All Things Notre Dame - The Clashmore Mike Memorial Thread

[Dr. Strangelove]

Not a single game against the Big10 in 2015

http://www.fbschedules.com/2013/12/notre-dame-announces-2014-16-football-schedules/

[Cody_Russell]

Wow, screw that! I can't believe they took off MSU, Purdue, AND Michigan.

[lineygoblue]

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWjeITmDmmo"]chicken dance song - YouTube[/ame]

[Cody_Russell]

Seems like a long time ago or my memory is going bad, but that song was played after Michigan beat ND, right? I think that happened and that was great lol!

[Cody_Russell]

Nvm now I remember, that was classic.

[lineygoblue]

It was shown on the big screens at the Big House after Michigan beat ND this past September.

I'm sure ND was offended, and will retaliate in some way next year in South Bend.

[Ghengis Jon]

I'm offended. Call the PC police. I'm sure duck dynasty is behind this outrage. <swoons>

[lineygoblue]

Actually, I would assume more that PETA would be offended, .. for using the likeness of a chicken to demonstrate the cowardice of the University of Notre Dame's football team ...

::: looking around to see if Clashmore is coming after me :::

[Sanders Fan]

A good article about the "rivalry".

http://www.ndnation.com/boards/showpost.php?b=hof;pid=2491;d=this

Some stellar quotes:

A Michigan official told Crisler that if asked about the Notre Dame series he would say its a great series, we are looking forward to more of the same. Crisler told him "I would back you in public for any quotes and then chew you out in private for going beyond your authority." Crisler thereafter politely put off all requests for a game in 1944, 1945 or 1946. In 1946 he instituted a policy requiring that aside from conference games, Michigan only play three other games of which one must be Michigan State , one must be an eastern team and one must be a western team, effectively elimintating any chance of playing Notre Dame without having to admit that was what was being done. Frank Leahy won five national championships at Notre Dame and constantly wrote letters to Crisler begging for him to play a game. Crisler never responded to those requests, but did work behind the scenes in an attempt to have Leahy censured by the coaches association for "faking injuries".

Indeed, Crisler loaded up Michigan with home games, as many as seven in a nine game season and even today, Michigan's historical record is incredibly slanted with a large majority of games having been played at home. From 1943 to 1958 Michigan played Indiana fifteen times, all in Ann Arbor . They played MSU eleven of thirteen games in Ann Arbor from 1945 to 1957. Despite such favorable scheduling and a boycott of Notre Dame, Michigan did not win any national championships from 1948 through the resumption of the series with Notre Dame, while ND was winning championships in 1949, 1953, 1966, 1973 and 1977. And Michigan 's light schedule may have had much to do with its lack of success against good teams for decades. In the 1970's, while Notre Dame was winning three Cotton Bowls, a Sugar Bowl, an Orange Bowl and a Gator Bowl, defeating undefeated Texas twice, undefeated Alabama twice, as well as Houston and Penn State , Michigan was 0-6 in bowl games.

Bump Elliott, Michigan's coach from 1959-1968 also endorsed the "religious threat" reasoning for not scheduling Notre Dame, noting that when he was an assistant at Iowa, some of their Catholic alumni rooted against the Hawkeyes and for Notre Dame. Father Edmund Joyce, Vice President of Notre Dame, said that the only two schools that ever used Notre Dame's Catholic affiliation as an excuse for not scheduling Notre Dame in football were Ohio State and Michigan . Said Joyce, "I always thought the two of them were together on this. I never believed it." Continued Joyce, in the neatest summary of what the Big Two are all about: "Ultimately, Woody Hayes was a little more honest about it. He said he didnt want to play Notre Dame because the Michigan game was the only big game on their schedule, whereas if they played Notre Dame it would detract from the Michigan game. In other words what he was saying was they dont like to lose. Those guys all had great egos and they didnt want to lose." Said Elliott, "I think Crisler felt our schedule was tough enough without playing Notre Dame."

Bo's frustration undoubtedly stems in part from the fact that during his tenure at Michigan , three different Notre Dame coaches won national championships while Bo never got close. And throughout Lou Holtz's tenure, Notre Dame won five major bowls and played in four others while Michigan was going 2-3 in the Rose Bowl and not making any other major bowl games. Bo, who had the worst record against top-ten teams of any coach who ever won over a hundred games, had some of his most galling and embarrasing defeats at the hands of the Irish, including three straight losses to Holtz to close his career, Harry Oliver's 51-yard boot, Bob Crable's blocked field goal, Ricky Watter's punt return helping catapult Notre Dame to a national championship in 1988 and Rocket's two kick returns in 1989. So Bo's desire to avoid Notre Dame is understandable. His class and Michigan manner were recently displayed yet again when in true statesman of the game style he proclaimed "To hell with Notre Dame."

:-D

[Dr. Strangelove]

Barf-worthy. There's truth to the claims that Yost & Crisler were anti-Catholic but a lot of the rest is pro-ND propaganda.

This was written a while ago and it's ironic that in spite of its repeated claims that Michigan was looking for any excuse to end the series, ultimately it was ND that did so.

[WM Wolverine]

As were many, many people anti-Catholic in the 20's, 30's, 40's.

[hack]

I wasn't around back then, but I'm anti-Catholic right now at this very moment. I'm also anti Protestant, anti evangelism, anti sunworshipping, anti Mormons, anti pedophiles in gowns, anti the sparkly red slippers the pope wears, anti Judaism, anti Islam, anti Buddism, anti Jesus, anti Mary and anti Joseph. But I'm not anti Linesman. He appreciates my constitutional rights.

[lineygoblue]

I'll even tolerate you if you're anti-linesman, Hack.

[hack]

No proof of that, no way.

[Sanders Fan]

By my calculations, Notre Dame is now #1 in all time winning percentage, .7330 to .7324. The bowl games might have had them switch places.

Michigan W: 910 L: 321 T: 36
Notre Dame W: 874 L: 305 T: 42