Talk About Your First Time.....At A Michigan vs. Minnesota Game

Submitted by saveferris on

While most Michigan / Minnesota games are pretty unmemorable, we all probably remember our first time.  Unfortunately for me, the first Michigan vs. Minnesota game I saw live and in person was 1986.  Coming into this game, Michigan was 9-0 and ranked 2nd in the country and looking like a serious contender for the MNC with only two games remaining in the regular season.

We were lead by seniors Jim Harbaugh, Garland Rivers, John Elliot, and Andy Moeller; as well as featuring running back-great Jaime Morris.  This was a great Michigan football team, which pooped the bed with 5 turnovers and letting QB Ricky Foggie scramble late for 31 yards to allow Chip Lohmiller a chip shot field goal to win it with time expiring, 20-17.

In 1986, I was a young teenager who was just starting to get seriously invested in Michigan football, and the Minnesota game was my first soul-crushing dong punch I ever suffered in Michigan Stadium.

Sorry to start this off on a downer, but I'm sure the rest of us have much happier tales to tell.

Njia

October 2nd, 2013 at 12:50 PM ^

I sat in the north end zone (student section) and watched as our MNC chances slipped away. That was the first time I really knew what it meant to hate Lou Holtz. 

Edward Khil

October 2nd, 2013 at 2:05 PM ^

That was my first UM/UM game, too, as a senior also in the student section, watching Foggie waterbug around on that 31 yard gain at the end. Can't complain much about that year overall, though.

*I'd go to about one game a year for some years after I graduated, and somehow managed to be at Kordell's Hail Mary, Desmond being tackled in the endzone by MSU, and the 22-22 tie with Illinois the year after we socked them 20-0 in Champaign.

danimal1968

October 2nd, 2013 at 12:53 PM ^

My second Jug game was a miserable rainy, cold day in 1988 where Michael Taylor broke his collarbone and the team rode the defense to a 23-7 win.

I think my next Jug game was another miserable, wet day in 2007 where we won 31-10 after spotting them a 10-0 lead.

The only Minny game with nice weather was 2011.  Nice game, too.

Evil Empire

October 3rd, 2013 at 1:14 PM ^

My brother was a freshman at UM.  My mom and sister left at halftime, my dad and I stayed until late in the 3rd quarter.  We were sitting on the east sideline, section 3 or 4 near the upper stadium entrances.  Rainwater was cascading down the steps.  We went back to West Quad to attempt drying out in the lounge near the Thompson St. entrance, waiting for my brother to give up and come back.  Third UM game ever for me.  Saturday will by my 10th against Minnesota and 99th overall.

Evil Empire

October 3rd, 2013 at 1:06 PM ^

I believe it was Maroney who planted the Minn flag at midfield after the win.  Or tried to, it's artificial turf dude.  I'm glad that era has passed.  Plus Minny had a cheap-shotting DB who was diving at our wideouts' knees after the whistle and braying at the crowd.  Very frustrating day.

evenyoubrutus

October 2nd, 2013 at 12:55 PM ^

I just realized that Minnesota is the only team I have not seen in-person, which is strange because I have seen every other Big Ten team (save Neb) at least three times.

Brendan

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:18 PM ^

That was my first Minnesota-Michigan game as a student and I remember filing out of the stadium and this older gentleman said in the saddest tone imagineable: "they got the little brown jug." That was the second and hopefully last time in my life that Minnesota gets their grubby hands on the jug.

ijohnb

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:35 PM ^

Both teams began playing for overtime with like 8 minutes left in the game.  They were trying to run out the clock when they sprung that big gain.  That was a bizarre ending to a game.

At least Breaston took one to the house.  That is the only kickoff return for a touchdown I have ever seen live.

umjgheitma

October 2nd, 2013 at 12:58 PM ^

in what I believe was the 2004 game where Michigan opened up the second half with a drive that I believe lasted about 13 and a half minutes. Was pretty spectacular while also quite boring

Ben from SF

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:01 PM ^

However, I attended the Buffalo Stampede (2003 Friday night lights) game in person.  Seeing Johnny Navarre bringing us back from the dead in the 4th Qtr made it up quite a bit.

Brhino

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:02 PM ^

Not my first time (I would have been young to remember) but I went to a couple games at the Metrodome because my family lived in Minnesota back in the 90s.  I remember one game, sitting a couple rows in front of two drunk Michigan fans who spent the entire game adapting Bill Murray's anti-gopher lines from Caddyshack to apply to the game.  Comedy gold! 

As for the game?  Well, I wasn't alive the last time the gophers won in Minnesota, so I guess we won.

LSAClassOf2000

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:03 PM ^

At the time, I was in high school, but the first time I saw Minnesota play Michigan was in Ann Arbor in 1992. It was sandwiched in between games at Bloomington and at West Lafayette, I believe, and as I recall, we manhandled them by a fifty-point margin. That was also the first year of Greg Mattison's first stint at Michigan, I think - in 1992, it was as the defensive line coach. 

M-Wolverine

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:05 PM ^

Even if I had to look up mine. But there will be lots of great memories for the "big" games, and some highlighting of the lesser foes.  Would have to skip weeks like Akron, or U-Conn (remember when we played them a few years ago? That was cool.) 

Anyway, it was 1990, a very unmemorable 35-18 win.  Actually losing at halftime but beat them 28-8 in the second half. Ricky Powers and Desmond Howard ruled the day.

http://www.umich.edu/~bhlumrec/athdept/fbstats/1990/1990minn.pdf

Commie_High96

October 2nd, 2013 at 4:54 PM ^

I was at this game, but pretty young.  I remember the female Michigan cheerleaders picking up the Gopher mascot and ramming him nuts-first into the goalposts for every point michigan scored that day.  Funny.

mgobleu

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:08 PM ^

This seems like a very narrow "niche" topic; my first time was at a hotel, not a football game, let alone specifically a Michigan/Minnesota game...

OH! Wait a minute; your title was a bit misleading. Oddly I have never seen the gophers in person. I haven't seen Nebraska yet either, but I think I've seen every other B1G team.

MGoCombs

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:09 PM ^

It was actually my first live Michigan game and I was a freshman in high school. I was always a pretty crazed Michigan fan growing up, despite having no real family connection or legacy to the university. Neither of my parents went to college and neither of them were sports fans. So, I never had the opportunity to attend a game before. This time, a friend's parents bought him tickets and provided a ride to the game, and knowing that I was such a big fan, decided to bring me along.

Let's just say that it was magical for a kid who only ever dreamed of going to a game. I knew my Wolverines, but I had no idea about the traditions, the atmosphere, the tailgating, or really how special the Big House was. I don't remember the final score (31-10 because I looked it up), but I remember Michigan dominance, doing the chants and cheers, watching the student section, and learning about the importance and history of the Brown Jug. For this reason, the Minnesota game, despite it's modern lack in luster, will always be important to me.

copacetic

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:12 PM ^

Freshman Ryan Mallet starting in place of the injured Chad Henne. We won 34-10. Manningham with a cool 5 rec, 162 yds, and 1 TD. Hart was also out with an injury, but Brandon Minor and Carlos Brown each rushed for over 100 yards. 

UMxWolverines

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:25 PM ^

The first game I saw against Minnesota was 2004...bullshit. 

edit: My mistake. 2004 we came back in the final minutes. I was at the 2005 game as well, and THAT one was bullshit. Looks like we're headed for overtime...AND GARY RUSSEL BREAKS A TACKLE AND HE'S HEADED DOWN THE SIDELINE!

Naked Bootlegger

October 2nd, 2013 at 3:40 PM ^

I would've bet a million bucks that it was Mauroney who busted that long run, but I think you may be right about Russell.    Both backs had over 100+ yards rushing.   So that sucked.

EDIT:  Definitely Russell.  Mauroney's long carry for the day was 15 yards.  Russell 61.    Mauroney rushed for 139 on 36 carries, while Russell had 128 on 18 carries.     That DID suck.

stephenrjking

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:23 PM ^

My first was probably (it's possible I went to one when I was younger, but I don't know) 1990, when Tripp Welborne tore up his knee on a punt return in Michigan's last home game on astroturf. I've been to a large number of others, most recently taking my oldest daughter to her first ever Michigan football game last year at TCF Bank. 

Most of mine were in Ann Arbor, of course. The best of the ones I attended was the 2004 game. I think between 90 and 04 I either attended every game (they were cheap to get into) or only missed one in the early 90s, but they kind of all blend together.

seegoblu

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:23 PM ^

Aside from the loss, the only memorable event was the girl sitting next to me throwing up all over her friends to the right of her. We were freshmen, but apparently not all of us had learned to handle their game day drinking.

mGrowOld

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:23 PM ^

1972.  I was 13 and my brother was finishing up Dental School and I sat with him and a bunch of his Dental School Fraternity brothers and 84,000 other fans (pre 100k days).  Dennis Franklin, Ed Shuttlesworth and Gil Chapman led the way to a 42-0 shutout of the Gophers.

I remember girls being passed up and the cheerleaders doing push-ups for every point we put on the board.  And that was back in the day when ANYTHING was allowed in the stadium. I still remember my brother taking the apple cider that was being passed down the row away from me saying "you really dont want THIS cider Donny......"

zlionsfan

October 4th, 2013 at 11:56 AM ^

although I was just 5, so other than "we played Minnesota" and "we beat them handily", I couldn't really remember anything else for sure. Oh ... also "the stadium is the most biggest thing ever." (Which is probably the case even if you are not five years old.)

For years I was convinced that we had left early and that it was actually a 49-0 game. (I lucked into a ticket when a friend's family had an extra one for some reason, and we moved three years later, so by the time I was old enough to wonder, it was too late to ask.)

So it was pretty much what you'd expect at the time: not Ohio? Then it'll be an easy win.

That turned out to be the only home game I've seen (see: moved three years later), so Michigan's averaging 42 points per home game I see in person. I should make plans for the Ohio game.

Blue Blue Blue

October 2nd, 2013 at 1:24 PM ^

 1972......a 42-0 shellacking with Ed Shuttlesworth pounding in a few TDs........and the first time I saw Minnesota as a Michigan undergrad, it was a 49-0 in 1974.

Indiana Blue

October 2nd, 2013 at 4:08 PM ^

the only loss that year was to Purdue by 1 point.  Bob Timberlake at QB and it was the only win vs. Minnesota in a 6 or 7 year stretch  (ouch).  BTW - the largest crowd at Michigan Stadium that year was right at 70,000 .... probably band day !!!    OK I was less than 10 yrs old - but Michigan Stadium was my favorite place to be !

Go Blue!