Football has always been played somewhat differently at the University of Michigan.
For whatever reason, its team just seems to win a little bit more than that of other schools. Michigan won its first game ever against Racine May 30, 1879, and 122 years, 805 wins and 11 National Championships later, still cannot break the habit.
Michigan's tradition of winning endured the troubled times of the 20th century, prospering during its peaceful periods and seems poised to continue its excellence throughout the next century.
UW-Madison graduate student and Wausau, Wis., native Andy Taber walked on as a strong safety/fullback at Michigan from 1994 to 1996 and witnessed firsthand the deep tradition of winning.
\[Being a walk-on] I wasn't intimidated by the other players at Michigan, but I was intimidated by the aura and tradition that surrounded the program,"" Taber said. ""From the first meeting, the coaches stressed the importance of Michigan's tradition.""
While the essence of Michigan football is and has always been winning, many other traditions and legends were created along the way, starting with the foundation of the program'the monumental construction of Michigan Stadium.
According to the Wolverines' media guide, Michigan Stadium, or the ""Big House,"" had humble beginnings. From Michigan's first home game May 12, 1883, until 1893, the football team called several locations in Ann Arbor and Detroit its home. The team's record was significantly better in Ann Arbor, and the regents made plans to build a permanent home there in 1890. The first stadium, Regents Field, seated 400 people, which wasn't nearly enough for Michigan's large fan contingent. As a result, Ferry Field, which eventually would hold 40,000 fans, was constructed starting in 1902.
Amazingly, this still was not enough space. Frustrated with the slow-acting regents, UM Head Coach Fielding Yost decided to take matters into his own hands. Known for his ""point-a-minute"" teams, Yost spearheaded the construction of Michigan Stadium, which he envisioned would hold as many as 150,000 fans.
Despite public outcry that the new stadium would ruin the university's academic reputation, Michigan Stadium was completed in 1927 with an astounding capacity of 72,000 and a price tag of $950,000. While the capacity was short of what Yost wanted, he was able to influence the plans so that the stadium could be expanded to fit more than 100,000 people.
Throughout the years, as Michigan's popularity rose, so did the stadium's capacity, increasing on several occasions before reaching its modern day capacity of 107,501. The early attempts to find the right stadium set the tone for the always-winning, but never satisfied UM football program. Was the stadium a good investment? The early returns point to yes, as in over 70 years, the team has lost only 15 times at the Big House.
Like other football powerhouses, Michigan has had its share of legendary coaches. Among the notable coaches described in the pages of UM's media guide are Yost, Herbert O. ""Fritz"" Crisler and Lloyd Carr (if he stays there for a few more decades). While all three deserve credit for being great coaches, Glenn ""Bo"" E. Schembechler is on a different level.
Coaching for 21 years from 1969 to 1989, Schembechler won more games than any other Michigan coach and retired as the winningest active coach in the nation. Along with 13 Big Ten Championships, Schembechler's teams also played in 17 bowl games (including 10 Rose Bowls) and finished in the top 10 in the final wire service 17 times.
Schembechler's history is well-documented and has spawned numerous Web sites, including ""Bo's Michigan Memories."" According to the site and the school's official athletic Web site, Schembechler realized after spending his college days at the University of Miami-Ohio playing offensive tackle under the equally legendary Woody Hayes that his passion for football transcended the physicality of the sport and entered the strategic world of x's and o's.
After failing to make it in the NFL, Schembechler wasted no time in getting into coaching. After graduating, he spent most of the 1950s as a line coach at several schools before re-uniting with Hayes at Ohio State in September of 1959. After working under Hayes for four years, Schembechler finally got his big chance and accepted the head coach title at his alma mater, Miami-Ohio.
He was extremely successful during his seven years at Miami-Ohio, accumulating a 40-17-3 record. However, he jumped at the chance to interview for the Michigan job in 1968.
Schembechler's teams were characterized by grit and passion that set them apart from their competition. Always emphasizing the importance of playing a full game and a full season, Schembechler pioneered the phrase: ""Those who stay will be champions,"" which has come to be a universal motto for UM athletics.
With an amazing career record of 194-48-5 at Michigan, few other coaches got out of their players what Schembechler was able to get in his decorated tenure.
In the limbo between the construction of Michigan Stadium and the beginning of Schembechler's legacy came perhaps the most enduring symbol of the mystique of Wolverines football'the winged helmet. Today, the dark blue accentuated by gold wings is a fearful reminder to the opposing team that, yes, you are playing UM. However, the school's official athletics Web site says the winged helmets were created for a very practical reason.
After four straight losing seasons in the 1930s, new Head Coach ""Fritz"" Crisler thought it was a good time for a makeover. Originally, the drab black helmets were replaced with the new headgear to help out an anemic passing attack. Crisler, whose reputation as a trickster while coaching at Princeton followed him to Ann Arbor, felt that his quarterback could be much more effective if he could pick out his receivers more easily.
Michigan debuted its helmets in 1938 against Michigan State and won 14-0, although the passing game only accounted for 46 yards and no touchdowns.
While the winged helmet has often been imitated, it just looks a little more intimidating when protecting the head of a UM player.
On the surface, the University of Michigan football team has gone through many changes in its history. The team has had close to 10 different homes, 16 different coaches, two different helmets and 122 different groups of players. And yet the aura remains.
The rich traditions of Michigan bind every new team to its past successes and help to insure for success in the future.
However, if you ask anyone who has ever been affiliated with the program, the only tradition that has ever mattered is winning.
And so they do.
