Favorite UM Football Moment

Like so many of you I was there too.  My Grandfather, Dad and Brother.  When the clock hit zeros we just stood there cheering and in awe for at least 10 minutes.  Great UofM memory and family memory.

Watching Chris Perry score the winning touchdown, against PSU, in the first overtime game at the Big House. Being there with my Dad was extra special. He's the reason I have this affliction. I thought the Stadium was super-loud that day. I'm hoping it's louder this season, especially in late November.

I was a U-M junior sitting with my future wife and a bunch of fraternity brothers.  The game pretty much stunk.  The weather was dreary and everyone was really dreading tieing Lee Corso's Indiana team, as we'd never hear the end of it.  On the 2nd to last play, a Michigan RB or FB (can't remember who it was) basically fakes a fumble out of bounds to kill the clock right near Corso.  Of course, he goes apeshit to the refs.  The next play is legendary as Wangler throws the long TD pass to Anthony Carter.  After being almost dead quiet in the Big House for much of the game, the crowd goes absolutely nuts, making as much or more noise as I've ever heard there.  The funny part is my future wife, Liz, left the game a little while before to go back to study.  Part way back to the sorority, she hears this enormous roar and runs into some store to find out what happened.  To this day, I've never let her hear the end of it! 

I went to the 04 MSU game (triple overtime) and the 05 Penn State game (Henne to Manningham).  I was also at last year's triple overtime against Illinois.  But in the last several years, the happiest I have been after a win was 06 Notre Dame....which I watched alone.  Afterwards, I went screaming down my street giving high fives to my neighbors.  I could not stop smiling the rest of the day.  Smiling that long gets to be very painful but I did it anyway.  Nothing could kill that happy mood the rest of the weekend. 

1997 feels like a separate category.  I was still in high school and I only went to one game that year against Minnesota.  But I still remember being excited all week for every game.  Listening to every post game on the radio.  Waiting to watch the news just to see highlights.  It was a really special time.  Judgment Day against Penn State was pretty special too.  I couldn't wait for the defense to get out there and dominate.  Boy, it feels weird typing that now. 

The 3 years I had student tickets. 2008, 2009 and 2010.

My first Michigan vs OSU game seen live at the stadium as a sophomore....We had finally put an end to way too many consecutive last minute field goal miss losses to OSU the year before when we went down to Columbus and beat OSU 22-0 WITHOUT COMPLETING A SINGLE PASS!!!  (REAL MANBALL!).

OSU and Cornelius Green ran all up and down the field that day, but they could not get into the end zone and kept turning the ball over inside our 20 and we beat the nasty Buckeyes 14-6 while watching Woody tear up the sideline markers in utter frustration!

Cooper could have settled for a 13-13 tie in Columbus.  He went for it on fourth down late in the game, to his credit.  Oddly, OSU ran their slow-footed QB (Greg Frey?) on the fourth down play.  About eight Wolverines engulfed him.  Michigan then moved the ball into FG territory, and JD Carlson kicked the game-winning field goal. 

bust the punt return to clinch the win over tosu, and then striking the Heisman pose in the end zone.  Desmond's TD catch in the ND game, Woodson's INT against MSU, Tim B. running roughshod over tosu, and Braylon's game against MSU are all right up there.  As for an overall game, the defensive domination of Woody's '69 team still ranks as the most satisfying experience.

1. Desmond's Heisman pose.  Remember watching it on TV as a kid, and it became a staple in our playground football games.

2. Woodson's one handed INT versus MSU.  I'm from Lansing and had just taken my ACT on MSU's campus that day.  We were stuck in Wells Hall right next to the football stadium/tailgating and it was so hard to focus on the test with the noise and game day atmosphere.  

After completing the test, I carpooled with my friend whose family was BIG MSU fans and I went to their house to watch the game.  During that play, you could FEEL the air get sucked from the room.  You could hear a pin drop for about a minute before my friend muttered a "no way".  The shock and awe was fantastic.

So instead of pick just one, I'll list my favorites in no particular order:

1) Watching the 2005 last second touchdown by Manningham to beat PSU from the first row and hugging random strangers while I enjoyed the sweet taste of Nittany Lions fan tears.

2) First time in the Big House ever my freshman year when I walked into the stands and a tear came to my eye. I knew I was home.

3) Watching Robot Henne's motherboard knock back into place in East Lansing when we beat a stunned MSU in the 4th quarter on a sick corner endzone pass to Manningham. I was in the MSU student section.

4) Meeting Lloyd Carr unexpectedly in the stands in 2009 when I was walking back to my seat. I was so stunned, all I could muster was "Lloyd Carr?!" and hugged him.

5) Watching Brock Mealer walk down the field to touch the banner with his family at the Michigan Stadium rededication game last year.

2002 Iowa Michigan game in Iowa City.  Sitting in the south end zone.  Michigan is driving and Navarre throws to the back of the end zone.  Marquis Walker with a one handed circus grab for the score.  Stadium becomes dead silent.  People looking at each other trying to figure out if what they just witnessed actually happened.  Michigan goes on to win as it often did against Iowa up until Rich Rod.  First tailgate experience.  It was awesome. 

My best moment was my first game, in 1976. I went with a friend, who had gone to many games before. We stopped at a nearby grocery store, where my buddy bought a six-pack of Stroh's. "What are we going to do with that?" I asked. "We're taking it into the game," he said. And we did, no questions asked. We had three fire-breweds apiece and watched Huckleby, Lytle and company dismantle Stanford 51-0. Ahhhh, memories. 

trip to the Big House was Northwestern in 1991.  Michigan ended up rolling them but it didn't matter.  As I am sure was the case for most of you, the first time is unforgetable.

After the game there was an open basketball scrimmage for the basketball team.  The team included a group of five talented freshmen.  You might have heard of them.

This was fall of my senior year in high school.  That day firmed up my decision to apply to U of M.

Also the Dadrian Taylor hit vs. Penn State (the whole game actually).  I was at work that afternoon, and we had a TV in the back.  I had one person keep lookout for our boss and I pretty much sat there and was glued to the TV. 

The ATrain fumble versus Northwestern...I was only 19 and in Windsor drinking with buddies.  We were in the hotel room about to go out, but the game kept dragging on.  He fumbled that ball and we were pissed.  I don't remember the rest of that night thanks to the alcohol, but I do remember that fumble in the hotel room.  #$@^%