Why I Am a Michigan Fan...

I am what many call a Wal-Mart Wolverine.  That is, I have no real affiliation with The University of Michigan, yet I support them, primarily during football season, but I’ve also been known to cheer for basketball during NCAA finals in March.

How did I get here?  I don't really know.

I have no legacy, as that would have meant that my family before me had gone to UM, or any university for that matter.  But I’m proud to claim being of the first generation in my direct family to attend college.

That said, my real allegiance lies with my own alma mater, and I will fiercely defend and support Central Michigan University above and beyond any and all other collegiate teams, NO MATTER WHAT.  But as a Chippewa, we’re not prone to gloat, because we know that successful years are fleeting and far between.  We just get so darned excited!

I’ll go back to my early days of my parent’s being Michigan fans.  Again, I don’t know why specifically, since my Mom almost went to MSU.  My Dad’s brother was an MSU grad, and my Mom’s brother did his post-grad work at UM, so we’re balanced there.

On any given Saturday, we would watch the TV with the volume turned down and WJR turned way up, with Bob Ufer calling plays.  His enthusiasm for MEEECHIGAN was infectious.  It was a sad day when Ufer passed and sad too when WJR stopped being the voice of Michigan sports and took on MSU’s announcing.  I don’t think I had EVER seen an MSU game that didn’t include UM until I marched into Spartan Stadium as a Chippewa on September 14, 1991.

Maybe it’s geography.  Ann Arbor was where we went for special things: finer dining, shopping, opera, Band-O-Rama (where I was first introduced to a university marching band)… Meijer…and where I ultimately would drive every Saturday with my best friend to take clarinet lessons from a UM grad student at the School of Music.  I wanted to be a performer, and UM is where you went if you wanted to perform.  I know nothing of East Lansing except that I had to pass it to get to Mt. Pleasant.

Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a marching band geek.  Michigan Marching Band was the model against which all things were measured when I was growing in the ranks of Brighton music.

 

I know now how amazing too is the Spartan Marching band.  I've had more than a few friends who donned an SMB uniform, three of which were drum majors and one of those even married to Sparty!  You’d think they could turn my affiliations, but no.

It could be because my favorite color is blue.

This year, though, I enjoy the parallel journeys of UM and CMU.  Both are rebuilding.  Both have new coaches who grew in the program they now lead.  Both are underdogs defying anyone’s expectations in their first years on the job.  Both will keep me awake until silly hours of the night, trying to watch from the other side of the world.

Sometimes it hurts to be a UM fan.  More so lately than I ever remember when I was a kid.  Today was sad.  Proud of UM in the game they played and the post-game words of Coach Harbaugh, but tortured nonetheless, because this would have been a well-earned win!

Someday, my kids may turn me over to the green side...or to something else, who knows.  My brother flies his Michigan colors for part of every autumnal Saturday and changes to a TCU flag when the next kickoff is ready, in honor of his eldest and her current home away from home. Time will tell...

But, OOH WAA, always proud to be a Chippewa!...especially with their 51-14 win over U Buffalo to make staying awake all worth it!