I always root for the Ohio State Buckeyes except for one game a year. And today just happens to be that day. Today the 11-1 Wolverines travel to Columbus to face the 11-1 Buckeyes. The two teams first met in 1897 and in the 111 years that they have met, UM leads series 58-48-6. However, since 1951 (the arrival of Woody Hayes), Ohio State leads the series, 36-27-2. The Buckeyes have won thirteen of the last fifteen games in the series. Ohio State has won 13 out of the last 15 games, but we now enter the Harbaugh era and as a diehard Maize and Blue fan and former player, we look for that ratio to change drastically.
Trust me when I say that this day always comes with a great deal of reflection and retrospect. I love my home state of Ohio. My family, my friends, and most of my teammates are Buckeyes, and I am grateful to those proud and strong roots. As a highly-touted recruit out of Lemon-Monroe High School, a rural school in Monroe, Ohio, I had the honor of spending Super Bowl Sunday in 1971 with great “Woody” Hayes and his wife, Anne. My parents and I were alone in that honor and I will never forget the grace and passion that magnanimous couple had as Anne prepared dinner and we watched the Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 16-13, on a Jim O’Brien, game-ending field goal. To this day, I could not tell you if this was an annual tradition of the Hayes' or not, all I know is that I will never forget that experience.
Woody was special, and I believe in my heart that had he not been required to resign there is no telling how many years he would have remained at the helm. I know that he would have lived substantially longer had he been able to continue coaching and there is no doubt that it would have been in Columbus.
On my official recruiting trip to "The" Ohio State University, I was one of the many who fell victim to the smooth chugging Boones Farm Apple Wine. As the snow began to fall, coeds were pouring out of the dorms and littering the ever-slickening compacted snow of the rolling sidewalks that comprise the central portions of the campus. Desiring to join in the fun I had a brilliant idea that it would be possible, with the assistance of Mr. Boone's elixir, of course, to turn in mid-slide and continue down the cool slope backward. But gravity and the forces of nature prevailed and upon turning I went mouth first into the compacted pathway. As instantly as I hit the ground out went my right lateral tooth never to be heard from again unless, of course, some future CSI undergrad happened to stumble upon it in the Spring thaw. I joined the minions who made their way that night to the emergency room attention and was happy to find out that my medical expenses were covered by the Athletic Department. The next morning an embarrassed, groggy, blue chipper, made his way to the office of "The" Woody Hayes, and I smiled toothlessly at Coach Hayes, as Woody expounded the virtues of his great institution. Needless to say, the farmer Boone did not come to my defense when he made reference to my swollen lip. I wonder to this day if cash for such incidents is part of Athletic Departments fundraising efforts.
The question is, “Why does an impressionable 18-year-old choose to play for that team up north?” The answer may surprise and confound, but a guy NFL great named Dick Butkus is partly to blame. In high school, I was All-State Offensive Tackle as most would agree that there was always something about me that was offensive, but I preferred defense and I wanted nothing more than to be like Dick. Agile-Mobile-and Hostile. Michigan was the ONLY school who promised that I would play Middle Linebacker. Now, there may have been a few other factors that influenced my decision like a modest $15 traffic ticket for possession marijuana, the legal drinking age being 18, the Big House with its 106,000 cheering faithful, the ability for freshmen to have a vehicle on campus, the fact I did not have to change school colors, and an absolutely peach of a recruiter named Coach Chuck Stobart. By the way, did I mention the $15 ticket for pot?
I made a well-informed, level-headed decision that I will never regret. The four great teams, 1971-1974, managed to garner the best record in all of college football, 40-3-1. We were Big Ten Champions all four of those years, and I was blessed and honored to represent the University of Michigan in the East-West Shrine and the Hula Bowl All-Star Games. Hard to believe that the great class of 1974 never made it to a bowl game. It is memories like these that inspire me to honor those coaches and men who dedicated themselves to making “The Game.” one of the great traditions in college athletics. GO BLUE beat Ohio.
Sorry about the misspell on Schembechler. Bo's Son Shemy spells his first name without the C. But no excuse. Thank God I got it right on all the T Shirts we had printed.
Hey, I was a MLB. Not a position were you need any intelligence. Just agile, mobile and hostile. Obviously I did mispell Schembechler. Fortunately, the t-shirts we had printed do not have the same error. BTW for those interested, the t-shirts are going to be available soon online. Given permission I will post here for those interested.
Posted by former Michigan MVP Steve Strinko 1974 -
Announcing the formation of nonprofit Foundation for Athletes in Need, Fan Inc. dedicated to the mission of assisting former NCAA Division I Student Athletes with the debilitating conditions of injuries incurred while partipating in NCAA sanctioned activity. Steering Committee Members include Dave Metz '75, Mark Donahue '77, Greg Strinko '76 and other representative from around the US. We are seeking grassroot awareness through networking but would like to discuss our goals with anyone who will listen. Please email at: [email protected].
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Reflecting on “The Game” 11/26/2106
I always root for the Ohio State Buckeyes except for one game a year. And today just happens to be that day. Today the 11-1 Wolverines travel to Columbus to face the 11-1 Buckeyes. The two teams first met in 1897 and in the 111 years that they have met, UM leads series 58-48-6. However, since 1951 (the arrival of Woody Hayes), Ohio State leads the series, 36-27-2. The Buckeyes have won thirteen of the last fifteen games in the series. Ohio State has won 13 out of the last 15 games, but we now enter the Harbaugh era and as a diehard Maize and Blue fan and former player, we look for that ratio to change drastically.
Trust me when I say that this day always comes with a great deal of reflection and retrospect. I love my home state of Ohio. My family, my friends, and most of my teammates are Buckeyes, and I am grateful to those proud and strong roots. As a highly-touted recruit out of Lemon-Monroe High School, a rural school in Monroe, Ohio, I had the honor of spending Super Bowl Sunday in 1971 with great “Woody” Hayes and his wife, Anne. My parents and I were alone in that honor and I will never forget the grace and passion that magnanimous couple had as Anne prepared dinner and we watched the Baltimore Colts defeat the Dallas Cowboys, 16-13, on a Jim O’Brien, game-ending field goal. To this day, I could not tell you if this was an annual tradition of the Hayes' or not, all I know is that I will never forget that experience.
Woody was special, and I believe in my heart that had he not been required to resign there is no telling how many years he would have remained at the helm. I know that he would have lived substantially longer had he been able to continue coaching and there is no doubt that it would have been in Columbus.
On my official recruiting trip to "The" Ohio State University, I was one of the many who fell victim to the smooth chugging Boones Farm Apple Wine. As the snow began to fall, coeds were pouring out of the dorms and littering the ever-slickening compacted snow of the rolling sidewalks that comprise the central portions of the campus. Desiring to join in the fun I had a brilliant idea that it would be possible, with the assistance of Mr. Boone's elixir, of course, to turn in mid-slide and continue down the cool slope backward. But gravity and the forces of nature prevailed and upon turning I went mouth first into the compacted pathway. As instantly as I hit the ground out went my right lateral tooth never to be heard from again unless, of course, some future CSI undergrad happened to stumble upon it in the Spring thaw. I joined the minions who made their way that night to the emergency room attention and was happy to find out that my medical expenses were covered by the Athletic Department. The next morning an embarrassed, groggy, blue chipper, made his way to the office of "The" Woody Hayes, and I smiled toothlessly at Coach Hayes, as Woody expounded the virtues of his great institution. Needless to say, the farmer Boone did not come to my defense when he made reference to my swollen lip. I wonder to this day if cash for such incidents is part of Athletic Departments fundraising efforts.
The question is, “Why does an impressionable 18-year-old choose to play for that team up north?” The answer may surprise and confound, but a guy NFL great named Dick Butkus is partly to blame. In high school, I was All-State Offensive Tackle as most would agree that there was always something about me that was offensive, but I preferred defense and I wanted nothing more than to be like Dick. Agile-Mobile-and Hostile. Michigan was the ONLY school who promised that I would play Middle Linebacker. Now, there may have been a few other factors that influenced my decision like a modest $15 traffic ticket for possession marijuana, the legal drinking age being 18, the Big House with its 106,000 cheering faithful, the ability for freshmen to have a vehicle on campus, the fact I did not have to change school colors, and an absolutely peach of a recruiter named Coach Chuck Stobart. By the way, did I mention the $15 ticket for pot?
I made a well-informed, level-headed decision that I will never regret. The four great teams, 1971-1974, managed to garner the best record in all of college football, 40-3-1. We were Big Ten Champions all four of those years, and I was blessed and honored to represent the University of Michigan in the East-West Shrine and the Hula Bowl All-Star Games. Hard to believe that the great class of 1974 never made it to a bowl game. It is memories like these that inspire me to honor those coaches and men who dedicated themselves to making “The Game.” one of the great traditions in college athletics. GO BLUE beat Ohio.
Steve Strinko - 1974 MVP
Drew02,
Just wanted to find out who your Dad was.
You can respond via email if you would like.
[email protected]
Steve Strinko
Sorry about the misspell on Schembechler. Bo's Son Shemy spells his first name without the C. But no excuse. Thank God I got it right on all the T Shirts we had printed.
Hey, I was a MLB. Not a position were you need any intelligence. Just agile, mobile and hostile. Obviously I did mispell Schembechler. Fortunately, the t-shirts we had printed do not have the same error. BTW for those interested, the t-shirts are going to be available soon online. Given permission I will post here for those interested.
FAN, Inc. Foundation for Athletes in Need
Posted by former Michigan MVP Steve Strinko 1974 -
Announcing the formation of nonprofit Foundation for Athletes in Need, Fan Inc. dedicated to the mission of assisting former NCAA Division I Student Athletes with the debilitating conditions of injuries incurred while partipating in NCAA sanctioned activity. Steering Committee Members include Dave Metz '75, Mark Donahue '77, Greg Strinko '76 and other representative from around the US. We are seeking grassroot awareness through networking but would like to discuss our goals with anyone who will listen. Please email at: [email protected].