Memories of the 1985 Michigan Football Team
Lost in the crapola being written by Terry Foster, Drew Sharp, and others regarding the Football Bust, missing were ANY stories whatsoever about one of Bo's BEST and FAVORITE teams, namely the 1985 Michigan Wolverines. After all, they were the guest of honor at the frigging banquet, weren't they?!?!?
Well, because those dirty rotten bastards DIDN'T talk about the 1985 Team like they SHOULD HAVE, sit back and enjoy the story of one of Bo's finest teams (the TEAM, the TEAM, the TEAM!!!!).
This team, along with the 1976, 1980, and 1997 teams, rank among my favorite UM teams. I don't count the '69 team (although a wonderful one at that), simply because I was too young to remember them.
The 1985 season was my senior year at UM. The team was coming off the ignominy of a 6-6 season and was not ranked in the Top 20 rankings (Top 25 ranking didn't come into vogue until later on). That was a 2nd for a Bo team (the '69 team didn't enter the Top 20 until week 2). Call me foolishly optimistic, but I had an inkling that this team would NOT disappoint the Michigan faithful!
Some defensive minded coach at MSU had beaten UM the year before in Ann Arbor and was the talk of the state. Old Bo was washed up, or so it seemed.
1985 Michigan Football season (as through my eyes and ears)
Date | Opponent/Score/Location | Memories |
9/14 | Notre Dame, W 20-12, Ann Arbor |
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9/21 | South Carolina, 34-3, Columbia |
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9/28 | Maryland, 20-0, Ann Arbor |
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10/5 | Wisconsin, 33-6, Ann Arbor |
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10/12 | MSU, 31-0, Least Lansing |
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10/19 | Iowa, 12-10 LOSS, Iowa City |
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10/26 | Indiana, 42-15, Ann Arbor |
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11/2 | Illinois, 3-3, Champaign |
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11/9 | Purdue, 47-0, Ann Arbor |
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11/16 | Minnesota, 48-7, Minny |
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11/23 | Ohio State, 27-17, Ann Arbor |
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1/1 | Nebraska, 27-23, Fiesta Bowl |
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December 4th, 2010 at 1:18 AM ^
Great read, thanks.
December 4th, 2010 at 1:19 AM ^
The first "M" game I attended was that Maryland game. Since I was 8 I do not remember anything but the score.
December 4th, 2010 at 1:27 AM ^
If you go to You Tube, type in Michigan Maryland Football 1985.
Nice highlights from the game.
This was one of those "tape-delay" games shown on Sunday nights, I think.
Ray Lane (long time Detroit broadcaster) and our own Dennis Franklin call the game.
You can see the real-time and slo-mo replay of the mucho-tipped INT that I talk about.
December 4th, 2010 at 9:19 AM ^
It should also be noted that Maryland's coach was none other than Bobby Ross. The Terps went on to win the ACC after they got smacked in Ann Arbor.
A decade later, Ross would return to this state to coach another team. We all know how that went.
December 4th, 2010 at 10:05 AM ^
That was the first game I got to play in. I was a sophomore and probably the last guy on the team expected to play. It was 20-0 in the 4th quarter and I hear Coach Moeller yell my name. I look over at him and say, "Yeah?" He looks at me and says, "Get OVER here."
It's important to note that I was a big chewer at the time. It was not unusual for me and a few other guys to grab a chew at halftime while the coaches made their adjustments.
So I jog over to Mo and he says, "Now, when you get in there, you need to pay attention to the quick slant.........." Meanwhile, I'm thinking to myself, "wait a minute, YOU'RE putting ME in the game? Are you f*******g kidding me."
So I get my instrcutions and run in to relieve the other linebacker and throw out my chew as I get to the huddle.
That's still a story Andy Moeller likes to recall whenever we run into each other.
December 4th, 2010 at 10:19 AM ^
I remember that most of the fans stayed until the very end, even though we had a safe lead. Maryland got close to scoring, but we knocked some guy OOB before he could score.
What I remember is about 100,000 fans staying around, standing up, and loudly clapping and cheering for players after the clock hit zero. Bravo, Bo's boys!!!
Simply a brilliant performance against a ranked team that would finish 9-3, with all three losses to teams that ended the year in the Top 10.
December 4th, 2010 at 1:30 AM ^
We had a dominate D line with with Mesner and Hammerstein. I was a Junior! I also enjoyed my senior season team in '86. If only we had beaten the Gophers at home. I was shocked that day! Though I loved the Harbaugh guarantee win against OSU, though Bo didn't. I think we should have played a bit better against ASU, we should have won that Rose Bowl.
December 4th, 2010 at 1:38 AM ^
The defense dominated throughout the year, never letting a game get out of hand and always keeping Michigan in each contest, as well as destroying inferior opponents. Needless to say, its something we lack today.
December 4th, 2010 at 3:42 AM ^
December 4th, 2010 at 2:14 AM ^
That was my freshman year. Great recap--that team was awesome!
Yep, Harbaugh is a loudmouth and probably always will be--but dammit he's our loudmouth!
December 4th, 2010 at 3:28 AM ^
and memories. It was also my junior year. That pass to Kolesar seemed to hang in the air forever, at least in my memory. A friend of mine and I roadtripped out to the Fiesta Bowl. It was truly bleak at half-time. Loved the safety they scored in the second half.
December 4th, 2010 at 3:32 AM ^
JJ from Lincoln Park, is that you?
December 4th, 2010 at 9:44 AM ^
If it is JJ from Lincoln Park, his comments on WTKA are always interesting and funny (and Willy Heston influenced). I wonder if that is JJ everytime I see that avatar.
Scott from Chelsea
December 4th, 2010 at 8:20 AM ^
Maryland's QB throws a Threet-like pass into heavy coverage. It must have been tipped by every Michigan man on the field, including the hot dog guy and the drum major. Miraculously, Doug Mallory dives and comes up with the ball in the EZ.This post is full of win. Man I enjoyed reading it.
December 4th, 2010 at 9:09 AM ^
is Michigan football!
December 4th, 2010 at 9:41 AM ^
The defense was dominant in 1985. I remember that it seemed as though teams couldn't get across midfield in some games.
I also remember Hammerstein getting through the line so quickly against Minnesota that he caught Rickey Foggie while he was still dropping back.
One loss and one tie and didn't give up a TD in either game....it still hurts!
December 4th, 2010 at 10:37 AM ^
Bo was furious after the 84 season. He totally blamed it on a lack of senior leadership. We had some guys on that team who were only out for themselves and their future pro careers. In 85, leadership and The Team became the matra around the building.
I remember getting choked up before the Notre Dame game. I grew up in Southern Californa as a HUGE Notre Dame fan. I wanted to play football for the Irish from the time I can remember watching football. Luckily for me, Jerry Faust and his staff happened. Anyway, I was so pumpe up for the ND game that I was in tears and some of the guys around me must have thought I was a complete lunatic. I wasn't starting or playing and it wasn't like I needed to get psyched up for the game.
Anywaym, the image burned into my memory from that game was Harbs taking a quarterback draw into the endzone for a score as he high stepped it and raised his hands above his head.
I didn't travel for the South Carolina game, but I remember everyone talking about the pre-game music blaring out of the loud speakers. (I think it was the theme from Space Odessey or something like that). Anyway, Coach Mo said it us more jacked up than SC. It was also the day our defense grew an identity.
Maryland was pretty well thought of and had a HUGE offensive line. I think they thought they could come in and dictate what they wanted to do. IF the SC game was where we got our identity, the Maryland game was when we confirmed it. This was our 3rd game in a row against a major opponent and we've basically dominated them all.
God, going up to East Lansing and thoroghly beating their ass was gratifying. They had won the year before in Ann Arbor after Harbaugh broke his arm trying to recover a fumble. Spartan Asylum was pretty quiet that day..
Iowa was devastating. We kept them out of the end zone and still lost on Rob Houtlin's 4th field goal. That's when I learned I really hated kickers.
The thing I remember about the Indiana game was that it was tied at halftime and it was one of the few times Bo came unglued at half. Usually it's very controlled and organized. But this time, Bo went ape shit. We were still thinking about the week before and took Indiana lightly. Oh well, sucks to be them.
Man did Bo hate Illinois and Mike White. It made it all the more painful to tie those bastards and not get a frickin TD.
Purdue and Minnesota sucked. I remember getting in the Purdue game and running into that big stupid drum while trying to tackle a guy on the sideline. Of course, some douche from the band had to make some silly comment. I should have kicked that drum and put a big hole in it.
The Game. I remember it was cold, and flurries, and portable lights. And I can see that pass to Kolesar like it happened this morning. Harbs got drilled on that play too but stayed in the pocket and made a perfect throw to Kolesar. The place went absolutely crazy. One other very stupid image I have of the game is Byers making a decent run and his shoe coming off. Don't ask why I remember that, but I do.
Funny you mention Chris Carter and the Eagles because after Carter was drafted by the Eagles as a junior, Bo would no longer allow Eagles scouts onto the practice field. He was pissed that guys would actually leave college one year early to go to the pros and he was gonna punish the team that started the trend (in his mind.)
The Fiesta Bowl. We put in a special defense where Andre McIntyre was going to be a third linebacker called "the bull." He would play between Mallory and Moeller and follow the FB. So, we spend our entire bowl preparation perfecting this defense specifically designed to stop the Huskers running attack. Well, as it turns out, The Huskers come out with something totally different and this defense we've just spent 4 weeks perfecting is useless. So, down 14-3 at half, we had to scrap the entire plan and come up with something new. Nebraska didn't play give-away, they just weren't expecting us to change our entire defensive scheme at half.
Anyway, the image I have from that game is the beautiful stadium with the hills cresting over the top of the upper levels, and Garland Rivers intercepting that pass at the end of the game to preserve the victory. We also carried Bo off the field on our shoulders.
The one thing I regret is not taking more notes about what was going on at the time. I don't have a great memory (too many hits to the head, maybe?) and I wish I would have made notes in the programs we were given before each game. I had plenty of time to do it. I was never a starter or someone who weighed heavily on the game plan. Thank God for the internet and posts like this to help me reminisce about that great great season.
December 4th, 2010 at 3:59 PM ^