Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football (Historic Photos.) (Hardcover)

by Michelle O'Brien (Author), Steve Cox (Editor)
Key Phrases: perfect season, Ohio State, Rose Bowl, University of Michigan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
I just received a fresh copy of 'Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football' from Turner Publishing. Michelle O'Brien authored the collection, which pulls together fascinating photos from the vaults over at the U-M Bentley Historical Library over the past 100+ years. It isn't confined to games and practices; it also includes a few unique looks at the band, the fans and in some cases, the excitement on campus and outside the stadium. Each photo contains a detailed caption describing the photo often along with a relevant background from the period. O'Brien did a very nice job-it's a fine collection and would make an excellent gift. -- mvictors.com

Who could have guessed that such a colorful game as football would look so vibrant in black and white? That's the impression one gets flipping though Michelle O'Brien's coffee table volume Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football, which covers a century of maize and blue gridiron action. From 1879, when the school's football program started (the game then was a mix of rugby and football) until 1979, when Bo Schembechler's reign was in full flower, the game is brought to life in nearly 200 photos. You can almost imagine you're at The Big House on a chilly autumn Saturday afternoon. -- Hour Detroit Magazine

Michelle O'Brien's new book Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football is a thoroughly wonderful look back at the first century of football in Ann Arbor, from the cap clad gentlemen who became the first intercollegiate team formed west of Pennsylvania to Anthony Carter's Homecoming game catch against Indiana in 1979, the photos collect many of the iconic images of the winningest team in the history of Division I football. Enhancing the photos, lovingly rendered on glossy pages in vivid black and white are some wonderful captions, which provide context, trivia, and detail. As you progress through the book, you feel the story of Michigan football being told to you, piece by piece. -- Craig Barker, The Hoover Street Rag Blogspot

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. 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. As for the photographs, many of the action shots are magnificent - even stunning in their power. 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. -- heathpie.blogspot.com

In Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football, Michelle O’Brien catches the glorious, and not so glorious, moments pf a hundred years of Michigan Football. Starting with teams from the earliest years through the 1979 season, Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football contains enough “Miiiiiiichigan” football to satisfy the legion of die-hard University of Michigan Football fans, and enough history for the historically minded as well. -- Historical Society of Michigan Chronicle

Product Description
The images in this book, Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football, depict 100 years of gridiron action and the players and coaches who competed on three historic fields. The first football team at the University of Michigan was established in 1879. From winning the first ever Tournament of Roses game, to back-to-back national championships, Michigan football created an unparalleled tradition during its first century.
Selected from the extensive collection at the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library, the dramatic photos in this volume include rarities from games in the early 1900s, classic showdowns between Michigan and Ohio State, and All-American athletes such as the first Michigan Wolverine to win the Heisman Trophy. In vivid black-and-white, the first hundred years of Michigan football unfold in these remarkable images of the players, coaches, and fans.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 216 pages
• Publisher: Turner Pub Co (August 20, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1596524529
• ISBN-13: 978-1596524521
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 10.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #344,554 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Michigan Football from the 19th century through Anthony Carter's 1979 catch against Indiana, August 26, 2008

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Michigan Football has more than a century of history and hundreds of thousands of living alumni cherish its tradition as part of their time at Michigan. Millions more follow the program and support it so fanatically you would swear they had a relative playing on the field! I first became a fan in high school when Bo came to Ann Arbor and our marching band (I played trombone) played at one of Don Canham's (the new athletic director who brought Bo as the new coach) Band Day programs to fill the stadium.

This wonderful book has about 200 pages of large format black and white pictures showing Michigan Football from its early years through the Michigan-Indiana game and Anthony Carter's immortal catch in 1979. My wife and I were in the stands that day and it was electrifying and something you can always recall vividly. I can still see the triple coverage, the two defenders basically falling down as Carter as he caught the ball ran past the third into the end zone.

This book has four chapter that match the natural chapters in Michigan Football history. The first chapter covers 1879-1926 that covers the pioneering days and the Fielding Yost years as coach. Chapter 2 covers Kipke and Crisler from 1927-1947 (and the great Tom Harmon). Chapter 3 covers the years when then athletic director Fritz Crisler hired former players as the football coaches. They were Bennie Oosterbaan and Bump Elliott. The fifties also had star players like Ron Kramer.

The monumental influence of the immortals Yost and Crisler carried on into the third great coach, Bo Schembechler. The final chapter covers the Bo years through 1979. I would have liked to see the book go a bit further and cover Bo's final years including the period of his bowl victories. There should also have been a picture of Bob Ufer, the ultimate homer announcer. Still, the book could only hold so much and I am sure there are lots of players and pictures that different people would wish were included. I think Michelle O'Brien has done a good job in selecting pictures that capture each period well and show us the way the team, the uniforms, and the stadiums evolved. Her captions and brief chapter introductions are solid.

Enjoy! I sure did.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI