12 The Michigan Daily - Friday, November 19, 1999

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Most fals only cometo Michigan Stadium for a few hours on Football Saturday. But the making of game day lasts from...


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M khigan Stadium, affectionately referred to as the Big House
by students and alumni, was dedicated on Oct.22,1927 with
ahome-team victory over Ohio State. For many, the stadium
is a magical place, a pinnacle of collegiate football tradition. It's a
place where more than 111,000 maie-and-blue-clad fans come
together on Saturdays to cheer,scream, cry and sing "The Victors."
But game day begins long before the fans arrive and 22 victory-
hungry players take to the field to battle on the gridiron. It takes a
virtual army of groundskeepers, plumbers, emergency medical
personnel, media, cheerleaders, vendors, band members and ticket
takers to complete the experience.

6 a.if.
Department of Public Safety Officer
Keith Curtis arrives to open Gate 9,
where all the media,&endors, and
VIP's will enter before the game.
Miles away, it is still dark when
Jessica Arnast and other youth group
members begin to meet outside Faith
Christian Assembly Church and arrange
carpools to the Stadium. They will be
working at the concession stands today,
selling hot dogs to raise money for youth
group trips. -
7 a.m.
Ameritech workers arrive at the sta-
dium to set up the phone lines between
the press box and field.
Athletic facility worker Linda
Bradley enters the stadium and takes her
station at Gate 9. On game day, Bradley
and the other 11 full-time athletic facili-
ty workers come to the Big House to
assist with game day preparations, such
as setting up trash receptacles and ticket
boxes and cleaning the press box.
Groundskeepers Fred Voss, Rodrick
Green, Tom Baldwinn, Dave Merkel
and Charles Scott meet at a circular table
in the stadium maintenance room,
underneath the the northeast stands.
They drink coffee, have a few donuts
and receive their assignments and tasks
for the day.
Plumber Beth Stevens unlocks the
doors to the men's and women's bath-
rooms. She turns on the exhaust fans,
trough urinals, irrigation lines and
valves. Stevens then turns on the
portable toilet stationed outside the sta-
dium, which she nicknamed the "crowd
pleaser."
7:17 a.m.
The sun rises over Michigan Stadium:
8 a.m.
In the first light of day Alex, a
Belgian Malinois, sniffs around the
lockerrooms and restrooms for traces of
a potential bomb. If Alex happens to uri-
nate on the field, it isn't because his
trainer, Officer Gary Lisle, works full
time with the canine unit at Michigan
State University. It's just something
dogs do.
Since the University does not have
a canine unit, it hires someone like

game doesn't start for three-and-a-half
hours, the cheerleaders have several
shows of their own to do before they
enter the stadium.
Today they have three morning per-
formances - a parents' brunch, an
alumni function and the Michigan
Experience show in the Indoor Track
Building.
8:45 a.m.
High school student Ben Pew
unpacks crates of hotdogs, buns, cups,
ketchup packets and pretzels from the
delivery truck. His father, Jim Pew,
holds a clipboard, taking inventory
because they must account for' every
item at the end of the day.
"It's a long day, but we have fun and
the kids get a chance to get to know each
other better," Jim Pew says.
The money raised in concessions will
help the Plymouth Christian Assembly
school buy uniforms and equipment for
its athletic teams.
As Jim Pew turns on the gas for the
hot dog grill, he points to the empty
wooden shelf above the stand where a
television monitor was kept last year and
laments its absence. This year, he says,
it's hard to know what's going on dur-
ing the game. The monitor used to keep
customers standing in line entertained.
"You sit out here, listening to the
crowd. If you hear a cheer, you know
something good happened. If there's a
groan, you know it's something bad,"
Pew explains.
8:59 a.m.
After nearly 45 minutes, the more
than 20 groundskeepers finish rolling
the huge tarp and hauling it off the field.
The shadow, which once covered the
field, shifts to cover the empty student
section.
9:01 a.m.
A red tractor drives back and forth
across the field, grooming and smooth-
ing out the turf.
9:10a.m.
Smashmouth's "All Star" repeatedly
blasts out of the public address system
to make sure the speakers and system
are working properly.
9. 1a.m.
ESPN audio and sound worker Greg
Paris adjusts the microphone taped to

protect the turf from the players' spikes.
9:30 a.m.
A combination of 50 DPS,
Washtenaw County, Ann Arbor and
state police officers attend the main
briefing at Crisler Arena and receive
their assignments for the game.
Some officers will check stadium-
goers for alcohol and other prohibited
items such as umbrellas at the gates.
Other officers will be stationed in the
press box, watching the stands with a
video camera. During the game some
officers will be on call to break up fights
and stop fans from throwing items that
could injure someone.
9:50 a.m.
On the field, the mats under the
benches are in place and yellow-jacket-
ed athletic facility workers take their sta-
tions in the archways of each section.
Robert Stephen leans back in the
bleachers of Section 23 munching on
red grapes and fondly recounting tales
of trying to sneak into the stadium while
growing up in Ann Arbor.
In 1955, Stephen began checking
tickets in Section 24. He continued to
work in Section 24 every game day for
the next 42 years. Unfortunately,
Stephen said, since the students stand
during the game, his view was blocked.
In 1997, he decided to move his loca-
tion to one section over, in Section 23.
Stephen proclaims himself a life-long
fan, and says he loves Michigan foot-
ball. "I'd do this for free," Stephen says.
10:13 a.m.
The general admission gates are
unlocked and King's voice booms over
the loudspeaker, welcoming fans to the
stadium and inviting them to step
through the gates.
10:45 a.m.
Vice President of Central Operations
for Huron Valley Ambulance Roger
Simpson is sitting in the first-aid trailer
by Gate 9. He is already set up and pre-
pared for the game.
If a player goes down with an injury,
a Michigan athletic trainer is the first
person to assess the gravity, Simpson
said. If it is serious, HVA is called by
radio and paramedics work in conjunc-
tion with the trainers to treat the player.
1If an ambulance is necessary,
Simpson said, it is brought to the
Stadium tunnel that leads from the lock-
errooms to the field, by Section 1. The
player is then taken to University
Hospitals.
There are two paramedics on the field
at all times during the game. In total, at
each game 22 IVA employees work at
the stadiums including paramedics, nurs-
es and volunteers.
"We look at this like a city.
Everything we do here is separate
from what we do out in the county.
All our resources are right here,"
Simpson said.
He said more fans are injured when
Michigan is winning the game,
because the crowd tends to be more
rowdy. There are also more patients
at the beginning of the season when
the temperature is hotter. While only
15 patients are expected during the

11:10 a.m.
Fans stream in from all directions,
slowly filling the once-empty rows of
seats.
11:25 a.m.
In the ESPN control trailer, television
announcers debate which computer
graphics should be used during the
game. Sound technicians check micro-
phones around the stadium.
Tape Operator Brian Stoll sits at a
screen near the back of the trailer,
checking the slow-motion camera
equipment and watching the team begin
warm-ups on his monitor.
11:43 a.m.
Planes waving advertisement banners
fly overhead. The cheerleaders enter the
stadium and line up along the end zone.
Players on the field are warming up -
quarterbacks toss practice throws, pun-
ters take a few kicks and the team runs
the plays they plan to use in the game.
:40 a.m.
The Michigan Marching Band plays
"The Victors" in front of the small tree
in the stadium parking lot - a Football
Saturday tradition -then enters the sta-
dium.
11:50 a.m.
The band takes the field and begins
the pre-game show.
12:05 p.m.
The captains of the team, nose tackle
Rob Renes, quarterback Tom Brady,
and left guard Steve Hutchinson
approach the middle of the field for the
coin toss. Michigan wins and defers to
the second half. Michigan will defend
the north goal first.
12:08 p.m.
The Michigan football team takes the
field. The anticipated moment has
arrived - it's game time.
12:10 p.m.
Groundskeepers take down the pro-
tective screens around the tunnel. The
screens keep the players safe from fans
and projectiles when they run throigh
the tunnel, but must be removed during
the garne because they block the view
of the fans in nearby sections.
12:28 p.m.
Wide receiver David Terrell catches
a 26-yard pass from Brady to score the
first touchdown of the game for
Michigan.
12:55 p.m.
Stadium Groundskeeper Amy Fouty
runs out on the field to stamp down a
divot. She assesses the state of the turf,
noting that the center of the field is main
area of concern. "It's holding up well,
besides that one area," she says.
1:06 p.m.
Wide receiver Marcus Knight catch-
es a 45-yard pass from Brady to make
the score Michigan 13, Northwestern 0.
1:15 p.m.
Tailback Anthony "A-Train"
Thomas runs 60 yards for a Michigan
touchdown.
1:25 p.m.
Halftime. Fans crowd the stadium
steps to get hotdogs, hot chocolate and

TOP: Michigan Stadium sits empty at dawn on Nov. 6, six hours betore Micnigan
takes on Northwestern. ABOVE: A cheerleader runs past fans as Michigan's
football team takes the field.

tier. Band members perform the sum-
mer movie themed show, and midway
through, the flag twirlers drop their flags
to perform a dance to the Austin Powers
theme song.
2:05 p.m.
Halftime ends, band members take
their seats and the third quarter begins.
2:30 p.m.
Kicker Tim Long kicks a field goal
to put Northwestern on the board.
2:35 p.m.
Michigan cheerleaders form two
identical pyramids. On the top of one is
the sign "Go" on the top of the other a
sign reads "Blue." The crowd chants
along.
2:45 p.m.
On the field, the crunches of padding
and helmets in a pile-up are picked up
by WJR employee Mike Singelyn on his
parabolic microphone. He follows the
play down the sidelines, pointing the
clear plastic dome-shaped microphone
towards the action.
"I pretty much just stand here. The
funny thing is that I'm not even a foot-
ball fan. It's just another engineering
job," he said.
2:59 p.m.
Quarterback Drew Henson's pass to
Terrell is ruled incomplete. An angry
Terrell stalks off the field. Nearby train-
ers comment to one another that he usu-
ally keeps his cool.
3:01 p.m.
ESPN audio and sound technician
Paris adjusts the cord of the microphone
carried by the "redhat" referee. This
official is the liaison between the televi-
sion network and the action on the field.
"Sometimes he'll hold up the whole
game until the commercials are over,"
Paris said.
3:15 p.m.
Trainers begin to disassemble equip-
ment on the field, beginning with the
practice kicking and punting net.
.:20 p.m.
The Michigan Marching Band plays
"Let's Go Blue" and on the bench,
Linebacker Dhani Jones dances to the beat.
3:29 p.m.

players kneel down on the field in a
small circle to pray. Camera men and
reporters swarm the team and coaches
for interviews as the team crosses the
field and exits through the tunnel.
3:5t p.m.
Fans gather outside the lockerroom to
greet the team. Adam Gerstur, an i11-
year-old from Chelsea, holds out a white
Michigan hat to players. He's hoping
to get Brady's autograph and says the
quarterback is his favorite player.
"He's a good quarterback," Gerstur
said.
4:01 p.m.
Outside the opposing team's locker-
room, trainer Sarah Sheppard, a
Kinesiology senior, gets ice and drinks
for Northwestern players. Sheppard was
a guest trainer for today's game. Next she
puts away still more equipment like ice
chests, bikes, medicine and backboards.
4:05 p.m.
In a small office near the tunnel that
runs between the field and the locker-
rooms, Fouty grabs her backpack and
leaves for the day. Tomorrow the stadi-
um grounds crew will clean trash from
around the stadium and Fouty will
assess damage to the field.
4:06 p.m.
The stands are empty, except for a
few police officers making sure all fans
have left and hundreds of seagulls scav-
enging the stadium for leftover conces-
sion-stand scraps. Trash blows every-
where, the only sound breaking the
silence is the rustling of paper.
4:10 p.m.
ESPN workers take down the micro-
phones.
4:19 p.m.
At Gate 9 the HVA vehicles leave,
pulling golf carts used as transportation
within the stadium gates on trailers. The
field is completely covered in shadow.
4:20 p.m.
Now that the police officers have left
for the day, children seem to appear out
of thin air and rush down to the field to
play some football themselves. Andy
Schoof, a seventh grader from Britton,
Mich., runs through the stands with his
friends. They have been working at con-

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