Michigan Man
Whatever a 'Michigan Man' is, this guy isn't it.
http://www.myfoxdetroit.com/dpp/sports/michigan/what-is-a-michigan-man-20110112-wpms
January 13th, 2011 at 12:39 PM ^
LeDuff is, imho, the best true journalist in SE Michigan, if not the entire state and/or region. Anyone doubting that should just go back and read his archives at the DetNews... truly great stuff.
Contrary to DBs Dominos leanings and Arbys-Big Chill tendencies, if you listen to the way DB closed the press conference yesterday, Charlie's points here (as echoed by Mr. Hanson) are largely the same; no one here wants us to resemble the corporate money-making athlete machine that is tOSU (or USC under Carroll, etc.). Sure we want championships, and we want to be competitive with and defeat on a regular basis programs like tOSU/USC/Florida/etc. but we also care about the manner in which we win, things like dignity and honor, and that is the point I think Charlie is trying to make.
I am quite surprised to learn he was a former UM cheerleader, however. This whole thing is quite heavy on the schtick, which is outside the norm for him, but I'd suggest folks read up on his body of work before ripping into him as an arrogant dbag...
January 13th, 2011 at 1:00 PM ^
LeDuff could have made all of those points without coming across as an "arrogant d-bag."
P.S. Journalistic skill doesn't not exonerate a person from being a douche.
January 13th, 2011 at 4:40 PM ^
Me thinks someone left off the /sarcasm tag.
January 14th, 2011 at 2:46 PM ^
you're right...
January 13th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
I asked U of M Law Professor Richard Friedman whether Michigan can be both world class university and football power in the modern landscape of money and sports.
"There's no doubt in my mind if we had to move in one direction or the other, I'd rather move in the direction of Northwestern than of Ohio State," he replied.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:12 PM ^
If there's one thing I've learned in my life, it's that law professors are always right when it comes to matters of athletics.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^
Much rather have the lawyer orf agent in the shotgun on the final play of the game than sayyyy..........Tom Brady???/
January 13th, 2011 at 12:41 PM ^
Actually, lawyers are always right in all matters, not just law professors in matters of athletics. Just thought I should clarify that . . .
(Obviously joking - I'm regularly reminded of both the things I do not know and the things I have already forgotten.)
January 13th, 2011 at 12:22 PM ^
AA has to move to Battle Creek or Toledo? Is there another choice? Have they thought this through?
January 13th, 2011 at 12:09 PM ^
That guy must ooze derp from every orifice.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:10 PM ^
I know this doesn't pertain to your thread but some info I just saw and may be of interest to Blue fans. http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_college_uf/2011/01/report-former-florida-assistant-chuck-heater-to-join-steve-addazio-at-temple.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
I don't have enough points to start threads but wanted to share the info.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:11 PM ^
But, unfortunately, many people (including self-professed Michigan Men) think it does.
I do think it means (at least to David Brandon) a subservience to the program, the perception that the program is greater than/bigger than the coach (or the player, etc.).
January 13th, 2011 at 12:14 PM ^
... is the final straw. The whole "Michigan Man" meme, can we finally just kill it with fire?!?!
January 13th, 2011 at 12:43 PM ^
I think this calls for a nuclear attack . . .
January 13th, 2011 at 12:58 PM ^
I have to let the silos cool after a tremendous war waged throughout the 2010 season. This board calls for healing and reconciliation. If that doesn't work, then we'll fry their shadows into the ground.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:14 PM ^
Odd ... as a general rule I enjoy Charlie LeDuff's work, but that piece is loose-as-can-be. Shaky grammar and spelling (Jerry Hanson?), etc.
- - -
Aside: I'm amused that Michigan Men (whoever they are) appear to believe that they're the only ones who:
* try to live up to Midwestern values (whatever TF those are)
* win with dignity
* lose with grace
* work hard (Always a good one ... I'm sure the whole population of California is lazy and drugged out.)
* studies books
* does not cheat (Aside from the SEC, most of the country, right ... ?)
January 13th, 2011 at 12:29 PM ^
First rule of Midwestern values: never describe Midwestern values
January 13th, 2011 at 6:24 PM ^
+ 1 Billion
January 13th, 2011 at 12:31 PM ^
Charlie LeDuff was a cheerleader? The more you know!
January 13th, 2011 at 12:33 PM ^
is someone who is at least tangentially affiliated with the University of Michigan.
January 13th, 2011 at 6:38 PM ^
I would say there is something more than that. There is something unique that comes from spending time at the university, and I think those of us that spent our formative undergrad years there can definitely put some kind of finger on it. That said, I don't know if that experience is/ever should be necessary in hiring faculty/professors/coaches. We don't require students to have previous experience with the university to become wolverines, its something that comes with spending time there and becoming part of the community.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:37 PM ^
My hunch is that not all Michigan profs think the way that guy does.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:39 PM ^
My Great Grandfather, Grandfather, Father, Brother and Sister all attended Michigan before me. I graduated in 1981 and have travelled up from Cleveland every Saturday since 1987 for home games and generally go to one away game a year. I recruited for M here in Northern Ohio from 91-94 under Bob Chemel and can sing the chorus of the Victors loud and proud without any help.
I'd say my Michigan Man credentials are impeccable and beyond reproach. Can I be coach next?
January 13th, 2011 at 1:07 PM ^
only if u want 3 million dollars, so dave could save 2 million a year not paying someone else. btw peezza hut is having a 2 for one special.
January 13th, 2011 at 12:51 PM ^
is NOT saying that you're a "Michigan Man". If it exists, it is not a self-fulfilling title. And even if you deserve such a "title", by proclaiming you are one you effectively give up that honor.
[EDIT: Directed at author of linked article by OP. I didn't read it, but I did see near the end where he said "I am a Michigan Man"]
January 13th, 2011 at 1:10 PM ^
Ah, this "Michigan Man" stuff is great revisionist history! It never existed prior to a certain clique wanting to dip six the ex-coach.
January 13th, 2011 at 1:54 PM ^
dippin' six (") to the ex-coach!
"Michigan Men" frown upon this behavior.
January 13th, 2011 at 2:05 PM ^
Hoke understands what Michigan is all about, and he knows how far the program wandered during Rodriguez’s tumultuous three-year tenure, both competitively and in terms of compliance with NCAA rules. He not only knows what notes to hit, but believes in them as bedrock principles.
San Diego State’s head football coach Brady Hoke is a fanatic about conditioning and fundamentals and innately suspicious of flash. He doesn’t want to trick you. He wants to trample you. He is the kind of coach who resonates in those rugged places where football is not so much a game as a measure of manhood.
Rest of article: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/jan/05/sdsus-hoke-fits-maize-and-blue-print/
Sounds like a Michigan man to me
January 13th, 2011 at 2:14 PM ^
In the 1950s when I was a little kid, maybe 5 years old, my father (who didn't go to UM) told me that he wanted me to be a "Michigan Man." He took me to UM - OSU games, when I was so young that all the games meant to me was hot dogs and souvenirs.
So that phrase goes back a looooong way in my memory. When I got to Michigan, I heard the "Michigan Man" phrase plenty. Plenty. It was part of our identity.
It's not new. It was considered a compliment to be introduced as a "Michigan Man," which actually happened a few times. That's how much it meant to my family, anyway.
Bo didn't invent it. It wasn't invented to undermine Rich Rod. It's always been there, because it's always been one of the best schools west of Harvard to get into. And since generally, schools like Michigan are picky about who they accept, i.e., intelligence, hard work in high school, etc., matter, being a Michigan Man was an acknowledgment that meant something that honestly didn't have much to do with football.
I became a Michigan Man in 1967. We weren't exactly setting the world on fire under Bump Elliott. Our pride didn't come from a bunch of guys on the football field. Really.
OK, call me a douche. What do I care, at my age being a douche might be the only way I get any... um...well, let's not go there!
There's nothing wrong IMHO with being a Michigan Man. Michigan is more than football. Football is a mere subset of the UM experience. We sometimes forget that.
January 13th, 2011 at 6:37 PM ^
Your not a douche, that sums up my understanding of the term and my feelings associated with it as well. I'm an '04-'08 and I think that common understanding is one of the things that makes the term so great.
January 13th, 2011 at 6:17 PM ^
I guess we can resign ourselves to being just like Scout and having the ol' Michigan Man threads until time ends.
January 13th, 2011 at 6:22 PM ^
I'm fairly certain his conception of a Michigan Man = a caricature of a dime-store novel cowboy.
January 13th, 2011 at 9:26 PM ^
Really, it's a phrase from another era, an era when just going to college was not for everyone. Then, the "(Insert Name of Prestigious School) Men" thing was big, but only at the best schools. So there were Michigan Men, and Harvard Men, and Princeton Men and all kinds of fancy-university-names-men back then.
I would like to point out, however, and take it for what you will, that I have to this day never heard anyone use the phrase, "Michigan State Man."
I think it's because that tells the world you were second best...but what do I know? I'm an old man, ranting and raving and destined for the drool cup sooner than the rest of you.