My ultin
By Janet Adamy
and Peter Romer-Friedman
Daily Staff Reporters
PASADENA, Calif. - For the thousands
Michigan fans who traveled across the count
Pasadena to watch the Rose Bowl, it was tru
"great to be a Michigan Wolverine."
"I can die right now," said University alumni
Greg Galdes, as he smoked a cigar while vide
taping the celebration at the stadium. "My uli
mate football dream has been fulfilled. We'
No. ."
As time ran out on the clock, Wolverine fa
embraced friends and strangers alike whi
unleashing screams of victory.
"It was incredible," said Engineering seni
ott Wigton. "There are not any words
scribe that. It's absolutely the best feeling I'"
ever had."
University alumna Leslie Sibery said aft
years of near misses, it was great to witne
Michigan win the national championship.
"We've been the bridesmaids so many time
it's nice to finally be the bride," Sibery said.
As disheartened Washington State fans silent
ly filed out of the stands, Wolverine fans lii
gered in the stadium to savor the sweet feeling
tory and watch the presentation of ti
urnament of Roses trophy. Some ascended
the top of the stadium to
catch a glimpse of the
entire celebration, while "We've b4
others attempted to
move toward the players. bridesma
"This is the most
exciting day of my life," times, it
said Engineering senior
Dave Hilger, who cited finally be
harles Woodson's inter-
ption as the highlight
of the game.
The possibility of a
Washington State comeback made the Wolverir
victory more climactic for Michigan fans.
"I felt like I was either going to throw up o
celebrate in the last two minutes," said LS
sophomore Mike Siegel.
"It's awesome," said LSA senior Adan
Garbooshian, who received a high five froi
ichigan quarterback Brian Griese during tf
st-game celebration. "We're seniors and w+
waited four years to do this, and it's a great w
to start the new year."
The Rose Bowl staff was well prepared fo
post-game chaos. Security guards stood shou
der-to-shoulder in a ring around the fiel
backed up by two other loose lines of police an
security.
Fans "were going up the rails on the side," sai
security guard Tony Noble. "One guy g
rayed with mace. Just the general police off
rs had mace."
Many of the fans who jumped onto the fiel
were stopped by police, although several nimbi
fans sprinted toward the players in the center o
the field, where police used physical force t
Students m:
Peter Romer-Friedman
Daily Staff Reporter
After all the votes were counted, Michigan's fiT
national championship in 50 years was split in hal
leaving some fans angry and bewildered, while ot
ers saw the final vote as an even-handed decision.
"I thought it was fair," said LSA first-year sti
dent Eric Knapp. "It was unfortunate, but fair. Y
have to put yourself in both teams' shoes. If we di
n't win the championship we would be upset, but
Nebraska had lost, they would also be upset. TI
ly way to decide it is on the field."
Since Michigan does not have the chance to ph
Nebraska, sports writers and coaches were force
to speculate on which team performed bettc
Parade si
By Maria Hackett
Daily Staff Reporter
PASADENA, Calif. - The Granddaddy
of all parades blossomed with enthusiasm as
Michigan fans gathered on the streets for the
109th annual pre-game event.
This year's theme, "Hav'n Fun," was
taken to heart by crowds of Michigan fans
screaming "Go Blue!" before and during
the parade.
The parade, which consisted of 105 differ-
ent entries, commanded the attention of fans
as horses, floats and marching bands pro-
ceeded down the streets for more than two
hours.
For some people, the event was over-
whelming.
"I can't even remember the floats," said
Engineering sophomore Bryan Metti.
"There were a lot of them, so it's hard to
remember any one of them."
"It got to be a little long at the end:It was
a really good parade, though," said LSA
sophomore Erin Baird.
Some students said they were surprised
to see the streets lined with sleeping bags,
tents and RVs more than 24 hours before
the parade was set to begin.
ROSE BowL 1998
The Michigan Daily - Wednesday, Januarv 7. 1998 - 5A
late football dream has been fttllfilled'
guide them back to the stands.
But the boundary of security guards and
police didn't prevent the players from walking to
the students' section with open arms.
"Charles Woodson came over to us "said LSA
sophomore Jeff Blank. "The cops tried to stop
us, but he came straight to us. He was waving his
arms and raising the roof. We pushed and tried to
get on. We stormed past them and got on the
field. This is something I'll tell my kids about."
Woodson, the Heisman trophy winner, took a
victory lap around the field, followed by a few
young Wolverine fans who tried to keep pace
with the exuberant cornerback.
Back in Ann Arbor, South University Avenue
was crowded with fans singing "The Victors!"
and cheering.
Enthusiastic fans ran down South University
and stood on the steps of the Michigan Union to
savor the afterglow of victory and continue their
cheers.
"We've been here (at Touchdown Cafe) since
noon," said Jason Sinlon, a student at Eastern
Michigan University. "It's going to benefit
(Michigan's) reputation. But you can't make it
any better than it is already."
Early in the afternoon, 230 people filled
Touchdown Cafe to capacity.
"It was a great game. The bars around were
een the
ids so many
S nice to
the bride."
- Leslie Sibery
University alumna
full - Touchdown was
packed," said Jim
Grueber, a recent
University graduate.
High costs prevented
many students and fans
from traveling to
Pasadena, but the crowd
of about 500 people was
there in spirit.
Huron High School
senior Kosta Johnston
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Michigan fans cheer together in the Rose Bowl on Jan. ± as they watch the Wolverines beat the Cougars, 21-16, during the 84th Rose Bowl. Fans
used their voices and maize-and-blue pom-pons to help cheer the Wolverines to victory.
was cheering with the,
crowd for more than one reason. He will play
football this fall with the Michigan football
team, "I'm so fired up," Johnston said. "I'll be
playing (in Pasadena) the next four years."
Hours before the game began, Michigan fans
arrived at the stadium in Pasadena to tailgate,
purchase tickets and souvenirs and enjoy the per-
feet southern California weather,
"This makes the four years of hellish Michigan
weather worth it," said University alumnus Joe
Navaleza, who sported a short-sleeved maize-and-
blue T-shirt for the game. "I'm glad I graduated and
am here in sunny California"
Navaleza said the Wolverines' performance
made him proud to wear maize and blue. "I'm
going to Europe for six months and all I'm wear-
ing is Michigan clothing," he said.
In the parking lots surrounding the stadium,
fans opened car trunks filled with tailgating food
and beverages.
."We've been tailgating since 8 a.m.," said
LSA junior Nora McGillicuddy.
For fans who. didn't get enough partying
before entering the stadium, beer vendors sold
cups of brew inside the gates for $5 per cup.
"This is the first time I've ever gotten to drink
beer and watch a Michigan game live and I love
it," said LSA senior Stephan Merriweather.
Like any home game, there were a few eccen-
tric fans who stood out in the crowd, including a
row of students who wore maize-and-blue clown
wigs and numerous fans with painted faces.
"There's probably more maize and blue here in
the crowd than there is at home," said LSA
senior Ethan Holtz.
Among the unique fans was Engineering
junior Tim Dirrenberger, who wore several
maize-and-blue pom-pons around his waist to
create a skirt. "I've been drinking a lot, so that
probably had something to do with it,"
Dirrenberger said.
Other fans, like Engineering first-year Mike
Haller, used their voices to shoe their spirit.
"I yelled myself hoarse," Haller said. "I was
screaming til I just couldn't breathe."
For many Wolverine fans, the trip to Pasadena
became an expedition, with crowded airports
and long drives from cities as far away as Ann
See REACT, Page 7A
ixed on split poll results
Beginning next year, the Bowl Alliance will pit the
No. 1 and No. 2 teams in one of the four major
bowls.
Many students claimed that although Michigan
and Nebraska were both undefeated, there were
several factors that should have put Michigan atop
both the Associated Press and the ESPN/USA
Today Coaches polls.
"I think Nebraska employed some shameless
tactics, like leaving their starters in when they were
up 35-9 and complaining incessantly," said Inteflex
senior Toby Morrow, who plays trombone for the
Michigan Marching Band. "They're a great team,
but no one will ever forget that illegal play against
Missouri or their weak non-conference oppo-
nents."
LSA sophomore Akosa Akpom said splitting the
national championship was the only legitimate
option.
"I don't really like it, but they deserve it as much
as we do, even with that lucky catch against
Missouri," Akpom said. "We both were undefeated"
Many sports writers and Michigan fans have
vehemently expressed their belief that Nebraska
coach Tom Osborne's retirement was the sole rea-
son for the split national championship.
"I think they shouldn't have split it," said LSA
senior Janet Wordell. "If we won the Rose Bowl,
we should be No. 1. They just gave it to Nebraska
because Tom Osborne retired"
MARGARET MYERS/Daily
Fans share in the excItement of the Wolverines' national championship-clinching win over
Washington State at the Rose Bowl.
iowcases roses, creativity
organic materials on Christmas Day.
"I couldn't believe how intricate the
floats were," Baird said. Volunteers contin-
ue to add flowers and details to the floats up
until the last minutes before the parade
began.
Some students were able to experience
the intricacy of the floats from a closer van-
tage point after braving a long line. For the
first time in history, the public could view
six of the Rose Bowl floats on the eve of the
parade while the judges made their consid-
erations.
"It was about an hour and a half before
we finally got up to the floats," said
Engineering first-year student Dustin
Williams. "It was cool because you got to
see all the flowers close-up."
Among other restrictions, each of the
floats must be covered in flower petals to be
eligible for competition. Judges chose the
best floats the day before the parade, pre-
senting a total of 23 awards. Trophies were-
given in categories ranging from best pre-
sentation of color to best display of fantasy
and imagination to most amusing.
A float named "Adventures in the Rain
Forest" won the Sweepstakes Trophy for the
Michigan fans
tackled in Bowl
ticket sotg
By Jason Stoffer
Daily Staff Reporter
Several hundred Michigan fans doled out $1,500 for a
trip to Pasadena they hoped would yield a lifetime of Rose
Bowl memories.
Instead, many saw their trip crumble, with no Rose
Bowl tickets and a week of frustrations.
State and federal officials launched separate investiga-
tions last week into charges that Atlanta-based Worldwide
Sport Travel, Inc. forced travelers to pay an additional
S250 for game tickets that the company advertised as
included in the Rose Bowl package'.
Bill Kandler, who bought Worldwide's tour package,
said he was promised tickets two weeks before Christmas,
and was told several times that the tickets were in the mail.
But he was still empty-handed when landing in California.
"Travel agents weren't even showing up to advertised
meetings at the hotel," Kandler said. "It was such a nega-
tive experience. I felt so bad because this was a Christmas
present for so many families."
Kandler and other angry travelers demanded immediate
action, and Worldwide representatives offered them three
options.
Tourists wishing to get tickets on their own were
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