"Wolverine Olympics" - Still a Michigan football "tradition"?

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November 4th, 2011 at 4:40 PM
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profitgoblue
Joined: 09/01/2009
MGoPoints: 19415
"Wolverine Olympics" - Still a Michigan football "tradition"?

Surprisingly, after a fairly lengthy search of the site, I have not found any reference to "Wolverine Olympics" anywhere.  I'm knee-deep in Three and Out and, on page 149, Bacon references this competition that Rodriguez devised -

whereby the seniors drafted teams of eight players, then tried to get the most points - given out for touchdowns and tackles, attending classes, getting above a 3.0, visiting Mott Children's Hospital, and so on - and to avoid demerits.

(emphasis mine).  Does anyone remember hearing about this competition?  Does anyone know if the tradition is being continued under Hoke & Co?

Seems like a very cool way to hold the kids accountable to their teammates in a much more intimate way, all the while feeding their competitive spirit.  A way to hold each other's feet to the fire in all aspects of their college life.  Mostly, I am very surprised that we never discussed this (or even heard of it) as fans.

 

Disgruntled former moderator.  I got a lot of problems with you people!

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November 4th, 2011 at 4:44 PM | I loved how Zoltan was the (Score:1)
justingoblue
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Joined: 11/16/2010
MGoPoints: 10867

I loved how Zoltan was the presumed MVP before it started. Space Emperor indeed.

Go Blue!

November 4th, 2011 at 4:47 PM | Blew my mind (Score:1 Normal)
profitgoblue
Joined: 09/01/2009
MGoPoints: 19415

When I read "4.3" GPA I automatically assumed it was a typo.  Gifted people are, well, gifted.

Disgruntled former moderator.  I got a lot of problems with you people!

November 4th, 2011 at 5:19 PM | The Space Emperor (Score:2 Insightful)
LSAClassOf2000
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Joined: 01/07/2011
MGoPoints: 8737

He is the presumed winner in all contests. 

"Funny isn't it, how naughty dentists always make that one fatal mistake."

Follow the random tweets of a Michigan alum - http://twitter.com/#!/LorneEC3

November 4th, 2011 at 8:11 PM | In space, no one can hear you (Score:2)
Chunks the Hobo
Chunks the Hobo's picture
Joined: 07/22/2008
MGoPoints: 2127

In space, no one can hear you get punted into the Oort Cloud.

Got a quarter?

November 4th, 2011 at 4:48 PM | "I'm" not "that" sure about (Score:4 Funny)
His Dudeness
His Dudeness's picture
Joined: 11/24/2008
MGoPoints: 13558

"I'm" not "that" sure about "what" to call "it."

or uh, Duder, or El Duderino if you're not into the whole brevity thing.

November 4th, 2011 at 4:52 PM | Flamebait? (Score:-1 Offtopic)
November 4th, 2011 at 6:15 PM | Board don't lie (Score:5 Normal)
bacon1431
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Joined: 07/26/2008
MGoPoints: 3283

Board don't lie

For a' that, an' a' that, 
Our toils obscure an' a' that, 
The rank is but the guinea's stamp, 
The man's the gowd for a' that. 
November 4th, 2011 at 4:56 PM | Yeah, I just got to that part (Score:2 Informative)
Moleskyn
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Joined: 06/28/2010
MGoPoints: 3181

Yeah, I just got to that part recently, myself. When I read that, I thought I remembered hearing something about that when it started. I can't pinpoint where or when, but I just know when I read that part, it was more of a "Oh yeah, I forgot about" moment, rather than a "Wow, that sounds really interesting. Can't believe I never heard of that before" moment.

Edit: A Bing search turned up an article from the Michigan Daily in September '08. Here's the link.

To instill competition in his players, Rodriguez developed a superstars competition, which became the Mountaineer Olympics and is now the Wolverine Olympics. Over the years, events have included an egg-eating contest, tobacco-spitting contest, swimming, dodgeball and belly-flop contests.

 

November 4th, 2011 at 5:54 PM | Clearly he came up with this (Score:1)
Happy Gilmore
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Joined: 01/13/2011
MGoPoints: 645

Clearly he came up with this when at WVU....the tobacco-spitting contest I would love to see, I wonder what the competition is. Most in your mouth at once? Longest chew? Most spit in X amount of time? Or are we talking distance spitting? Or accuracy? Or thickness/color?

I am seriously intrigued.

November 5th, 2011 at 9:50 AM | It was featured (Score:2)
Geaux_Blue
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Joined: 01/26/2009
MGoPoints: 20378

In those Inside Michigan (or whatever they were called, maybe it was a Countdown to Kickoff) videos they would do in the Spring. One showed the seniors and RR and Dusty doing the draft in RRs living room erc

November 4th, 2011 at 5:12 PM | I like that idea a lot. Hoke (Score:3 Normal)
glewe
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Joined: 08/25/2010
MGoPoints: 444

I like that idea a lot. Hoke will do what Hoke does, but I wouldn't mind at all if this continued. Sounds like a fun way to keep kids on track.

Twenty-two Michigan Wolverines
put on the gloves of gray.
And as Revelli played The Victors,
they laid Woody Hayes away.

November 4th, 2011 at 5:44 PM | I'm pretty sure Hoke just (Score:4 Underrated)
denardogasm
Joined: 09/11/2011
MGoPoints: 1858

I'm pretty sure Hoke just expects all these things (in the OP) as the standard, which is as it should be.  To each his own, but if you need a tobacco spitting contest to instill a competitive fire in the players... you got the wrong players.

"Michigan Defense" is dominating everything, in every aspect of life. That's a rough definition.

-Craig Roh 10/29/2011

November 4th, 2011 at 7:38 PM | I think you missed it (Score:-1 Trolling)
November 4th, 2011 at 5:48 PM | Stupid (Score:0 Normal)
November 4th, 2011 at 7:14 PM | Im pretty sure the contest (Score:2 Informative)
Eat Your Wheatlies
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Joined: 11/17/2010
MGoPoints: 983

Im pretty sure the contest identified in the MD article were sarcasm intended to poke fun at RR's hillbilly ways...the ones described by the OP were legit.

November 5th, 2011 at 7:56 AM | I'm not sure about the sarcasm. (Score:1)
UMgradMSUdad
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Joined: 07/02/2011
MGoPoints: 1955

Nothing else in the story seems to be sarcastic.  The writer certainly did quite a bit of research on the story.  It's a great story; I encourage everyone to read it. I especially liked the part of his parents making him sit in the back seat with a blanket over his head on the way home after his team lost because of his foul attitude. There are several other points, too, that show how competitive he is.

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