Decent article on Michigan Stadium and Ann Arbor from Nebraska
http://www.theindependent.com/articles/2011/08/17/sports/huskers_hq/doc…
Makes me proud to read things like this about my school and city. I hope Nebraska fans enjoy it here, but only until the game starts.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:35 AM ^
...it should be. It was written by somebody from Michigan.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:41 AM ^
Understandable. Writing nice articles is different than growing and husking corn, so they have to outsource it.
August 18th, 2011 at 10:24 AM ^
but I gotta add this: God bless the American farmer.
August 18th, 2011 at 11:12 AM ^
I remember the first Farm Aid. It was a hugely publicized thing back in the 80s.
August 18th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^
...as Iowa just announced that it's bringing back its America Needs Farmers (ANF) campaign that Hayden Fry began back in 1985.
http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/080511aaq.html
August 18th, 2011 at 11:36 AM ^
Agreed. I grew up in the Thumb surrounded by corn, so I've got nothing against farmers. I'm just hilarious.
August 18th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^
I grew up in the Thumb too....
Hell, I bet we probably screwed each others sisters and don't even know it..
August 18th, 2011 at 12:44 PM ^
also offensive.
August 18th, 2011 at 2:28 PM ^
"I grew up in the thumb...we've probably both screwed our own sisters."
August 18th, 2011 at 2:18 PM ^
I don't know who your sister is, but mine is only 14 right now. So no.
August 18th, 2011 at 2:27 PM ^
Your avatar hardly makes it look like you'd have ANY young family members. Unless they were great grandchildren. And part demon.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:40 AM ^
Found it interesting that the article states the UTL game is on the 9th. That's gonna be awkward for the 110,000+ fans that show up on Friday night.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:42 AM ^
Yeah, that was my only real grumble about the article. Pretty nice to read though.
August 18th, 2011 at 10:27 AM ^
how about the fact that it screws up the opening?
On Saturdays in the fall, Michigan Stadium qualifies as the seventh-biggest city in the state of Michigan.
i forgive him for getting it wrong that ann arbor is actually the 6th biggest city in michigan, not the 7th, because it was 7th in the 2000 census. but the factoid is supposed to be that ann arbor jumps from the 6th/7th biggest city in michigan to the 2nd biggest city in the state on football saturdays.
EDIT: sorry to anyone who saw my fail of an original post, i just woke up
August 18th, 2011 at 10:29 AM ^
August 18th, 2011 at 11:13 AM ^
objection withdrawn
also, lesson learned: no more posting within an hour of waking up
August 18th, 2011 at 11:25 AM ^
RR's 17-21 record..
August 18th, 2011 at 9:41 AM ^
The title is perfect ........
The Big House is big time football
On thing for sure Nebraska knows about football, and it appears they understand tradition!
Go Blue!
August 18th, 2011 at 9:48 AM ^
...it was written by somebody from the Michigan Daily.
August 18th, 2011 at 9:58 AM ^
It was published for Nebraska fans consumption. If they wanted to trash U of M they could have found an article from tsio. I think it's an excellent example that Nebraska is very happy to be in the B1G ... which does make the conference stronger.
Go Blue!
August 18th, 2011 at 10:10 AM ^
Absolutely agree about Nebraska being happy to be in the B1G.
Michigan Stadium is one of the crown jewels of college football and is one of three B1G stadiums that hold over 100,000. Nothng wrong with patting yourself on the back for your choice which, in this case, seems to be a serious win-win.
August 18th, 2011 at 11:57 AM ^
quite happy, I'd say its close to 100% unanimous, other than missing some of our B8 rivals.
I hope many of you will attend your first game in Lincoln next year, have no doubt you'll be fully welcomed and treated with respect, win or lose.
Wait till you see your squad applauded by our fans as they leave the field.
August 18th, 2011 at 2:31 PM ^
You were going to lose them eventually when the B12 implodes. So you got out while the getting was good. And who knows, you may gain one or two of them back eventually.
And the applause thing is great, but it only means something if it happens after Nebraska loses. Which doesn't happen that often in Lincoln.
August 18th, 2011 at 10:02 AM ^
Gave me chills.
Can't wait for my first Michigan game since Penn State 2009 and my first trip to AA since January 2010.
August 18th, 2011 at 10:44 AM ^
UTL is and will be a once in a lifetime experience. I backed out of two weddings - 9.10.11 turns out to be a popular date for that type of event - and let's just say they weren't happy about it.
I told them, you're wedding is your big day, but it sure as hell isn't mine so yea, see you in A2 on 9.10.11..
August 18th, 2011 at 11:39 AM ^
I think you should support your friends on their big day. I know you are worried about getting rid of these tickets and getting your money back, but that's what fellow MGoBloggers are for. I will generously take these worries and tickets off your hands, so you can celebrate with your friends.
I'm sure you will enjoy yourself. No worries about me, and no thanks required.
August 18th, 2011 at 3:13 PM ^
I'm a big supporter of friends and fam - and I appreciate your generosity there in making yourself available for these tickets!
I'm at that age where I'm not yet married, and I'm getting burnt out on going to weddings. The count this summer is at 5, and I've been in two of them. Being in a wedding can be an ordeal. Multiple weekends, travel, etc. But they are typically a blast when with close friends. No complaints..
August 18th, 2011 at 4:36 PM ^
Don't feel bad. I think weddings can be fun, but most guys would much rather pick a game over a wedding. Heck, I'm bummed that I'm missing the Eastern game for a wedding.
August 18th, 2011 at 11:41 AM ^
Did you tell the brides, and grooms this? Did you tell them by, letter, phone, text, e-mail, facebook, twitter, card, in person,? Did you get a reply, and if so did they use words as strong as hell?
August 18th, 2011 at 3:08 PM ^
Yes, I communicated via all the above, wouldn't want anything to fall through the cracks. It went swimmingly.
August 18th, 2011 at 11:31 AM ^
The streak of 100,000 in attendance going back to 1975 is something that has always fascinated me. Because it wasn't until halfway through Bo's 7th season that it started. And his teams had a combined record of 39-1-3 at home up to that point.
Looking up the attendance numbers, they do get better over time but not as fast as you would expect...
1969 Vanderbilt: 70,183
1969 Washington: 49,684 (Seriously?)
1969 Missouri: 64,746
1969 Purdue: 80,411
1969 Wisconsin: 60,438 (Homecoming)
1969 Ohio State: 103,588
1970 Arizona: 80,386
1970 Texas A&M: 71,732
1970 Michigan State: 103,580
1970 Minnesota: 83,496 (Homecoming)
1970 Illinois: 70,781
1970 Iowa: 66,189
1971 Virginia: 81,391
1971 UCLA: 89,177
1971 Navy: 68,168
1971 Illinois: 73,406
1971 Indiana: 75,751 (Homecoming)
1971 Iowa: 72,467
1971 Ohio State: 104,016
1972 Northwestern: 71,757
1972 Tulane: 84,162
1972 Navy: 81,131
1972 Michigan State: 103,735
1972 Minnesota: 84,190 (Homecoming)
1972 Purdue: 88,423
1973 Stanford: 80,177
1973 Navy: 88,042
1973 Oregon: 81,113
1973 Wisconsin: 87,723 (Homecoming)
1973 Indiana: 76,432
1973 Illinois: 76,461
1973 Ohio State: 105,223
1974 Iowa: 76,802
1974 Colorado: 91,203
1974 Navy: 104,232
1974 Michigan State: 104,682
1974 Minnesota: 96,284 (Homecoming)
1974 Purdue: 88,902
1975 Stanford: 92,304
1975 Baylor: 104,248
1975 Missouri: 104,578
1975 Northwestern: 86,201
1975 Indiana: 93,857 (Homecoming)
From there, the 100,000 streak starts with the next home game against Purdue which had 102,415.
August 18th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
I'm surprised we drew more fans for Baylor in 1975 than Stanford. Were the Bears good at that time?
August 18th, 2011 at 12:48 PM ^
Not really. Looking at their history, they were 8-4 the year before with a loss to Penn State in the Cotton Bowl. But certainly not a powerhouse by any means. Bo's troops had destroyed Stanford the previous 2 years. Maybe the fans were looking forward to a new opponent.
August 18th, 2011 at 1:35 PM ^
Yeah, I suppose that would explain it.
I like that Navy was the first non-OSU/MSU opponent to break the 100K barrier. That's appropriate.
August 18th, 2011 at 12:23 PM ^
Did you find them in a media guide?
August 18th, 2011 at 12:54 PM ^
Bentley Historical Library. They have the attendance numbers for all home and away games for the majority of this past century.
Random fact: It looks like the smallest crowd ever happened in the 1943 game against Western Michigan. (That was the last time we played a MAC opponent for 52 years.) Just 14,008 fans showed up at the big house for that game.
86,408 fans showed up for the Notre Dame game that year but only 39,139 showed up to watch us beat Ohio State 45-7. That Michigan team went 8-1.
August 18th, 2011 at 12:57 PM ^
U da man!
August 18th, 2011 at 1:27 PM ^
I remember when 100K was a big deal. I had an Aunt and Uncle who attended the games and there would always be talk about whether the crowd would exceed 100K. The expectation was that MSU and OSU games would and that all others wouldn't. I particulary remember the mid-70s, when there was growing shock that any of the "Little 8" could attract that sized crowd.
People didn't think to spend money like that back then, or to drive such a distance. I'm not sure when M-14 was built from Plymouth to Ann Arbor, but the "road that Bo built" certainly made the travel easier. Also, with tickets readily available, weather played a role. I remember walking up to buy tickets at the gate. (My wife, who grew up by Burns Park in Ann Arbor, remembers going in for free after halftime.) With that kind of flexibility, a cold rainy or snowy day would almost certainly hold down the attendance. Hell, you could always listen to the game on the radio.
August 18th, 2011 at 3:47 PM ^
I'd get into games after halftime for free pretty often. OSU was the only game you couldn't really do that for.
August 19th, 2011 at 5:18 PM ^
Did anyone notice the writer got the date wrong for the ND game? He wrote Sept. 9th. Oops.