Old sights at Michigan Stadium
The discussion on the panoramic big house photo listed some observations of things that you no longer see at home games. (Fans wearing white, location of the marching band, grass turf, etc.) This made me think of other things, the majority of which are no longer allowed.
1. Flags and flagpoles inside the Big House:
2. Male cheerleaders doing backflips on to the field after scores for every point UM had on the scoreboard. (Makes sense they had to stop doing this once the field was lowered in 1991. They'd kill themselves trying that today.)
3. Toilet paper explosion after touchdowns:
4. Marshmallows in the end zone:
5. Students drinking beer in the stands:
6. Packed student section for pregame regardless of opponent. I really hope we get back to this:
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April 28th, 2016 at 11:25 PM ^
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Ha! That was the 1986 Illinois game, which we won 69-13. Less commercial breaks in those days. The TV cameras zoomed in on those guys several times during timeouts...
don't remember drinking beer, at least not openly, at games. we snuck them in all the time, but did not show them much.
April 28th, 2016 at 10:19 PM ^
I had season tickets in '81, and other than keeping it under your coat as you went through the gate, we never found it necessary to keep the liquor out of sight as we drank.
There was a liquor store right across from the stadium (near the NW corner, I think). I've always wished I had the take from that place from just one game Saturday. It probably would've paid for the whole semester.
April 29th, 2016 at 12:36 PM ^
April 28th, 2016 at 11:07 PM ^
You could bring in beer/wine/liquor openly. it wasn't unusual for guys to carry in cases of beer. There was a guy in section 24 in 1977 that used to lead cheers every while wearing an empty 12-pack on his head, after he and his boys drank it. In fact, you could leave the stadium and go buy more if you ran out (there was the liquor store across Main Street). Stadium staff would give you a little re-entry slip so you could get back in with your purchase.
Then there was the "green wave." Boones Farm wine was cheap then and people used to bring plenty of it to games. At the end of the 3rd quarter, everyone would pass the bright green bottles up to the top of the stadium. If it was a sunny day, there was plenty of sparkling green glass glowing in the sun and moving upward, thus giving it the nickname of the "green wave."
Don't forget, the drinking age was 18 at the time. Dorms would run parties on the weekends and beer was openly served to everyone. Different time after they jacked up the drinking age. A lot of guys in their late 20's were upset about the state no longer allowing 18- and 19-year old girls in the bars.
My dad would often tell stories about the good old days when you could bring a keg into the stadium, as long as it had its own ticket (traditionally taped to the side of the keg).
April 28th, 2016 at 11:33 PM ^
In 1986 the freshman hockey players snuck a quarter barrel into the stadium underneath a wheelchair. They sat behind me and we did keg stands during the game.
I remember it was minimally not too uncommon to see Stroh's 30 packs in the stadium.
April 29th, 2016 at 10:14 PM ^
You'll be happy to know that 25 years later I was also sneaking Stroh's into the stadium. But sadly more like a 3 pack instead of a 30 pack.
April 28th, 2016 at 10:22 PM ^
The guy in the white hat on the bottom at the end was my roommate and the guy in the "college" sweatshirt lived accross the hall. If that panned about 5 seconds more I bet I would be in the frame.
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April 29th, 2016 at 10:47 AM ^
I'm surprised you didn't post a picture of people being passed up the stands. We did that in the student section in the late 70's. Usually it was ladies, but sometimes guys too. I can see why they banned that.
Have they also banned hoisting people and bobbing them for every point scored? I hope not.
The passing-up thing and then bench-pressing people was occurring when I was there ('87-'91), but it stopped during that time because of sexual harassment complaints.
1986 was my freshman year so I was there.
Last year you could bring small coolers into the stadium. They didn't check what was in them so you could easily bring 6-8 beers per person.
Different times.
April 29th, 2016 at 12:12 AM ^
I'm there. I'm the one with the bad hair.
As the popularity of rock concerts spread like wildfire that wild and crazy atmosphere galloped into Michigan Stadium with zany Mardi Gras type antics game after game. Every week it seemed another 25 hilarious "acts" would show up in the student section. Good luck trying to find any toilet paper in any area bar after a game. Girls knew the drill and actually used to bring toilet paper or Kleenex with them at the after game celebrations.
There was absolutely no other place you wanted to be in the country other than Ann Arbor on game days in that exciting era.....
Bob Ufer and Bo were rock stars.............Woody Hayes was Osama Bin Laden and Meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechigan was the center of fun in the college universe!
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I wish that could come back
Not if you had to sit behind them.
Maybe if they were relegated to the top row.
April 28th, 2016 at 10:58 PM ^
April 28th, 2016 at 11:04 PM ^
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April 28th, 2016 at 10:05 PM ^
Throwing a marshmellow at grass is classless?
April 28th, 2016 at 10:14 PM ^
April 28th, 2016 at 10:21 PM ^
It was a fun thing that was harmless.
Not sure why anyone would be against it? Maybe too much work for the grounds crew to clean up?
April 28th, 2016 at 10:31 PM ^
April 28th, 2016 at 10:33 PM ^
April 28th, 2016 at 11:05 PM ^
How is it possible to sit down with that stick that far up your butt?
April 29th, 2016 at 12:37 AM ^
I can't tell if you're being serious. A few marshmellows in the endzone, and some toilet paper in the stands, and the field is "trashed"?
This "classless" act that "trashes" the field probably takes the groundscrew 15 minutes to clean up. The stick up your butt, is it so big that you can actually taste the pine by now?
April 29th, 2016 at 12:30 AM ^
April 29th, 2016 at 12:46 PM ^
i recall a game around 2002 where the glass was taken by students and sent upwards so that the camera guy got absolutely pelted by drinks and marshmellows. Everyone hated the position of that platform and the camera guy blocking the view
Marshmallows and artificial turf are not a good combination.
...and when the students started putting coins in the marshmallows to make them go further it became dangerous. We had several band members hit in the face. If you plan to make a living playing an instrument, a coin to the lip can put your career in jeopardy.
C'mon dude.
I do agree that the marshmallows would be a bad mix with the field turf. I'd love to see the toilet paper come back though.
I heard the marshmallows were also soaked in water and when dry, became hard as rocks. Don't know if this is true but quite the hazard as well.
April 29th, 2016 at 10:00 AM ^
Don't forget the
-Dominos pizza box tops used as a throwing star
- the canned-air blast horns used to attempt distraction of the opposing kicker
April 28th, 2016 at 10:06 PM ^
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April 28th, 2016 at 10:16 PM ^
April 28th, 2016 at 10:32 PM ^
The flag thing is bs. Banning everything you can bring in is why people want to stay home...you can't even have fun and create an atmosphere. Do they still allow signs or did they ban those too?
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