OT: How did you become a Michigan fan?

Submitted by Wolverine Devotee on

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.

Prince Lover

March 28th, 2017 at 9:36 AM ^

My dad was from Ohio so he was a buckeye by birth. His job took him to Michigan and since he was in sales he didn't want to root for OSU any more, he wanted to relate and decided to adopt a Michigan school. He couldn't bear the thought of going for the maize and Blue so he became a Sparty.
All these things naturally meant, I rooted for the good guys.
Never for a second did I root for anyone but Michigan and their awesome helmets and colors.
Ten years later my acceptance letter came. Twenty years after that, my 7 yr old daughter talks about wanting to go to UM. Interesting how she didn't do what I did....yet.

mvp

March 28th, 2017 at 9:37 AM ^

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?!?!?

Kevin13

March 28th, 2017 at 9:38 AM ^

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.

Macenblu

March 28th, 2017 at 9:40 AM ^

I grew up in upstate NY with no connection to UM. Watched the '85 Michigan/Iowa game on tv back in the days when you only got 1 or 2 games a day on television. Even though we lost I was hooked. Still remember Jaime Morris rumbling through their secondary for a 60 yard run. The Fiesta Bowl win against Nebraska was sweet too

greensborohill1

March 28th, 2017 at 9:42 AM ^

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.

ChuckieWoodson

March 28th, 2017 at 9:43 AM ^

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.

lilpenny1316

March 28th, 2017 at 9:46 AM ^

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.

Laser Wolf

March 28th, 2017 at 9:47 AM ^

Born and raised in Ohio to Ohio State fan parents and a grandfather that played practice squad at Ohio State back in the day. The Fab Five swayed me away from evil in my formative days.

Zilligen

March 28th, 2017 at 9:49 AM ^

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.

mgolund

March 28th, 2017 at 9:50 AM ^

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.

Sione For Prez

March 28th, 2017 at 9:50 AM ^

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.

 

MMB 82

March 28th, 2017 at 9:56 AM ^

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

WolverineinSB

March 28th, 2017 at 9:57 AM ^

From South Bend so my parents are not happy with me for becoming a Michigan fan, but Woodson's PR against OSU is the first PR TD I ever saw. The national title and heisman made me love Michigan since they were good and I was 6. My parents always figured I would grow out of it and turn to ND but I never did.

FA_Wolverine

March 28th, 2017 at 10:00 AM ^

Born into it. Michigander by birth, army brat for most of my childhood. No matter where we lived I always wore the colors. Even when I lived in Bama through our rough years... the Bammers tried to convert me, but I wouldn't allow that shit.



Go Blue until I die!

Double-D

March 29th, 2017 at 1:17 AM ^

He met my Mom in class and they married and had me while still students.

They would take me to football games as a baby (games weren't as crowded back then) and pass me around the student section to their friends.

Two of my very 1st words were Go Blue.

Crisler-"The house that Cassie built". No man, that was my Dad in the summer for about $3 bucks an hour.

6th Blagdon

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)

AZBlue

March 28th, 2017 at 10:00 AM ^

And Dad is an OSU/Purdue alum. Grew up listening to Archie Griffin earn his Heismans on the radio. Even when we moved to Michigan, OSU still was my team.



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

JayMo4

March 28th, 2017 at 10:01 AM ^

First football game I ever sat and watched start to finish was a Michigan game. I fell in love with their helmets immediately, and I've been a fan ever since.

Oddly enough, I watched the game with my grandpa who is a Notre Dame alum.

Half my family went to OSU, but that never swayed me.

chomz14

March 28th, 2017 at 10:01 AM ^

Uncle took me to my first college football game in the early 90's. Saw Central Michigan beat MSU. A few years later, another uncle took me to my second ever football game. Saw Scott Driesbach hit Mercury Hayes for a touchdown pass. Probably don't need to go into detail but that was enough for me. GO BLUE!

BlueMan80

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.

Blue and Joe

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.

MGoSteven

March 28th, 2017 at 10:29 AM ^

I wasn't a big sports fan growing up, but I actually grew up as an MSU fan. I lived near Lansing (Mason) and I wasn't one of those kids who had to be a fan of the opposite team just to be contrarian.

I applied to Michigan as a 'stretch goal' and didn't even think I would be accepted. I was ecstatic when I was accepted and I immediately became a Michigan fan, but I still wasn't a big sports fan. I didn't know anything of Michigan's history (I didn’t even know who Bo was). I ended up buying season tickets my freshman year because I figured I should have the whole college experience. I ended up falling in love with Michigan Football and the Big House during that season even though it was Rich Rod’s horrible first year.

Ali G Bomaye

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.

Old Man Greene

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..

GoBlueinMN

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:

YoBoMoLoHo

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.

ericcarbs

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. 

LSAClassOf2000

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.

Late Bluemer

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.

Dallas Walmart…

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.

Wolfman

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. 

DualThreat

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.

MGoWV

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

NightTrain5

March 28th, 2017 at 2:25 PM ^

I lurked there until around the RIch Rod search, as seemingly most legit inside info they had there was just coming from MGoBlog. And I didn't care for that site's owner's maturity/control issues when he interacted with posters. Much better here.

I thought I'd slowly connected the dots as there was a younger poster who did a good job of interacting and posting info.

GoBlueInIowa

March 28th, 2017 at 10:57 AM ^

Was born in Michigan but moved when I was a baby.



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.