Slippery Rock to play at the Big House on 10/18/14 (M bye week)
Press release:
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan Athletic Department announced today (Saturday, Oct. 19) a partnership with Slippery Rock University that will bring The Rock to Michigan Stadium for a regular-season football game on Oct. 18, 2014, during a Michigan football bye week.
Slippery Rock will face Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rival Mercyhurst University.
"Slippery Rock has a special place in the hearts of our fans," said Dave Brandon, the Donald R. Shepherd Director of Athletics. "We have embraced this relationship for decades and thought now would be the appropriate time to entertain another game at Michigan Stadium. We look forward to making this an entertaining day for the fans of both schools and our Michigan fans who wish to attend this event."
Link.
This had been rumored (as mentioned here) but I believe this is the first official word of a date.
October 20th, 2013 at 4:10 PM ^
I can't find ticket prices for Mercyhurst, but for Slippery Rock, kids under six are free, paying kids are $2, and adult tickets range from $6-10. You can get a season family pass for $75. Just so we're clear on what we're comparing this to.
October 20th, 2013 at 10:03 PM ^
Man, you might want to upgrade your employment situation. If you're unhappy about your current income, do something about it.
October 20th, 2013 at 4:08 PM ^
Except this isn't a Michigan, MSU, or professional sporting event. It's a Division II game that just happens to be played in a stadium that normally hosts just short of ten times what the competing schools' home stadiums do. Combined.
October 20th, 2013 at 5:46 PM ^
just stay the fuck home. If the beer was free, you'd bitch that it's not your brand. This is a nice idea/event, and $20 isn't that much money.
October 21st, 2013 at 12:04 AM ^
If a family of 4 goes to Cedar Point for the afternoon they're spending at least that amount if not more, with the added bonus of having little Tyler or Sarah puke his/her guts out in the car on the way back home after eating too much goddamn cotton candy and elephant ears and whatever other kinds of crap people feed their kids there.
October 21st, 2013 at 2:28 PM ^
Plus another $20 or more if you wait to get them at the gate. And that's before food and all that. Just to stand in line 3/4 of your day. But no one is protesting that.
October 20th, 2013 at 3:42 PM ^
And it was great - hopefully the weather cooperates for this next iteration! As I recall, the stadium was 1/2 full or less and as a kid it was great just running around the stadium and moving to the "good seats".
October 20th, 2013 at 3:46 PM ^
This is a cool event and all, but there's really no reason to spend 20 dollars to watch subpar football in a 3/4-empty Michigan Stadium. I'm sure it'll be marketed up the wazoo, given some witty name with a slick logo, maybe some skywriting in the mix...
At the end of the day, it's D-II football with a school people know about solely because Howard King thought the name was funny in the 1970s. But if that's your thing, hope you get your 20 bucks worth.
October 20th, 2013 at 5:43 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 5:48 PM ^
nobody is forcing these whiners to attend. Stay home and play with yourselves...we'll enjoy a stress-free day at The Big House.
October 21st, 2013 at 9:12 AM ^
And so that is why I won't complain about this. But there's almost zero chance that I'll buy any of these tickets.
This is such a tired, one-dimensional joke. So "Slippery Rock" is a funny name. Ha ha ha. Aaaand; what's next?
This is like a funny SNL sketch -- "MacGruber," for instance, that gets turned into a feature-length movie. Too much.
I do like the notion of young kids getting an opportunity to go to Michigan Stadium for an event. And the notion of people sitting in a relaxed, general-admission Stadium. It's no big deal to me, either way. It'll be a nice day to play golf or maybe even watch Ohio State play.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:08 PM ^
For the record, I think you're underestimating how many people care about M Hockey but I get your point.
October 20th, 2013 at 7:21 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 6:55 PM ^
Yawn. I said it was a cool event. But I don't think it's worth 20 dollars, and I tend to think a lot of fans are going to agree. Whatever you want to overlay on top of that is your call.
October 20th, 2013 at 3:50 PM ^
Can somebody explain how interest in Slippery Rock University games got started in the first place? I know they've been reading off the score since '59, but why? Where's the connection? What am I missing here?
October 20th, 2013 at 3:52 PM ^
The PA announcer at the time just thought it was amusing.
October 20th, 2013 at 3:56 PM ^
If Slippery Rock were an Ann Arbor restaurant, it would be in the Main Street Ventures stable. Depending on who's involved, that would mean everything or nothing at all.
October 20th, 2013 at 4:21 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 4:24 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 4:39 PM ^
Another reason to tailgate and have fun.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:05 PM ^
Sure $20 is a bit high, but I don't really see it as that crazy. There are a lot less entertaining things out there that cost more than $20.
Also, I wouldn't be surprised if family ticket packages that include discounted seats and concession vouchers get announced closer to the actual date. We all know how much the AD likes putting butts in those seats, and more people in the stadium mean more people to spend money on food/souvenirs.
Is it a money grab? Sure. But is it also a neat event? Absolutely.
October 20th, 2013 at 6:07 PM ^
I'm not a fan of Dave Brandon, but this is cool and a lot of fun.
As to the ticket price, it costs a heck of a lot more to put on a game at Michigan Stadium than it does at what is essentially similar to a high school football venue in a lot of places.
I'm sure that Michigan will split the revenue with SR, and it will be good for that school.
October 20th, 2013 at 7:15 PM ^
October 20th, 2013 at 8:08 PM ^
The AD should just do nothing... or spend more time on a yacht? Would that make any of you like him more.
I am sure this event will have (1) a benfit to Slippery Rock, (2) a charitable tilt/aspect, (3) an opportunity for Michigan fans to enjoy the stadium/tailgating/Ann Arbor.
I cannot find much wrong with it. Unless of course I acted like some of the self-righteous a-holes that post on this board.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:34 PM ^
Not every event has to be about the $$$. It's okay to be charitable to the community once in a blue moon. Certainly there are families of modest means who would find this doable at 6 or 8 bucks for adults and maybe a few bucks for kids. Or even 20 bucks for a family.
But 20 bucks a pop, even for kids? A young couple with three kids has to cough up $100 to walk in the place for a D2 game? That just puts this out of reach for folks that might not get this chance any other way.
October 20th, 2013 at 10:45 PM ^
but at $20 a pop, plus parking, food, etc . . .. no way in hell.
It's great that this tradition is being revisited, and I'd love to borrow a bunch of Staee apparel from my next door neighbors to wear but . . . they could have made it a bit more affordable.
At least kids free or something.
Should also be a 3 way split with Slippery Rock, Michigan (expenses) , & Mott.
October 21st, 2013 at 12:25 AM ^
October 21st, 2013 at 7:25 AM ^
October 21st, 2013 at 8:26 AM ^
They sure as hell didn't show up on Saturday.
October 21st, 2013 at 9:04 AM ^
For those complaining about ticket prices, GVSU charges $12-25 per ticket, Ferris State charges $15, SVSU is at $10 and Wayne State gets $8 for their games. For the upgraded experience in the Big House, $20 is not egregious. It would be nice if Brandon would come out and mention how much is going to Slippery Rock, or charity, or whatever. He could probably fill the stadium if he announced they were giving SR $500K and the rest of the profit was going to Mott or something.
October 21st, 2013 at 1:29 PM ^
I remember attending Michigan Tech vs. GVSU at the Big House almost 10 years ago. If I remember correctly, my ticket was only $5 for that. My friends and I decided to get decked out in black and yellow for Tech and had a blast even tho they ended up losing.
This time I know my rooting interests will be set long before kickoff. I despise wearing wearing anything but Maize & Blue (especially red of green) on Saturdays, but I can make an exception for The Rock.