Ken Magee - The Game: The Michigan-Ohio State Football Rivalry

THE GAME

THE MICHIGANOHIO STATE
FOOTBALL RIVALRY

This is vintage sheet music of the fight songs for both the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University. Michigans The Victors is from 1898, and Ohio States The Buckeye Battle Cry is from 1919. The Ohio State marching band, known by Buckeye loyalists as TBDBITL! (The Best Damn Band in the Land!), and the Michigan marching band proudly play their fight song each Saturday as the teams fans, packed into sold-out stadiums, sing along. (Authors collection.)

FRONT COVER: Football coaching legends share a moment together before one of their epic battles. At left is Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler, and on the right is Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes. (Chance Brockway.)

COVER BACKGROUND: This postcard photograph shows Ohio Stadium on November 25, 1950, during the battle between Michigan and Ohio State. This contest, the legendary Snow Bowl, was played in the midst of an 18-inch snowfall. As described by reporters, It snowed so hard the snow was coming down horizontally. (Ken Magee collection.)

BACK COVER: In an act of pure sportsmanship, and demonstrating the respect these two teams have for each other, Michigan senior quarterback Devin Gardner consoles Ohio State freshman quarterback J.T. Barrett, who suffered a season-ending injury during the 2014 battle. (Greg Bartram, www.betterimage.us.)

THE GAME

THE MICHIGANOHIO STATE
FOOTBALL RIVALRY

Ken Magee and Jon M. Stevens
Forewords by Dimitrious Stanley and Dr. Billy Taylor

Copyright 2015 by Ken Magee and Jon M. Stevens
ISBN 978-1-4671-1458-5
Ebook ISBN 9781439653371

Published by Arcadia Publishing
Charleston, South Carolina

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015944620

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To the ladies in my life, my loving Dawn and my wonderful daughter Daniella. I love you both very much.

Ken

To my adorable and loving wife, Kelly. Thanks for always encouraging me and allowing me to indulge in this crazy journey.

Jon

To the law enforcement officers worldwide who sacrifice themselves for the betterment of the communities in which they serve.

Ken and Jon

CONTENTS

MICHIGAN FOREWORD

It was my privilege to play for the Michigan Wolverines, in perhaps what is the most historic rivalry in all of college football, if not of all sports. As honored as I have been to be a Wolverine, I am also blessed to have played in one of the greatest upsets in the history of sports, the 1969 MichiganOhio State game. As a sophomore tailback, I watched and learned as our first-year head coach, Bo Schembechler, mentored a group of boys into men during the course of that football season. His words still ring true to this day: Those who stay will be champions. The highlight of my lifetime in sports was competing against the Buckeyes, and I was fortunate to have our team win two of the three games I played in. By far, battling the Buckeyes in this legendary series is the penultimate experience of any Michigan player. Coach Schembechler made us believers, as well as achievers, and his iconic words should define a football players college career. I greatly respect the Buckeyes and their football tradition, which is the greatest compliment one can give to an opponent. For one day a year in November, when these two teams clash, no matter who is victorious, I am reminded of yesteryear and know that this grand rivalry will live on forever.

Dr. Billy Taylor

Wolverine Billy Taylor celebrates the game-winning touchdown in the 1971 contest. (Chris Potter.)

OHIO STATE FOREWORD

The Ohio StateMichigan rivalry is something only people who are close to it can truly comprehend. My father, Wayne Stanley, served as the running-back coach at Ohio State in the early 1980s. When you grow up and see it as a kid, it is a completely amazing experience. Years later, having had the opportunity to play wide receiver for The Ohio State University was one of the most phenomenal experiences in my life. The games involved the greatest rivalry, in legendary stadiums (The Horseshoe and The Big House), against extremely talented Michigan teams. I still remember the hype during the week leading up to the game; the pressure was unlike anything I had ever experienced. In three of the four years that I played, we were undefeated heading into the Michigan game, with national championship aspirations on the lineso the game was that much bigger. And that is what this rivalry should always be: Michigan against Ohio State, two powerhouse college football programs, battling for respect and, of course, for the Big Ten Conference championship.

Dimitrious Stanley

Ohio State Buckeye receiver Dimitrious Stanley runs after making a catch in the 1996 Ohio StateMichigan game. (Chance Brockway.)

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

For over a century, this historic rivalry has been played. Thousands of players from these two prestigious universities, the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University, have battled on the gridiron for bragging rights until the following year. We would like to thank these players and their coacheswithout them, the game would not be played. The contest has become a great and important piece of the fabric of college football. The overall completion of this book could not have been accomplished without the outstanding assistance of Mark Schlanderer; the authors are grateful to Mark, who not only provided focus for the entire project but also offered assistance with his painstaking fact-checking and intricate knowledge of the game of football. Following up Marks hard work was Patrick Friedrich, who is an accomplished football historian.

A project of this magnitude utilizes images from many resources; abbreviations for each source will be found in parentheses at the end of the caption unless otherwise specified. We would like to thank the University of Michigan Bentley Historical Library (BHL), specifically Karen Jania, division head of reference, and her helpful, talented staff, as well as archivists Greg Kinney and Brian Williams, who contributed so much to the success of this project. Other contributors from Michigan who were helpful to us and provided input and substance to the project are Jim Parker, Bob Rosiek, Michael Alley (MA), John Harrison (JH), Charles Bernard Jr. (CBJ), Greg Dooley (GD), Chris Potter (CP), H. Sosa (HS), Karl and Amy Lagler, Jeff Allen (JA), and Jade Peddie (JP). Thanks go to Heisman Trophy historian Karey Lavin (KL) and to Michigan superfan Jeff Holzhausen (SF), for being himself! From the great state of Ohio, we would like to thank Vlade Janakievski (VJ), as well as Steve Green from Check List Sports, for assisting in the collection of images. OX Studio in Ann Arbor allowed us access to office space and resources. Thanks also go to professional photographers Bob Kalmbach (BK), Chance Brockway of Brockway Sports Photos (CB), Greg Bartram of www.betterimage.us, and Joseph Arcure (JA). They understand that the photographs of today capture and memorialize college footballs greatest moments for eternity. In addition, we would like to thank media outlets