Roll Call: Extreme Fandom Stories For The Game
My daughter was in Seoul, South Korea for an international High School Model UN competition. South Korea is 14 hours ahead of Ann Arbor time (EST). So she wakes up at 2:00 AM her time in her Michigan pajamas to follow The Game. Her Fox Sports app didn't work, so she could only get score updates. She winds up texting with friends throughout the game to find out why the score changed when it did. She was finally able to Facetime with my wife who held the phone up to the TV so that she was able to see the last drive and the game winning interception in all of its glory.
She was not into football when she was younger, but I swear we started beating Ohio State when she started paying attention to The Game. I thought we'd have to try our luck without her this year, being that she was a dozen+ time zones and half a world away, but she came through!
What's your extreme fandom story for The Game?
November 30th, 2023 at 11:34 AM ^
I knew that this team would be great and I had never been to a Michigan game of importance. I told my wife in the summer that if there is any year to go see us beat OSU its this year.
I signed us both up for southwest and delta credit cards and earned enough intro offer points to basically fly us there and back for free from Utah so that we could actually afford the rest of the trip (tix, hotel, rental car, food). We then invited my in-laws from Texas to Thanksgiving and told them we'd need them to stay with the kids for a night or two after Thanksgiving.
The trip was perfect. Zingerman's was delicious on Friday night after traveling all day. We went to the game, had an absolute blast, didn't have to sit by any OSU fans, stormed the field afterwards, then made it back for the 8pm flight back. A whirlwind for sure but one I will never forget. One of the best things I have ever done.
November 30th, 2023 at 11:36 AM ^
Did a roadtrip to NOLA with college friends, passing around mushrooms, weed, and LSD blotters in the car, right before driving to Wisconsin for the Brandon Peters knockout game in Camp Randall. Our airbnb booking got double booked so we slept in my buddy's old Altima with snow on the ground, freezing our asses off all night. We heated up pizza hut leftovers with the cigarette lighter in between actual cigarettes. I lucked into finding co-op kids who also watched football - definitely an outlier if you have any knowledge about an average Michigan co-op kid.
November 30th, 2023 at 12:24 PM ^
This year's Penn State game. My wife was out gallivanting and planned to watch the recorded game. I of course watched the game live. When she came home, I was very careful not to mention the game in any way not wanting to spoil anything for her. However, she knew, without question, who had won by my demeanor.
November 30th, 2023 at 12:26 PM ^
OK, I'm putting this story here. This is more of a "lengths you go to, to NOT watch a game". It's not a Game story so forgive me for coloring outside of the lines.
My son was a pitcher at a D3 school. During his junior season (2021), he started one game, and did well, but was kept as a middle reliever/closer. Fast forward to the NCAA regionals in Decatur, Illinois. My husband and I drove the three hours to see the games on a Saturday. Our son had closed on Friday night with three innings and they won that game. After the first game on Saturday, which we lost, we decided to go back to Chicago because my husband had to work the next day, and I figured my son pitched the night before, so wouldn't pitch again. We told our son and he said, "You are? Oh, ok." As we were pulling out of the parking lot, we saw him in the bullpen, doing his normal pre-game stretches, and wondered why. A few minutes later, my husband said, "You don't think he's starting, do you?" Nah. They still had a fresh starter available. Fifteen minutes into the drive, my husband gets a text from another parent, "Where are you?? Henry's starting!" I go into panic mode. This was a must win game. Lose and we go home. Should we go back? Not watching him pitch was now a part of the game superstition. I hadn't watched him pitch since middle school. I told my husband we could go back, but that I would have to leave and go somewhere else. So we decided to keep going. But then we had to negotiate how my husband would keep track of the game and what he could share with me. So we decided that he could check the score every 15 minutes but he couldn't share it with me (I was driving and had to remain focused). He could only tell me if Henry was still in the game. That would tell me everything I needed to know. So for almost two hours, at 15 minute intervals, my husband would look at his phone and say, "He's still in." Finally, he said, "OK, he's out." I asked how many innings he pitched. 7 2/3. But I wouldn't let him tell me the score at that point. Then 20 minutes later, my husband said, "Game over. We won 8-2." I'm posting his one and only post game press conference, figure it's on Youtube and publicly available anyway. Definitely my favorite sports moment of all time. The 2021 Game is a close second, which I also didn't watch. (My avatar picture is right before that game.)
November 30th, 2023 at 1:06 PM ^
That's cool! I watched it.
November 30th, 2023 at 1:54 PM ^
It's so funny to watch his face when the interviewer says, "Henry, your role is typically in relief..." because he campaigned all season to be a starter but they wanted him as a reliever. And then to be here, in about as big of a start as it gets, against the #3 team in the country.
November 30th, 2023 at 6:50 PM ^
that is so cool. thank you for sharing and congrats.
how did he like his first season in his new job? keeping that one or moving up?
December 1st, 2023 at 12:01 AM ^
Moving up. He's the assistant pitching coach for the AA Cubs, starts in January in AZ. The AA Cubs (the Smokies) are in Knoxville, so he'll move to Knoxville for the late spring/summer/fall. Dream job for him! He didn't love working in the office, he likes working with players, so this is fantastic for him. Hope your boys are doing well and the one has gotten through his injury.
November 30th, 2023 at 12:51 PM ^
I took my two boys, 13 and 15, to the game, who are California born and raised. Second UM game for them, last year being at the freezing cold Illini game. Both are huge UM fans due to my allegiance and upbringing. Every time I would start to hyperventilate, I would look to them. They aren’t jaded. They didn’t grow up watching Miami, yes that Miami, come back after Michigan dominated the entire game, or Kordell launch it for 60 yards. Hell, I was at the stadium when our punter decided to pitch the ball to the streaking MSU player en route to the endzone. Thankfully, they kept me sane those last few minutes and we stormed that beautiful field!!
November 30th, 2023 at 1:20 PM ^
Nice! Let's keep her focused on The Game 🙂
November 30th, 2023 at 1:44 PM ^
Well, since you brought it up . . . she applied early action to Michigan in October. Being a Michigan student would definitely keep her focused on The Game.
Hint, hint, Admissions.
I'd like to think it's for the good of the entire university.
November 30th, 2023 at 1:25 PM ^
1997 The Game - my younger brother (age 21) was an usher that season, and his buddy, Big Al, was a ticket taker. The week of the game, my brother tells me that I can get into the game, all I need to do is hand Big Al a coupon, like, any coupon, Subway, Kroger, doesn't matter. Just give him something about the same size of the ticket and he'll let me in at the gate.
I’m a little skeptical about this coupon thing, and I had some spare time at work so I start messing around with the ticket I had from the Minnesota game from a few weeks prior. In ’97 there were no barcodes, and my drafting program was a perfect tool to whip up some tickets to the game. Got it “almost” exact, but had to throw a block M on it because I couldn’t recreate the helmet. Stuck a sticky back Subway coupon on the back and Bingo, four tickets to The Game.
Game Day, walking up to the gate where Big Al is supposed to be taking tickets…uh oh, Big Al nowhere to be seen. I’m also with my sister and her husband, recent OSU grads, who are decked out in Buckeye gear. 20 minutes to kickoff, we’re right there, man, and I'm starting to get all jittery. There’s just no way we can’t go to this game, right? So I just said, “well, I’m either going to the game or I’m goin’ to jail,” walked over to the gate, handed over my freshly printed ticket and the guy never even looked at it, I'm in! Hell Yes! Next up, my sister. Ticket man turns it over, gives her a quick glance, looks back down, rips off the stub, and she’s in! Last up, brother in law hands it to the man, he slowly looks down, turns the ticket over, looks back at the front, looks up at my brother in law, gives him a sideways glance, like, dude are you serious, then shakes his head as he rips the ticket in half and waves him in. We’re in!
Head straight in to section 28, student section, where they’re checking tickets AGAIN, and we’re like, no way, these aren’t gonna fly, when out of nowhere my brother appears with his usher jacket on. The red sea parts as he grabs us and proceeds to carve a path thru the entrance tunnel into the stadium and then escorts us down to our “seats” in row 15, takes off his usher jacket, stuffs it under the seat and we watch the Wolverines win 20-14 on a glorious day. Big Al was nowhere to be seen, later said he was taking a smoke break when we walked up. I've had this extra ticket stuck on my refrigerator for the last 26 years.
November 30th, 2023 at 1:54 PM ^
1997 I was at the ND game.
My ticket sits next to my FAV M Possession.
Signed Charles M Helmet (Beckett Certified)
November 30th, 2023 at 1:54 PM ^
That's an awesome story. Is that the ticket you made? Looks legit to me. I did some ushering at big sports events and I'd have taken it while processing a sea of people.
December 1st, 2023 at 12:50 PM ^
Yessir, that's the ticket
November 30th, 2023 at 3:18 PM ^
The Game was the first college football game my 6 year-old grandson attended. It'll be hard to top the experience. It warmed my heart as he was chanting, "It's great - to be - a Michigan Wolverine!"
November 30th, 2023 at 7:45 PM ^
I made eye contact with Reece Davis during a College Gameday halftime broadcast commercial break and he watched me give him the finger.
December 1st, 2023 at 1:53 AM ^
A big salute to M-Dog's daughter! That is some dedication!