ever.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
Smoking hot day. Lethargic play for 3 quarters. Great come back.
My wife doesn't even remember it when I describe it even though she was there - what a waste of a ticket!
Go Blue.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
I was a freshman in college at the University of Missouri and my dad, brother, and I headed to a game for the weekend. Two top ten opponents and we were in the top row in the corner. With the three field goals that were missed earlier in the game Phillip Brabbs setup and for the fourth miss with a few seconds left only to make it! Within seconds I had tears in my eyes and I was going nuts with the fans around me. I have been to the big house every year sense. That game hooked me.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:29 PM ^
The first M game I attended was the 2002 game against MSU, the one where we beat the shit out of those bastards; the first of six wins in a row against them.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
The first I can vividly remember was Kordell unforunately
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
that was my first game in MI Stadium. *sigh*
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
The Horror, as a freshman in the band. Life...
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September 3rd, 2015 at 2:30 PM ^
1999 against OSU. It was Brady's last game in the Big House. The thing I remember most was a crazy play action fake that fooled everyone in the stadium. Brady didn't connect on the long ball, but the collective gasp when the whole crown realized Touchdown Tommy still had the ball was mesmerizing.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
1985 Purdue. I was a kindergartener and was completely in awe of being in a stadium with 100,000 people. Blue won that day 47-0.
Michigan's quarterback that day was a guy by the name of Harbaugh. I hope he landed some place nice.
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September 3rd, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
In Bloomington, IN 2004. I was in HS so the game day experience wasn't crazy but it was a very good time.
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September 3rd, 2015 at 2:32 PM ^
Bo's last game against OSU, last win. My dad got tix the day before from a sister of one of the players. Total newbs, we got up there at 8AM to beat traffic, ate breakfast on Main Street, then went in the stadium as soon as the gates opened.
On the way to the stadium, my dad ran into a co-worker who was scalping tix to the game. And it wasn't a one-time thing. When I was a student six years later, that guy was still there on the same corner on Main St. We never knew we had a ticket source all those years.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
Rice in 1999. I had just started 8th grade. I don't remember much of the game other than that it was a predictable blowout, but this was the first time I learned that you're supposed to pump your fist on "Hail!"
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
Don't remember the year but we beat western Michigan 30-3
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
Wisconsin game. I don't remember the year honestly. It was awesome. I think I cried.
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September 3rd, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^
Houston 2003. I got misty eyed watching the band take the ][v][ down the field for the first time. Almost a religious experience. I love going back, but I'm jealous of people going for the first time. To me, there's nothing like the first time.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
1994 Penn State as a 6 year old. Very foggy memories but still have the replay of it around somewhere. Great ball game coming up just short.
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September 3rd, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
The Wisconsin game in 2008. My two buddies left at half time and I stuck it out to witness the biggest Michigan comeback in Big House history.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:34 PM ^
Freshman year, 1993 versus Wazzou. Parents helped move me in, met a broad in Alice Lloyd, saw my first game in the Big House, got my first M blowie that evening. Good times.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:42 PM ^
2004 vs San Diego State. Game was a lot closer than anyone would've liked, but it was a win after a terrible offensive showing the week prior.
Michigan's first play on offense was a long TD pass to Braylon in the North endzone. That game was Mike Hart's first big game where everyone noticed that he was the man.
I was 9. Already grew up a Michigan fan, but going to my first game took it from about a 10 to 10,000,000 and it's been going up ever since.
That's 9 year old me in the bottom right after Michigan held on to win-
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:35 PM ^
My dad took me because it was an easy ticket and a good intro to the Big House experience. We were seated in mildly crappy seats high up on the visitors' side. In the fourth quarter Michigan was up 52-14 (this was when Northwetern was consistently horrible) and spots started clearing out, so we moved down to one of the front rows. We had just gotten down there when a freshman Tyrone Wheatley did this:
https://youtu.be/kuZ1GLpXGvA?t=849
It felt like he passed 10 feet in front of us. I had never seen a person run that fast, and I was hooked.
This fall, I'm taking my five-year-old daughter to the UNLV game. Same reasoning. I can't wait.
September 3rd, 2015 at 4:59 PM ^
According to the YouTube comments that was the last time Michigan wasn't on TV. Explains the grainy footage and poor camerawork.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:35 PM ^
Dad woke me up early that Saturday so that we would have time to tour the Law School. Rick Leach was awesome, but I feel asleep during the second half.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:37 PM ^
My first game in person was the 1969 Michigan-Ohio State game. How could it be any better than that?
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:37 PM ^
Denard's first game in 2009. Wasn't the prettiest game, but still have great memories.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
1986 UM vs Oregon st. Qb was Jim Harbaugh and I was 14. My dads buddy had season tickets and had never missed a game in 10 years. Then his sister planned a wedding for that day, and he gave us his tickets to that game.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
First game was the season opener in 1996 against Illinois. I went with my uncle and two cousins. A 20-8 win. The only play I remember is Scott Dreisbachs 72 yard TD run.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:41 PM ^
My first game too, (see below). Regarding Dreisbach, I would sporadically throughout that game and season yell out "Put in Griese!" into the student section. It was always met with smirking and laughter.
Students are dumb. Or maybe just the students who I sat with.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
First game at the big house 2002 Utah. At the time it was the most amazing thing ever
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:38 PM ^
Season opener. First game as a student.
Win for the good guys, lots of marshmellows but my highlight was a guy from my hall (5 foot 9, maybe 140 and unathletic) who wasn't into sports was watching (presumably his first football game) said, "Man if I trained hard for a year I could be right out there with those guys."
He remains one of my best friends to this day and will never, ever live that statement down.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:41 PM ^
My first game as well.
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September 3rd, 2015 at 2:40 PM ^
Michigan 49
MSU 3
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:41 PM ^
We (MMB) marched from Revelli Hall to the Big House and did our high step sprint out of the tunnel to start the pre-game show.
I had not grown up a Michigan fan; I was a semi-Pitt fan at best. Sure, I was in the MMB for a 2 credit hour "A", but that all changed for me playing the 'M Fanfare' in front of 100,000 fans.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:41 PM ^
1978, Michigan beat Duke 52-0....in the pouring rain. I was 7 years old and wouldn't let my Dad leave early, I was having so much fun.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:41 PM ^
My first game was really the 1997 Colorado game, but the one I remember most as being my first game was the 1997 Notre Dame game. Sat near the top of the stadium behind a group of fans drinking Goldschlager all game. One of the guys kept harassing a blonde Notre Dame fan a couple of rows ahead of him calling him "Goldilocks" amongst many other insults. Was funny as hell.
Same guy -- after several in-game swigs from the Goldschlager -- starting yelling "WAIT TILL THE FOURTH QUARTER! THE FOURTH QUARTER IS MINE BABY!!!" shortly after halftime. They were fun drunks, so everyone around kept waiting to see what happened in the fourth quarter.
Well, as the seconds of the third quarter started ticking down, he just started going WOOOO FOURTH QUARTER!! WOOO!!!! And then, once it was officially the 4th quarter, dude just dropped his pants, completely bare assed and yelled FOURTH QUARTER BABY!!!
Security did not like this, and started to head for the guy, but he pulled up his pants, took off into the crowd, and pulled on a flannel shirt (it was the 90's...grunge baby) he got from some random fan. Now, in a new disguise, he kept weaving through the crowd and different sections, and after 5-10min of this, security gave up looking, he found his way back to his friends, and received a hero's welcome.
After all, you don't mess with Captain Goldschlager in the fourth quarter. And I'd like to think part of the national title that season belongs to him.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:43 PM ^
A boring game overall. Northwestern looked like a high school team in both physical stature and quality of their equipment.
It didn't register with me at the time but apparently that game was exceptional even by Bo standards for its lack of passing. Michael Taylor threw the ball five times, completing one (to Jamie Morris) for three yards. FWIW Northwestern was 8-15 for 75 yards and two INTs.
We rushed the ball like champs - 50 carries for 374 yards (7.5ypc). Michael Taylor averaged 10.3 yards per carry and had two rushing TDs.
The highlight for me was seeing John Kolesar up close. We were in the south endzone, maybe four rows back from the wall. He was my hero at the time.
Michigan won 29-6.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:43 PM ^
App St. 2007
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:44 PM ^
I've been to many games since the 1997 Iowa game, which was the first game I attended, but none have matched the energy and noise levels from the 2nd half of that game.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:44 PM ^
Illinois. A tie game for god sake.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
1986 Oregon State. Funny thing is that as an 8 year old child, all I remember was Jamie Morris at tailback. Apparently, there was another well known individual in the backfield with him.
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:49 PM ^
That was Harbaugh's last home opener in a Michigan uniform.
His first home opener as Michigan's head coach: Oregon State
September 3rd, 2015 at 2:45 PM ^
May the Forcier be with you.