In 1923, the first ever field house was built on State Street. When proposing the idea, Fielding Yost even coined the term: “All it is is a field with a house over it, so let’s call it a field house.” At the time, Yost Field House was the home of Michigan track and field, basketball, wrestling, baseball, and practices for football. Yost, who was Michigan’s athletic director when it was built, thought that such a facility would give Wolverines sports teams an advantage over those from other schools, for practicing and competing. He knew that, although Michigan was near the pinnacle of college athletics, constructing Yost Field house would maintain or even improve this position. This was just another example of the foresight and attention to detail that Yost possessed, and his prediction that the field house would be of great use to Michigan proved to be a correct one.

Yost Field house was the first building of its type on any campus, and its construction may be partially credited for the obsession in today’s athletic departments with building new facilities to attract recruits and train athletes. “Everyone in the country has a Yost Field House now” says Kip Taylor. He alludes to the fact that, although Yost was the first field house built, everyone soon realized what a genuinely good idea it was, and followed suit. As the building was in the planning stages, Fielding Yost knew that he would like it to be named after himself. However, at the time, naming buildings against living people was against university policy. However, behind strong support from the students at Michigan, Yost was able to convince the administration to break the “no living legends” rule. The rule has also since been forgotten in the naming of such buildings as Schembechler Hall (built in 1990, Bo Schembechler died in 2006), Crisler Arena (built in 1967, Fritz Crisler died in 1982), and Canham Natatorium (built in 1988, Don Canham died in 2005) (Bentley Historical Library).

Posted under Hockey

A Michigan hockey game simply wouldn’t be the same without its raucous fans. The atmosphere inside Yost Ice Arena is famous. The commissioner of Michigan’s conference, the CCHA, praises the Yost crowd as well.

“I just think it captures the entire college atmosphere. The stands are right on top of you, and the fans are active and vocal.”

Even more impressive is that Commissioner Tom Anastos is an alumnus of Michigan State, one of the Wolverines’ greatest rivals. As famous as Yost Ice Arena has become for its spectacular reputation as a hockey venue, this wasn’t always the case. In fact, Yost Field house was originally designed to accommodate nearly every sport – with the notable exception of hockey. However, over the course of its existence, Yost has served many roles in Michigan athletics, and is now known as one of college hockey’s premier venues. It may not be the most advanced facility, but according to Michigan coach Red Berenson,

“if you want to play in a rink with a great environment and a lot of history, then you should come to Michigan, because Yost is a player’s rink.”

It is that history, in fact, that gives Yost its special place in college sports history. While other college venues may be older, or bigger, or more high-tech, Yost Ice Arena is the one that most accurately captures the history of college athletics.

Posted under Hockey

If you only check this blog once a day, make sure you don’t miss out on the post about Junior Day, directly below this one.
The Recruiting Board has been updated slightly to include headings for each column. This was based on the requests from a couple of readers. Also, OK RB David Oku now has an offer.
A request regarding said recruiting board:
Do readers prefer Hometown and School fields OR State and Hometown/School fields? Leave your response in the comments to this post (and any other requests/suggestions you may have for the board, while you’re at it).

The Big House Thing
Various fans and members of the blogosphere are up in arms about Michigan Stadium’s capacity being below that of Beaver Stadium during the next two years. Personally, I think it is no big deal.

While having the largest stadium in the nation is something nice to be able to hang your hat on, I’m pretty sure avoiding constant litigation is more productive for the athletic department. Being able to get on the good side of the ADA also holds Michigan to the higher moral standard that I believe is an important aspect of our Tradition, and rids us of the annoyance of John Pollack, who Brian dubs (not-so-affectionately) “The Hero of Tienanmen Square.”

It’s also important to note that Michigan Stadium, despite announcing it was the home of “the largest crowd watching a football game anywhere in America today,” did not in fact hold this distinction on two Saturdays. The September 8th contest against Oregon was outdrawn by Notre Dame’s visit to Happy Valley (109,733 to 110,078) and Michigan and Penn State’s respective beatdowns of Eastern Michigan and Iowa had the attendance battle go to the Lions as well (108,415 to 108,951). The top 15 most-attended games in ’07 were all in Ann Arbor or State College, with the top 4 taking place in the Big House.

It is important to note that Michigan Stadium was not at or below official capacity (107,501) once in 2007, nor would I expect this to be the case in 2008 (at 106,201). With a new headman in Ann Arbor, and a lot of media interest surrounding this change, it is likely that there will be many members of the media in attendance, at least for the first game. Media and other game services personnel account for the difference between capacity and attendance. Penn State is also the only school in America who averaged more than Michigan Stadium’s projected new capacity (other than Michigan, of course). An exciting style of play, as Michigan is expected to have, will only help the case.

So, do I think this is a lot of hand-wringing about something that won’t greatly affect anyone? Yes. There is little practical reason to have a dick measuring contest in terms of attendance. It won’t impress recruits (they will still be awed at the sheer expanse of Michigan Stadium, and think that Beaver Stadium looks like an erector set gone wrong (for the record, I like the stadium, but it is far from aesthetically appealing)).

Recruiting Woes
Speaking of fans being irrationally concerned over matters, many are starting to express worry over the lack of Michigan commitments so far in this class. There are a few points that people will need to take into account before they start jumping of bridges.

Rich Rodriguez and staff had to play catch up on 2008 before they could worry about 2009. While other staffs had their 2008 classes completed, and were sending out feelers to 2009 prospects, Rodriguez had to first secure all of Lloyd Carr’s previous commitments, then get more players to sign with the Maize and Blue (Hill, Floyd, Feagin, Roundtree, Shaw, Robinson, Odoms, Barnum, Omameh), almost all of whom were four-star prospects. Odoms’s recruitment even stretched out past signing day, and Terrelle Pryor’s is obviously still ongoing (even if many Michigan fans have given up, don’t think for one second that Rodriguez has). Thus, other schools (including Michigan State) had a head start on Michigan.

Mark Dantonio’s class is looking good, but the players haven’t signed anything yet, and some of them might not fit Michigan’s new system. Brian covered this yesterday.

Michigan is one of the last schools to have its junior day. While schools like Texas get nearly their entire classes to commit at junior days, Michigan hasn’t had an opportunity to hold its junior day yet. This is mostly because of playing catch-up (see above, in addition to the coaches getting to know existing players and each other). Junior Day is finally coming tomorrow, and with more offers likely being given out, and a good possibility for a commit or two, Michigan will jump back into the recruiting game with a vengeance.

Posted under Blog News, Recruiting

For the rest of the Stadium Atmosphere series, see the sidebar.

With a new headman roaming the sidelines in Ann Arbor, and a facility in transition, 2008 will likely see several changes in the overall atmosphere at The Big House.

Rich Rodriguez brings an exciting new style of play, both offensively and defensively. This may mean that fans in the seats are more into the game, but it could also bode poorly. Transitioning to new systems is always difficult, and the radical change expected of Michigan will likely lead to major struggles, at least on the offensive side of the ball. The fans need to understand this, and support the team through tough times early in the 2008 season.

At West Virginia, Rich Rodriguez’s teams consistently played under the lights, and many fans are hoping the concept of a night game will follow the coach to Ann Arbor. However, this may not be as likely as presumed. While Lloyd Carr never was a proponent of late starts, the general issue stems from the administration. Michigan’s athletic department has routinely stood against night games for several reasons, including national exposure (which is no longer the case with primetime network coverage), alumni preference, and preventing all-day drinking. While Rich may be able to cast one more vote for later games, it would take a minor miracle to make a change in year one.

Michigan Stadium will feature a new look in 2008, as it works through phase one of renovations. New concessions, first aid, and bathrooms will be present, along with a metal frame for the luxury boxes. During the season, work will continue on non-gamedays. The stadium won’t be aesthetically pleasing, but the wait will be worth it for the final result.
http://mgoblue.com/football/article.aspx?id=111194
It will be an interesting dynamic to see how players and fans (and visiting recruits) will respond to a stadium in transition.

Posted under Analysis, Coaching

Not only will graduating seniors at UM not have the ability to graduate in the Big House, but the construction that is currently underway will also prevent Michigan from hosting a spring game in the nation’s largest football stadium, as well.

Fans of the Wolverines were excited to get their first look at the 2008 squad this spring, with a return to the tradition of hosting a spring game. Rodriguez’s West Virginia teams took part in the yearly tradition, and the Michigan headman was expected to have his new team face off in the Big House.

The unavailability of Michigan Stadium won’t necessarily preclude the Wolverines from having any spring game, however. There is still the possibility that Michigan could have their inaugural spring classic at Ford Field, home of the Detroit Lions. For Field will be unavailable on April 19 and 26th, as Team Michigan of the AAFL will be playing home games on those dates, but the field is not in use on April 12th. The Michigan open spring practice (not game) took place April 14th last year.

The possibility of a spring game in Ford Field has both positive and negative aspects for the Michigan football program. In terms of negatives, this makes it significantly more difficult, if not impossible, for many students to attend the game. Additionally, it prevents recruits from being able to experience the Big House for the first time. On the other hand, a spring game in Detroit allows easier access for many (right on I-75), and since the previous spring practices weren’t too well attended, maybe the on-campus location wasn’t such a big deal in the first place. Additionally, those who were concerned about Rich Rodriguez’s ability to recruit Detroit may be comforted by the fact that his squad will be exposed to citizens of Motor City firsthand.

What do you think? Feel encouraged to comment.

Posted under Spring Coverage

Michigan’s change in the coaching department is not limited merely to the new headman, Rich Rodriguez, and his coaches, but Director of Weight Training Mike Barwis is now a Michigan man, bringing his support staff with him.

Blue Steel

Not only is Barwis’s philosophy different from outgoing S&C guru Mike Gittleson, but his equipment is as well. Rumors of Michigan’s purchase of $600,000 circulated shortly following Rodriguez’s introduction as UM’s head coach. Confirmation comes in the way of an auction, held this Sunday at Oosterbaan fieldhouse. The Michigan Athletic Department is selling off all of Schembechler Hall’s old gear.

Barwis is known as an intense motivator, who expects nothing less than the best from his players. Ryan Mundy, ex-Michigan and West Virginia YAC-ceding safety has experience in the programs of both Gittleson at Michigan and Barwis at West Virginia. Mundy thought Barwis’s program was much better:

As far as the strength and conditioning program is concerned, Mundy says West Virginia’s program is much more intense than Michigan’s. Other players that have transferred to West Virginia have said similar things in the past, explaining that at some other places the players coming into the program are physically bigger and more explosive. West Virginia develops it.

“Down here we do a lot of Olympic lifts – squats, power clings, hang clings and things like that – and I hadn’t done that type of stuff since high school,” Mundy said. “I had to get my body back used to doing those types of movements. As far as the practice down here we run after practice and we never ran after practice at Michigan.”

For a nearly-obsessive look at Mike Barwis, check out Go Blue Michigan Wolverine, and try to ignore the fact that he’s practically illiterate.

Posted under Coaching

The stadium is on its way to looking like this. pix4u:

Posted under Photo Album

Soon, I’ll be starting a series about things that I think need to be improved for the home field advantage and general atmosphere on Michigan gamedays to be improved. There will be a lot of overlap, so bear with me.

Michigan’s current home field advantage is lacking, not only behind traditionally great stadiums like The Swamp and Death Valley, but also Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Wisconsin, and even Notre Dame.

While much of the blame is placed on the stadium’s structure, there is much more to it than that. Notre Dame Stadium is a carbon copy of the Big House, but much smaller, and the advantage there is much better. It’s a general attitude within the stadium and the fanbase in general that could be improved to help out.

Part One, featuring the band, will come tomorrow (unless there is some real news). The other parts will come whenever there is nothing more pertinent to post about.

Posted under Blog News

According to the Ann Arbor News, a new indoor football facility is planned for the area where the current outdoor practice fields are.

In the ongoing facilities race, this is a step in the right direction for year-round practice, and recruits always love shiny news things. The project is expected to cost $26.1 Million. Link to Regents Action Request.

Downsides: Soccer field moving down by the varsity tennis center, too far to walk. Obviously attendance at soccer games is too high as it is.

Posted under Misc.

Clickondetroit reports.

The $750,000 update is expected to be completed by the start of next season. For the time being, that will rule out possible expansion around the end zones once the renovation is done (that wouldn’t have happened for a very long time anyway).

For those of us desperately wanting a Godzillatron (a la Texas), there is no good news. When Texas renovated Royal Stadium, they built one Godzillatron, which, along with some (relatively inexpensive) audio upgrades, cost $8 million. I still wouldn’t rule out improving the screens to HD capabilities, though the video boards will not become ridiculously large.

Posted under Misc.