Why Michigan football matters

Submitted by Yooper on
We all have our reasons. Just thought I would share an experience that happened tonight. I am in a very top end California resort community tonight. The entertainment is a guitar group and they are walking around asking for requests. I ask if he can play the Victors. He says of course but before he does we engage in a lengthy conversation about Michigan football, even though he never attended Michigan. The question to the Blog- care to share experiences when Michigan football became a topic when not expected?

jhackney

December 2nd, 2010 at 12:55 AM ^

everyone in PA asks me why I obsess over Michigan football. I tell them its the state, the memories, the people, and the tradition. It stands for more than just 22 young guys out on the field for 60 minutes wearing Maize and Blue. No matter their record, I am always happy to know I will forever be a "Michigan Man".

Good post.

tybert

December 2nd, 2010 at 1:02 AM ^

"It stands for more than just 22 young guys out on the field for 60 minutes wearing Maize and Blue."

Sometimes MORE than 60 minutes!

I still remember being a proud (and relieved) Michigan Man at the 3OT-Illinois game, hanging out in the Big House after the game.

Who could not be proud of our gang for memories like that???

Yooper

December 2nd, 2010 at 1:34 AM ^

Did it ever happen? Maybe indirectly. If not I regret the missed opportunity. As a fan of HT I would love to see what you or others might think hIs commentary might be on Michigan football. OK a bit esoteric but why not?

tybert

December 2nd, 2010 at 1:05 AM ^

I spent a number of months this year in the state.

For those who don't know...Delaware is the school with the Winged Helmets and has a long Michigan tradition (UD's blue is a lighter shade of blue, in deferrence to the Blue Hen colors from the Revolutionary War days).

David Nelson and Tubby Raymond, both former UM players, were head coaches at UD over a 51-yr period (1951-2001) and brought the helmet and traditions to the school. Both won NC's and are in the CFB HOF as coaches.

I, of course, wore my school colors whenever possible and was surprised how many people who were UD grads or fans stopped to talk with me about Meeechigan football. Folks remembered Lloyd's last win vs. Florida. Even got a few free beers at the bars.

tybert

December 2nd, 2010 at 1:42 AM ^

Having lived thru THE HORROR, while expecting an easy win at the Big House three years ago, I'd recommend scheduling UD when we have a clearly-superior unit in all three areas. We're 1/3rd of the way there right now. UD is still an FCS power. Slippery Rock, I think, is a level or two below FCS.

Still, having UD come there would be cool (as long as we won something like 52-21).

I've driven by their stadium a number of times and used to enjoy some nice beers at the TGIFridays across the street from the stadium. It's called Delaware Stadium, but part of the David Nelson Sports Complex. The players play on the Tubby Raymond field, so the Michigan tradition burns strongly in Delaware!

South Bend Wolverine

December 2nd, 2010 at 1:23 AM ^

I once got thrown out of the Hofbrauhaus in Munich for leading a group of about 40 people in singing the Victors.  It started with just me and three friends, then we saw another group of Michigan folks we knew, and started singing again.  Once we started, whole tables jumped up and sang with us.  Thousands of miles from home, Michigan men and women were rauckus enough to get booted from a German beer hall that has special vomit stations in the bathrooms.

South Bend Wolverine

December 2nd, 2010 at 2:03 PM ^

This was the going theory as to the short-tempered reaction of the very, VERY large bouncer (I'm over 6 feet and felt like a dwarf next to him) who came over to tell us "Aus geht!"  A lot of rowdy people in a Munich beer hall hailing/heiling does not exactly evoke positive memories for the Germans.  After all, giving a "Sieg Heil" is public is illegal, and they have no sense of humor on that point (to the dismay of more than one American tourist over the years).

mtzlblk

December 2nd, 2010 at 12:05 PM ^

'Heil to the Victors'

I have been to Munich for Oktoberfest and it is a sight to see.

Some highlights:

-getting off the train, people passed out all over the train platform, one a 60 year old women trailing a roll of stolen paper towels and lying in a puddle of her own urine

-older man, bulbously fat with translucently white skin, wearing leiderhosen and no shirt (think Ed asner, but whiter) entering the bathroom, already having wet himself, struggling to remove his leider hosen before falling over into the 1/4 inch deep runoff on the floor of the bathroom onto his back. He then turns over in it to get up again, thus soaking himself completely, including his hair which makes his ample comb-over now hang down his face face, dripping.

-one celibrant on the 'alpine ride', the fair ride where it is just a mini-roller coaster that goes up and down and around in a circle, over and over again, festooning the other occupants of the ride with the contents of his stomach by vomiting uncontrollably from the front car. The contents of his stomach being the partially digested, greasy pork sandwiches (sans dirty ash tray) that are so popular there, you could see flecks of it all over the people when they exited the ride. We were in line, but deferred on taking a ride.

-on numerous occasions, the waitresses that were making their way through the crowd holding about 5 giant stein glasses of beer in each hand, were groped and fondled by the drunken male hoardes as they pass by, much to their dismay. They are powerless to do anything about it because if they drop the glasses or spill, they are out the $$. Really nice.

There was more, a lot more and we were only there for 1 day.

We came away with a simple, yet telling, description of our experience, 'Vile, yet fascinationg'.

imablue

December 2nd, 2010 at 1:27 AM ^

I watched the ND game last year, when Tate brought us back to victory at a sports bar in Raleigh, NC. I was the only UM fan in the whole place, which was packed. Finally, one of the bartenders broked out his ND hat and wagered a beer. He cordially paid up at the end of the game. Right after the game I took a short ride, and along came a car decked out in Maize and Blue, honkng the horn, and seeing my Mi. plates and winged helmut, gave me some extra cheers, I responded with some of my own.

cp4three2

December 2nd, 2010 at 1:28 AM ^

I'm a grad student at Rice and, well, most graduate students don't give a rats ass about sports in general let alone college football--except me and my buddy who's a Washington alum. Every week we'd go to the alumni bar and watch Michigan football and then the Washington game.  It was 2008, a disaster for both Michigan and Washington.  By week 10 my Washington buddy tells me at midweek that he can no longer bear to watch the enormous debacle of Washington Football under Ty Willingham while we're in the break room.  So I decide to just invite the whole damn room (about ten other grad students, mostly first years new to the program) to watch Michigan football with me.

 

That Saturday one person shows up.  My future wife.  She's from Albany and went to La Salle where she managed the basketball team (she later admits she only came in hopes that I'd watch basketball during the winter).  She has only a passing knowledge of football in general let alone the history of college football.  I spent the entire game embarrassingly trying to explain what Michigan football means and that we aren't usually this bad.  We won the Little Brown Jug and she hasn't missed a game since.

TheMadGrasser

December 2nd, 2010 at 2:04 AM ^

Fitness I go to on UC Irvine campus in SoCal is quite small, but we have our days where the people wearing Michigan gear comes close to outnumbering even the USC stuff. Go Blue!

inshallah

December 2nd, 2010 at 5:12 AM ^

I was in A2 only for a year and fell in love with M football. Now 3 years later I'm in England and still bleed maize and blue. I work in Derby for a very very large company and usually the surrounding area is filled with employees of the same company. I was at Pizza Hut yesterday during lunch and saw a guy with Michigan neck strap for his ID card. Gave him a Go Blue and then had a quick chat about the season. You never know where but you'll always bump into a Michigan fan

Jay-Z

December 2nd, 2010 at 5:41 AM ^

I just love saying the word. I live in vegas and I see more people wear michigan gear then usc or unlv. Go Blue. We are everywhere.

TJLA1817

December 2nd, 2010 at 6:07 AM ^

The reason why we have no direction in our football program is because we do not know which idea will win: Absolute Speed (RR)  vs  Strength (JH).  DB is trying see which will win.

profitgoblue

December 2nd, 2010 at 9:15 AM ^

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edventure008

December 2nd, 2010 at 6:14 AM ^

A couple of years ago while I was living in Nebraska, I had met this girl and we eventually dated.  After a night out, we capped the night with a little playtime and after I finished, I yelled "Go Blue".  As of this day, I do not know what compelled me to yell it but I did find out that she was a Michigan fan and yelling "Go Blue" became some sort of tradition after that certain activity. 

burtcomma

December 2nd, 2010 at 8:22 AM ^

Was traveling on business in Japan and while a flight was delayed for return to the USA, I parked myself in a frequent flier lounge in the wee hours in Tokyo airport and sat down reading one of Mitch Albums books on the Fab Five. 

All of the sudden, these three Japanese guys come up and start asking me a million questions about the Fab Five and Michigan football and what not, and I find out that they are huge Michigan fans although they had never been to Ann Arbor.  Told me about the Tokyo Michigan alumni club that they participated in by meeting at a specific bar to watch Michigan sporting events either live or taped.

That's when I confirmed that we had a world renowned football program and university for sure!

JeepinBen

December 2nd, 2010 at 9:14 AM ^

I have no idea how to follow some of these great stories, Michigan matters to me on so many levels, Parents are alums, I'm now an alum, growing up I was always going to Michigan. When I learned to play trombone in 5th grade (didn't stick) the first song I learned was the Victors. As a 7 year old my dad took me to the big house in the spring when we were just driving through. 

I've gotten "Go Blue" yelled at me in airports from LA to Tel Aviv, and I wouldnt have it any other way

profitgoblue

December 2nd, 2010 at 9:18 AM ^

For you job seekers or lovers of networking, the Michigan name is a great icebreaker and/or way of making contacts.  One of the best ways to "cold call" potential employers is to find people that have Michigan degrees and start the conversation off by stating you also have a Michigan degree.  The UM Alumni Association has a whole list of potential contacts if you are a member.

Warning:  Do not mention Michigan without knowing without a doubt that the potential employer did not going to Ohio State!

954Greenwood

December 2nd, 2010 at 9:25 AM ^

When I went abroad the two US college brand merchandise I would see the most were Carolina Tarheels and Michigan Wolverines. This is just one example, but I saw this guy, a Malaysian tourist, on the Red Sea on my way to Jordan

 

Malaysian tourist on the Red Sea