Hail! to the victors valiant
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The leaders and best!
Okay, that's the last time that I will ever say those words. And really, it's the last time that anybody should ever say those words. Michigan the victors valiant? The conqu'ring heroes? The leaders and the best? Really?
Before 1950, Michigan could legitimately claim to be "The Best" team in college football. During the first half of the Twentieth Century, the Wolverines posted a record of 319-83-20 (.780 winning percentage) and garnered ten recognized national championships. Notre Dame is the only other claimant for "The Best" during the Stone Age of college football, as the Irish won more games (359-62-26, for a winning percentage of .832), but earned fewer national titles (eight). College football historians can fight that battle, but they will have to rely largely on newspaper clippings because neither team was on television prior to 1947.
1950 is often considered the advent of the Modern Era of college football – it was the midway point of the century, television was beginning to make the sport popular nationwide, and the UP coaches' poll made its debut. The AP sportswriters' poll had begun in 1936 as a way to crown a "true" national champion. When the coaches became involved in the process, the championship picture became muddled, but the two-poll system often led to spirited debates on which team could legitimately claim to be "The Best". The 2013 season marked the official end of the two-poll system, and now college football national championships will be decided by a playoff.
1950 was also the year that the Korean War broke out and that McCarthyism took hold. 1950 saw the invention of the Xerox machine and the first successful organ transplant. Harry S. Truman was president, the Yankees won the World Series, the (Minneapolis) Lakers won the NBA title, CCNY won the NCAA basketball title, and CSNY were still in grade school. Many people born in 1950 are retired, have grandkids, and are eligible for social security; quite a few have passed away from old age. 1950 was a long time ago.
From 1950 to the present, the Michigan Wolverines have a respectable 502-211-13 record (.700 winning percentage), which places them seventh best among all FBS teams. However, those Victors Valiant have earned just one-half of a national championship since 1950, an AP title after the 1997 season (Nebraska won the coaches' title that year). Michigan's half-championship equals the output of such football powerhouses as UCLA (coaches' title in 1954), Colorado (AP title in 1990), Georgia Tech (coaches' title in 1990), and Washington (coaches' title in 1991), and places them behind such stalwarts as Maryland (full title in 1953), Syracuse (full title in 1959), Minnesota (full title in 1960), Pittsburgh (full title in 1976), Clemson (full title in 1981), and even mid-major Brigham Young (full title in 1984). A complete list of AP and coaches' poll championships is given below.
Michigan's championship drought corresponds, more or less, with the decline of Midwestern football in general. Yet since 1950, each of Michigan's three primary rivals has managed to secure multiple national titles, with Notre Dame winning three full and one half; Ohio State winning two full and two half; and Michigan State winning one full and one half. Nebraska has been the most successful Midwestern program, with three full and two half titles. Midwestern football may be down, but Michigan is down further than its peers.
Michigan's lone partial title in the past 65 years (I think that we can safely write off the 2014 season, as the Wolverines already have two bad losses in their first four games) came in 1997. Even though coaches' champ Nebraska had a better record, a larger margin of victory, and beat a higher-ranked team by more points in its bowl game, the AP voters charitably granted Michigan their national title that year. It was a nice little gesture, and a footnote to Michigan's football history – call it a lifetime achievement award.
Since 1997, Michigan's program has been in serious decline. The Wolverines' overall record is 136-69, for a winning percentage of .663, which places them at 18th in the FBS for that period. Michigan is 4-12 against its main rival Ohio State, and they are 6-8 in bowl games, including 0-3 in the Rose Bowl. And let's not forget Appy State! During the past sixteen years, Michigan has six seasons with five or more losses, and the 2014 season looks like it will also end up in that category.
The Victors Valiant are living in the past – they are no longer The Best, and they are not even close. And it's been that way for a very long time. But the Michigan Man myth lives on. A nostalgic fan base chatters endlessly about the most wins in college football history, the 42 Big Ten championships, the 11 national championships, the numerous All Americans, blah blah blah. It's all empty talk, because the Wolverines have done nothing great recently. The current Michigan program is merely great by association.
Ironically, the ultimate expression of Michigan's greatness by association comes not from a deluded fan base, but rather from the team's own head coach. Early last season, Brady Hoke rewarded Devin Gardner with the retired jersey number (#98) of Tom Harmon. For those of you who don't already know, Tom Harmon was a legendary all-around player who won the 1940 Heisman Trophy and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, and Devin Gardner is a mediocre quarterback with a penchant for turning the ball over. Outside of the jersey number, the only thing that the two players have in common is the winged helmet, although Harmon's was made of leather.
Michigan is no longer great, and everybody knows it. They know it too, hence the fascination with greatness past. Only one question remains: Will Michigan ever try to be great again, or are the fading ghosts of decades past enough to keep the myth alive?
Hail, hail to memories….
Hail! to the conqu'ring heroes
Hail! Hail! to Michigan
The leaders and best!
Okay, that's the last time that I will ever say those words. And really, it's the last time that anybody should ever say those words. Michigan the victors valiant? The conqu'ring heroes? The leaders and the best? Really?
Before 1950, Michigan could legitimately claim to be "The Best" team in college football. During the first half of the Twentieth Century, the Wolverines posted a record of 319-83-20 (.780 winning percentage) and garnered ten recognized national championships. Notre Dame is the only other claimant for "The Best" during the Stone Age of college football, as the Irish won more games (359-62-26, for a winning percentage of .832), but earned fewer national titles (eight). College football historians can fight that battle, but they will have to rely largely on newspaper clippings because neither team was on television prior to 1947.
1950 is often considered the advent of the Modern Era of college football – it was the midway point of the century, television was beginning to make the sport popular nationwide, and the UP coaches' poll made its debut. The AP sportswriters' poll had begun in 1936 as a way to crown a "true" national champion. When the coaches became involved in the process, the championship picture became muddled, but the two-poll system often led to spirited debates on which team could legitimately claim to be "The Best". The 2013 season marked the official end of the two-poll system, and now college football national championships will be decided by a playoff.
1950 was also the year that the Korean War broke out and that McCarthyism took hold. 1950 saw the invention of the Xerox machine and the first successful organ transplant. Harry S. Truman was president, the Yankees won the World Series, the (Minneapolis) Lakers won the NBA title, CCNY won the NCAA basketball title, and CSNY were still in grade school. Many people born in 1950 are retired, have grandkids, and are eligible for social security; quite a few have passed away from old age. 1950 was a long time ago.
From 1950 to the present, the Michigan Wolverines have a respectable 502-211-13 record (.700 winning percentage), which places them seventh best among all FBS teams. However, those Victors Valiant have earned just one-half of a national championship since 1950, an AP title after the 1997 season (Nebraska won the coaches' title that year). Michigan's half-championship equals the output of such football powerhouses as UCLA (coaches' title in 1954), Colorado (AP title in 1990), Georgia Tech (coaches' title in 1990), and Washington (coaches' title in 1991), and places them behind such stalwarts as Maryland (full title in 1953), Syracuse (full title in 1959), Minnesota (full title in 1960), Pittsburgh (full title in 1976), Clemson (full title in 1981), and even mid-major Brigham Young (full title in 1984). A complete list of AP and coaches' poll championships is given below.
Michigan's championship drought corresponds, more or less, with the decline of Midwestern football in general. Yet since 1950, each of Michigan's three primary rivals has managed to secure multiple national titles, with Notre Dame winning three full and one half; Ohio State winning two full and two half; and Michigan State winning one full and one half. Nebraska has been the most successful Midwestern program, with three full and two half titles. Midwestern football may be down, but Michigan is down further than its peers.
Michigan's lone partial title in the past 65 years (I think that we can safely write off the 2014 season, as the Wolverines already have two bad losses in their first four games) came in 1997. Even though coaches' champ Nebraska had a better record, a larger margin of victory, and beat a higher-ranked team by more points in its bowl game, the AP voters charitably granted Michigan their national title that year. It was a nice little gesture, and a footnote to Michigan's football history – call it a lifetime achievement award.
Since 1997, Michigan's program has been in serious decline. The Wolverines' overall record is 136-69, for a winning percentage of .663, which places them at 18th in the FBS for that period. Michigan is 4-12 against its main rival Ohio State, and they are 6-8 in bowl games, including 0-3 in the Rose Bowl. And let's not forget Appy State! During the past sixteen years, Michigan has six seasons with five or more losses, and the 2014 season looks like it will also end up in that category.
The Victors Valiant are living in the past – they are no longer The Best, and they are not even close. And it's been that way for a very long time. But the Michigan Man myth lives on. A nostalgic fan base chatters endlessly about the most wins in college football history, the 42 Big Ten championships, the 11 national championships, the numerous All Americans, blah blah blah. It's all empty talk, because the Wolverines have done nothing great recently. The current Michigan program is merely great by association.
Ironically, the ultimate expression of Michigan's greatness by association comes not from a deluded fan base, but rather from the team's own head coach. Early last season, Brady Hoke rewarded Devin Gardner with the retired jersey number (#98) of Tom Harmon. For those of you who don't already know, Tom Harmon was a legendary all-around player who won the 1940 Heisman Trophy and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, and Devin Gardner is a mediocre quarterback with a penchant for turning the ball over. Outside of the jersey number, the only thing that the two players have in common is the winged helmet, although Harmon's was made of leather.
Michigan is no longer great, and everybody knows it. They know it too, hence the fascination with greatness past. Only one question remains: Will Michigan ever try to be great again, or are the fading ghosts of decades past enough to keep the myth alive?
Hail, hail to memories….
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