The day started a bit too early for a guy who’s always sleep-deprived. Six o’clock is an ungodly hour, but that’s how Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008 began. I’d stayed up past midnight the night before, trying to be sure every last detail was attended to. Were there beverages for everyone? Were all the food items prepared and packed properly in the cooler? Did all the necessary utensils make into the box? What about tickets? And parking passes, and media passes? Is the camera charged? Have an extra battery? How about the memory card? Bring the back up? It seemed there was so much to remember, and since I forget at least ONE important thing for EVERY tailgate, I was convinced I would do the same this time. And getting the rest of the family up in enough time to make our stated 8am departure was going to be a real challenge. Getting 5 people out of the same house in 2 hours wasn’t going to be easy, never has been. But I was determined.
Turns out, we left the house at 8:20. Not bad, if you know my family. Twenty minutes late to us is like most folks arriving the day before the event. So out to the fueled-up van we went, and headed for US 23 and a rendezvous with the daughter of long-time friends, who happens to be a recent UM grad and still lives in Ann Arbor, about a mile from The Big House. We had an extra ticket, and knew she’d enjoy the game, and we enjoy her company, and her parents now live about 6 hours from her, so everybody got something good out of it.
Traffic didn’t get heavy until we were actually off the expressway south of Pioneer High School. The lot was crammed full of cars and RVs, most with Michigan gear displayed. But from the road we could see the bus that carried Rocket quarterback Aaron Opelt’s family up from Fremont, and the Jambulance. It took about another 15 minutes to make the drive to the stadium, around the corner, and into Nicole’s apartment complex. Shouldn’t have had that last cup of coffee before we left. We got back to the stadium just a few minutes later and, since it was a first time visit, went straight instead of turning left, headed for Crisler Arena. The parking pass indicated the lot was to the northeast of the stadium, so Crisler seemed like a good place to turn left and head north. But you can’t get there from here. Back out onto Stadium Rd. to the corner, then up to the right and around the block. With a little help from some of Ann Arbor’s finest, of course. We found the parking lot without too much trouble, and parked within a pitching wedge of the Big House. And there was a portajohn right there, two parking spaces away. And it was only 10:15. Oh happy day.
It occurred to me to wonder, just as I was pulling into the lot, that it was possible that tailgating in the media lot wouldn’t be allowed. What the heck do we do then?! What the heck, we’re going to find out. Not to worry…grills and canopies were all over, just as in all the other lots. So out came the folding table, the chairs, the utensil box, and the stove. Out came the orange juice, and the bloody mary mix, along with the appropriate elixir. No beer and brats today. It’s a noon game, and it’s time for breakfast. How do you like your omelet? There’s bacon, sausage, ham, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes, and of course plenty of cheddar cheese. About the time the first pan was warmed up and sprayed with Pam, a wonderful gentleman in Michigan regalia stopped by to say hello and see what was cooking. He saw all the pre-cooked ingredients in bags on the table, but wondered what I was going to do with them. “Have breakfast, of course!” When I brought the tub of already-scrambled eggs out and gave them a final whip with the wisk, he exclaimed “wow! Even a wisk!”. I started the first omelet for Nicole, and of course asked him to join us. He begged off, saying he had somewhere to be very shortly, but he’d be back before game time, so we chatted while that first omelet cooked. He was the first of many gracious, actually FUN, Michigan fans we ran into Saturday.
We managed to get everyone fed and finished off the bloody mary mix (I KNEW I should have bought 4 bottles instead of 3), and put a healthy dent in the elixir and 2 gallons of orange juice. It was only a little after 11, the sun was bright and getting high in the sky, and the promised high of near 80 looked to be a real possibility. The only thing that could make this day better was a Rocket victory, a tall order any year, but it seemed even more daunting after witnessing two terrible losses at home the previous weeks.
It was about then that I remembered that I had a parking pass to return to UM, and a press credential to exchange. Wouldn’t you know it? The window I needed to go to, Media On Call, was that pitching iron up the hill and across the street. Tara (UM media relations) was wonderful throughout the planning and execution of this whole trip, and I thank her for making it easy. The exchange took all of 30 seconds and I was back with the gang and actually relaxing a little before game time. Around 11:30 we decided it was time to load up and get inside. Might take that whole 30 minutes to get into a place with 110,000 other people. And true to his word, my new acquaintance returned just as the last chair was going back in the van and I finished the last bite of my omelet. We had a little more small talk and it was off to the game. Just as we’re leaving the van, a group of 4 young men got into a fun little conversation with my sons over the history of Michigan (how many national titles have YOU won? How many consecutive bowl games have YOU been to?) with my youngest son educating them a little on Rocket football and tradition (pointing to his #16 retro jersey, he asked if they knew who that was; if Michigan ever had a quarterback who NEVER lost a game). They gave us a good hard time, we all had a laugh and wished each other luck and good game. I said goodbye to my wife, my sons, and Nicole, and headed off in another direction (turns out I could have walked with them…almost the same entrance).
My last visit to Michigan Stadium was in the fall of 1971, so I didn’t remember much about it. But I did remember it was bid, it was the first time I’d seen artificial turf (Astroturf back then), and the wonderful atmosphere that is game day in Ann Arbor. Helpful ushers steered me to the proper entrance, and as I walked down the back side of the stadium to the tunnel, I was taken in, wondering how the players must feel. For I was coming into Michigan Stadium through the same tunnel the players enter, seeing the same sea of people they see, the looming press tower being dwarfed by the construction happening all around it. The dark tunnel gave way to blinding sunlight and the roar of 107,000+ fans screaming for their teams. Yes, Toledo fans were screaming too, and with everyone wearing the same colors, it’s fun to pretend everyone in attendance was there to see the Rockets. I remembered watching the Rockets beat Penn State from my seat at Arnie’s, thinking “so THIS is what it’s like to BE THERE. Could we even realistically HOPE to a similar outcome? Didn’t seem likely, but hope is a powerful thing. And for a fan, it’s really all there is.
Fortunately, for the players, it’s heart and discipline and pride and execution. And on this day, the University of Toledo Rockets pulled off the most unlikely of upsets, beating the University of Michigan Wolverines on their own field, taking a huge slice of pride home with them and earning a place in Rocket history. What a glorious fall Saturday. And isn’t every day a great day to be a Rocket?
|