Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football

Having a blog has finally paid off!

A few weeks ago, I received an email from Megan at Turner Publishing. She offered to send along a copy of a new publication for possible review on my blog. And I was all, "A book? I love books! Here is my home address, there you go, enjoy!"

When I thought about it a few minutes later, I wondered... was she for real? Or did I just send my home address to an internet stalker?

The book arrived a few days later, thank goodness, and as excited as I was, those few days of worrying taught me a lesson. Maybe, don't do that again. Maybe looking into a P.O. box or something would be a good idea. You know, if my popularity takes off.

As I paged through the book, reading the captions and marveling at the ways in which Michigan Stadium had changed over the years, in mind there was only one acceptable recipient of this book: my dad. I would like to share his review with you here. (How lazy am I, seriously?) Take it away, Dad!

"I've been a fan of University of Michigan football since the 1960s. My first visit to Michigan Stadium was in the fall of 1965, when I was in high school. As a freshman at U of M in 1968, I attended all home games on my student ticket (if my memory is correct, a student only paid $6 per game at that time). And of course, I've followed the Wolverines every season since then.

Recently, I was given a book titled, Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football by Michelle O'Brien. I was immediately fascinated by this collection of 180 classic photographs from the Bentley Historical Library, which covers the first one hundred years of Wolverine football (1879-1979). Every devoted Michigan fan should find a copy of this book.

All photos are in black and white and are arranged in chronological order. The book is divided into four sections, each covering an era of Michigan football, and each section is preceded by approximately one page of introductory text by the author.

As most people do when first examining a book of photographs, I flipped through the pages to get an overall impression of the book. When I noticed that the photos were in chronological order, I looked for photos from the 1968 season. One of my favorite memories from 1968 is the day Ron Johnson rushed for a monumental 347 yards in one game (yes, I was there). I was pleased to find an action photo of Ron Johnson carrying the ball against Northwestern in 1967. I don't fault the author for using a great 1967 photo rather than one from the 1968 game, so long as Ron Johnson gets the credit he deserves. Moreover, the caption beneath the 1967 photo reads, "He ran for 347 yards in a 1968 game against Wisconsin," so I was mollified.

After spending a few moments looking at photos from 1967 and 1968, I went back to the beginning of the book, and I read it cover to cover.

Ms. O'Brien has done a first-rate job in the selection of photographs and the writing of the accompanying captions. Obviously, even the most exciting photograph means very little without a good caption. The captions in this book are consistently excellent, including all the necessary information concerning time, place, and subject, as well as additional facts concerning the person featured. So, even though the book has minimal textual material, the captions are sufficient to inform the reader of the most significant events in Wolverine football history.

As for the photographs, many of the action shots are magnificent - even stunning in their power. My favorite photograph in the book is a double-page spread of Tom Harmon rushing the ball against Ohio State in 1940. I felt as though I was actually on the playing field with the players. This photograph actually caused my heart to start pumping faster. Throughout the book, there are dozens of great action shots featuring legends such as Forest Evashevski, Ron Kramer, Tom Mack, Dick Vidmer, Garvie Craw (who, I believe, never rushed for negative yardage in his career), Billy Taylor, Rick Leach, Anthony Carter, and many others.

In addition to the action shots, many of the photos are in the nature of portraits, featuring Fielding Yost, Gerald Ford, Fritz Crisler, Bennie Oosterbaan, Tom Harmon, and a host of others. Plus, numerous photos show Michigan Stadium and its predecessor fields. To add a little human interest, photos of campus life give the reader a feel for the various eras of university history. My favorite in this category was an amusing photo of a homecoming "twist contest" in 1962.

All in all, the book is extraordinary, perhaps because it features many extraordinary persons and events. I haven't even mentioned Bo and Woody and the greatest game ever (1969). I am convinced that anyone who loves the tradition of Michigan football will enjoy looking at this photo book time after time."