OT: How did you become a Michigan fan?
Title says it all.
Whether you signed on when you got an acceptance letter or the first thing you saw coming out of the womb was a Block M.
I was raised a Michigan fan.
My first game was September 18, 2004 against San Diego State (W 24-21). Mike Hart's breakout game.
I really really really got into it to the point where it became my one and only interest with a bullet when I got my first history book when I was 11 years old. Just looking through the history and records amazed me, seeing the 1901 team just kill people 119-0 and 128-0.
It inspired me to write down the results against opponents on spiral notebook paper so I could organize records against teams from what conference and then erase team records and write in new ones when they were broken. That notebook eventually became the SuperGuide.
Fun topic idea, WD.
My family is from Michigan, but I lived all over the US as a kid. 3 different high schools, one of them 2 separate times...
Summer between junior and senior year of HS, I visited Michigan where a family friend was a senior. I fell in love and applied. Junior year was in Houston, senior fall in Northern Virginia. Despite the fact that my dad is an MSU grad, we both know that Michigan has the better reputation and is the better school.
I was accepted and made my choice. So I was excited about attending. But it was the spring of 1989. And the national title run happened. At that point, I was all in. I decided to join the Michigan Marching Band and despite losing to ND on a cold, rainy day, my first game at Michigan Stadium made me a lifer.
3 Rose Bowls in 4 years and 2 Final Fours? Are you kidding me?
Haven't stopped being nuts about it since, including getting the chance to go to both Indianapolis and Kansas City these last two weekends.
WHO'S GOT IT BETTER THAN US?!?!?
but didn't become a huge fan until after my family moved to Colorado. Still had family all over the state of Michigan and loved the helmets and uniforms, blue being my favorite color. Started following the team when I was very young some of my best memories were of Rob Lytle and Leach.
Always wanted to play there, but was not UM level football player and so played my college ball in Colorado. Have been fortunate enough to coach at three of their summer football camps! Have raised my daughter to be a huge Michigan fan. She plays softball in college, not UM, but still follows all UM sports. Her greatest memory was doing an elite softball camp at UM and meeting Hutch and some of her idols who had played at UM.
I was born and raised on Maui. My dad worked from the cable company (he's from Tennessee). His best friend at work was uncle Bobby, who was from Detriot.
My dad doesn't like sports at all, so my uncle Bobby tried his best to make me like everything Detroit/Michigan: Pistons, Tigers, Lions, etc. They only thing that I really took to was the Wolverines. It helped that at the time Desmond Howard & Elvis Grbac were torching the Fightin Irish. Shortly after that the Fab Five was changing the entire basketball culture of the NCAA. It was love at first siight for me.
Uncle Bobby went home for a class reunion and reunited with his HS sweet heart. He brought her back to Maui where they had a son and were expecting a daughter. Sadly, he died of a massive heart attack while on lunch break sitting in his work truck; my dad was the first to find him.
His wife had to take the kids, both born and unborn, back to Michigan so she could have family around to help raise them.
Last summer she reached out to me and sent me a care package for me and my family. In it, was Uncle Bobby's old Michigan football. It's not anything special, just one of those balls youi get at the fair after shooting a regulation basketball into a undersized hoop. But it was his, and now it's mine. I held it and had it with me during every game last season, and the best part is that my daughter loves it and sleeps with it in her bed every night.
So that's how I became a Michigan fan.
So I've been a lifelong fan. Graduated from UM in '03.
My first memory of U of M football was watching the 1987 Rose Bowl when I was 7. I remember running around the house when we scored a touchdown and got really sad when we lost.
He didn't hate MSU, but UM was the #1 team in the house. I thought the uniforms were sweet and they always won in football and basketball, at least during the regular season.
Also, I always loved that the Big House was basically in the ground. Before the late 90's renovations, you could drive down State Street and not notice it. Gave it a sense of mystery. Sparty Stadium on the other hand looked like a souped up Waste Management facility.
I caught the UM bug watching that '89 tournament run with Glen Rice and Rumeal Robinson and Loy Vaught and Terry Mills. When the Fab Five came along two years later, that cemented things for me. Started watching the football team in '93 so I came in at a good time to watch some of the best beatings in the Game, like Biakabtuka in '95.
My first game as a freshman, against Notre Dame. Prior to that day, I had never even watched a college football game (although I liked football). It was a good baptism into the Michigan tradition.
I used to watch games with my dad growing up. He finally took me to my first game when I was 7 to see Michigan play Baylor in 1997. I still get butterflies when I think about the memories from that day. The size of the stadium, the winged helmets, the players who seemed larger than life, the marching band playing The Victors. I've been hooked ever since.
WD, I was at that game too!
Wasn't really a fan until I went to Michigan for college.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:24 AM ^
"Ann Arbor is a WHORE" - so naturally I set out looking for her...the rest is history.
Nothing fancy. I was raised right, by a two-time U-M grad.
but older sibs went to UM in the late 60's. I remember watching the 1970 Rose Bowl. After that, it was a matter of time; I applied to exactly two schools (and Stanford- was wait-listed) and was accepted early October of my Senior year. The rest is history...4-year member of the MMB, and I have been to every UM Rose Bowl since '78
March 28th, 2017 at 10:00 AM ^
Go Blue until I die!
March 28th, 2017 at 10:00 AM ^
Was born into a family of Buckeyes and raised 20 minutes south of East Lansing. My acceptance in 1992 started the process and then the experience of my first game in the Big House in the fall of 93 cemented it (Wazzu if I recall correctly)
March 28th, 2017 at 10:00 AM ^
Never occurred to me to attend OSU and M was the best school that accepted me. (Side. Note: Thank god I got accepted. M was my "backup" school, I blame poor school guidance counselors.. In retrospect there was no way I was getting in to MIT or Stanford.).
It wasn't until my first "the game" as a Frosh that I became a true M fan. The atmosphere at Michigan Stadium (the "Big House" wasn't a thing yet) was bigger even than ND and other earlier games. I had worn my Keith Byars jersey on under my M sweatshirt for that game "just in case" -- never wore that thing again...
I was luckier than some of the younger folks on the blog - I was there for JMFH's last few years as QB and on campus for the Basketball NC celebration/riot.
Go Blue
March 28th, 2017 at 10:01 AM ^
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March 28th, 2017 at 10:21 AM ^
My mom is from southeastern Michigan. My dad was from Ohio and loved Woody Hayes. My oldest brother went to Michigan. My middle brother went to OSU. I was 11 years younger than my oldest brother, so I was pretty young when we would go to Ann Arbor. To me, that's what college looked like. I remember the Law Quad. I also remember going to Ann Arbor with him for class registration day. It was a sunny day and tables were spread out around the Diag. I also remember going to football games, but that was back in the Bump Elliott days and the team wasn't very good. Evidently one of those games was a Michigan-OSU game and my dad was really pissing people off with his cheering. I don't remember that. Probably a repressed memory.
So, here I am going to high school in Akron, OH and everyone is talking about going to OSU. I wasn't having any of that crap. I was the person that swung the family to 3 vs. 2 in favor of Michigan. I arrived on campus in the fall of 1976 and from that time forward, Bo gained the upper hand versus Woody. You're welcome.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:24 AM ^
I could go into a long story, but like so many people have already said, it's because of my dad. He actually grew up in a MSU household, but he became fascinated with Michigan. My parents first date was a Michigan football game. It's something that has always been a part of my life. Watching games with my dad is something I will always cherish. I hope to have the same expirience with my kids some day.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:29 AM ^
March 28th, 2017 at 10:29 AM ^
March 28th, 2017 at 10:30 AM ^
Both my parents went to Michigan for various stages of grad school, so I was raised a Michigan fan.
The earliest Michigan game I remember watching on TV, unfortunately, was our 28-27 loss to MSU in 1990 when we were ranked #1 and got screwed on a PI no-call on what would have been the winning two-point conversion. I also remember watching the 1990 OSU game (won 16-13), the 1991 Gator Bowl against Ole Miss (won 35-3), and the win over ND when Desmond Howard made The Catch.
When I was nine years old, my dad took me to the Big House for the first time to watch Michigan pound Northwestern. Desmond Howard scored a long TD on the first play, and a freshman Tyrone Wheatley capped the scoring with a long TD run in the fourth quarter on which he ran faster than I'd ever seen a human run before.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:31 AM ^
In 1958 my brother started his first year at Michigan..In 1959/60 I when to the Michigan Hockey games a couple times a year with him to watch Red Berenson play..Then eventually when to my first Football game...So I've been a fan for almost 58 years...even to this day I still yell at the TV during the games..
March 28th, 2017 at 10:33 AM ^
March 28th, 2017 at 10:35 AM ^
I grew up in SE Michigan and was raised a Michigan fan, but the lifelong fandom really took hold when I went to my first game at the Big House in 1995 and this happened:
March 28th, 2017 at 10:47 AM ^
This game happened exactly one month to the day after I was born.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:36 AM ^
I was raised in a little town just outside East Lansing. In my younger years (age birth to 9) I enjoyed the major sports , but I wasn't a fan of any particular school. I just liked to play them all . Then came the 1976 NCAA basketball tourney. I watched several of the Michigan games & was cheering for Michigan in every game. When M eventually lost in the championship game, I was crushed. The next day the majority of the kids at my school were overjoyed that M had lost. I thought, "what the?" .... Then, the following Fall, Michigan's football team dominated the Big Ten, destroyed MSU, shut out (!) OSU, & went to the Rose Bowl.... where they lost 14-6 to USC. Again, I was crushed. And again the kids at school took great joy from Michigan's defeat. I thought "Screw those guys. Michigan's the best school & has the better sports teams, and pretty much always has. If they are blind & can't see that, that's their problem, not mine". I've felt that way ever since. Plus, the helmets.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:40 AM ^
March 28th, 2017 at 10:47 AM ^
There are baby photos of me in Michigan gear. So even further back, Michigan fan because Michigan has a great dental school and dad went there.
First game was (according to my dad) when I was like 5 years old against Indiana in 1996.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:43 AM ^
Like some folks here, I was born into a family that had Michigan connections (my mother is an alumna), so I never really knew anything else but being a fan of all things Michigan, but I also had the benefit of having a next-door neighbor growing up who was - up to and including his maize and blue van (which has been covered by the news before) - perhaps one of the most die-hard Michigan fans (and he was an alumnus) ever. Basically, I was fully indoctrinated by the time I was finishing out potty training.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:45 AM ^
East Coast Irish Catholic descended from a long line of subway alums. Came to AA for grad school but took me a long time to fully convert. My dear wife on the other hand was hooked on the maize & blue immediately. Long story short, after several years of rooting for ND over Michigan (but always Michigan over everyone else -- especially MSU and OSU) I eventually converted fully. I think the 2006 season got me over the hump and sites like MGOBLOG and Touch the Banner have me fully hooked.
I can't believe I lived so many years in ignorance.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:49 AM ^
Was enamored with the Fab Five as a young teenager. Generally watched The Game each year and enjoyed seeing them ruin Ohio State's season each year during the Cooper era, but wasn't a full-blown fan at that point. Fandom took off a bit during the Woodson/Heisman/Championship season. Strangely enough, it really took off when Tressel came to Ohio State. Never realized how much I hated Ohio State and loved Michigan until they started beating us each year. At this point Michigan football and men's basketball are the only sports that consistently hold my interest - can't really watch much of the NBA other than during the playoffs (and really only during the conference and NBA Finals) and have no real interest in the NFL.
Tried to validate my status as a M fan by going to law school there, but ended up in NYC instead. People here in Texas sometimes have a hard time understanding why I would be a fan of a school that I didn't attend (although most assume that I did go to M because they know I'm a big fan). My standard answer to such people about why I became a fan is that "I have family that went to Michigan and I grew up rooting for them." Truth is, the only family I know of that went there is my great grandfather, but that's close enough for me. Regardless, I'm a diehard fan now and doing my best to raise my kids to be fans too.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:50 AM ^
I was 16 I was a Lions fan and did not pay attention to cfb that often. MSU was the instate power under Duffy, but it was November 22, 1969, while wating on a friend to get ready I came across the UM vs OSU game. You all know the buildup, so it drew my interest. Then I saw this team - tv was black and white, of course - come running out with strange looking but impressive helmets, lead by a young coach, whose story I was just about to learn.
For the next three hours, I saw Michigan fall behind, tie, then dismantle "The Greatest Team in cfb history." Took about two years before they supplanted the Lions as my favorite team, but it was from that point on I had no doubt who my favorite college team was, and damn was i hooked.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^
I became a fan when I enrolled. Funny thing was, I was so naive about college football I thought I could root for Michigan first and Ohio State second (because I was born in Ohio).
Little did I know at the time those things were..... incompatible.
March 28th, 2017 at 10:51 AM ^
My uncle was a Michigan fan. First game I watched was The Game 2006 which I fell in love with them from there. Needless to say, I never experienced the glory days of Michigan football and rather had to endure the misery first to prove my fandom I guess lol
Oh and let me tell you, I catch a lot of Hell from West Virginia people who are dumb enough to still hold on to the fact that Michigan "stole all of their coaches". A lot of people are still butthurt over that, and I can tell you that there are not too many fans of RichRod here. Many believe he threw the 2007 Pitt game lol
March 28th, 2017 at 10:55 AM ^
I remember that. That was a weird internet rivalry back in 2008. We had a bunch of their idiot fans trolling UMGoBlue which was the site I was on before it died off.
March 28th, 2017 at 11:34 AM ^
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March 28th, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^
We ended up in Iowa after a couple years in Illinois. At first was mostly an Iowa fan, but started to follow the team from where I was born. This was during the time of Harbaugh, Jamie Morris, Bo, etc. I was a dual fan for a couple years.
Cementing moments of fandom (in no specific order):
- Desmond's catch against Notre Dame (first time I remember jumping out of my seat)
- Hello Heisman
- 89 basketball title run
- Bo's Michigan Man will coach Michigan
- Fab Five
- the pain of punting to Rocket
That and the Iowa Rose Bowl game where I felt as a kid that Harmon was paid off to throw that game, that tipped me to the good guys.