My husband and I finally made it to Michigan Stadium to see the Wolverines play Penn State. My husband hasn’t even been living in the States for a year so he’s doing pretty good to see a game at The Big House so quickly.
Michigan Stadium
Me? I’ve been a die-hard U of M fan since I was knee high to a grasshopper. “Oh-how-I-hate-Ohio-State” weren’t the first words out of my mouth but it was a mantra I was taught at a very early age.
But I had never made it to a game. And I double dog dare any one of you to call me a “Walmart Wolverine.”
What did you say? No, I didn’t go to Michigan. I dreamed of going to Michigan and out of the 5 universities I applied to they were the only one that said, “Thank you for your application fee but no.”
Yes, MSU fans, I was accepted to your lovely school. I just didn’t want to go where the majority of my high school was headed. No offense.
Anyhow, I grew up in the 70’s raised on Bob Ufer, Bo Schembechler, and the storied Wolverines. You know that horn that Bob Ufer had? My parents had one too. That floppy Michigan hat? Check. A standing bet with the neighbor across the street with the winner of the Michigan vs. Notre Dame game getting a bottle of Amaretto? Check.
So unless you listened to Bob Ufer live, like I did, I don’t want to hear about “Walmart Wolverines.”
Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.
Bob Ufer said of Michigan Stadium:
The hole that Yost dug, Crisler paid for, Canham carpeted, and Schembechler fills every cotton-pickin' Saturday afternoon.
We got tickets for this game against Paterno and his Nittany Lions a few weeks ago. This is how we decided to celebrate our 4-year anniversary. We didn’t realize that the weather was going to be crap but it didn’t matter.
My friend Chris, who got the tickets for us, also invited us to his tailgate party. This group of friends have been tailgating at Michigan games for 15 years, since they were undergrads. They have this pre-game party down to a science. So much so, that it led me to remark that men would only be this organized if sports and/or beer were involved.
Did I mention the location of the tailgate party? Right outside of The Big House at the corner of Keech and Green. This was the media lot. We were right next to the Big Ten Network stage. And from what I understand, Robbie Timmons is usually a few cars over.
The menu? Coney Dogs, of course.
The atmosphere both inside and outside the stadium was electric. Honestly, of all the big events, sporting or otherwise, that I have been to, this was different. Possibly because the size of the crowd. 106,000-plus rooting for the Maize and Blue all in one place!
The rain and the score of the game were a disappointment. But we’ll go to another game and hopefully it will have a different outcome. I’m proud to say that my husband is a Wolverine fan. I didn’t pressure him. Ok, maybe a bit.
I did learn something interesting about Michigan Stadium. It was built on an underground spring and during construction it turned the surface into something similar to quicksand. A crane sunk into this quicksand-like substance and it is still underneath The Big House.
But maybe I'm the only one who didn't know that.