0 0 " 00 ' THE GREATEST Forget that Michigan is struggling for bowl eligibility. Forget that Ohio State has already clinched a spot in this year's Rose Bowl. And forget that it's almost been 2,200 days since Michigan beat the hated Buckeyes. Today, on the 40th anniversary of the classic 1969 Michigan win, the Maize and Blue is lining up against the Scarlet and Gray. Regardless of the circumstances, that's something special. So, sit back and enjoy it - but only if you're watching on TV. If you're in the Big House, plan to get a little rowdier. The Daily hopes you have fun rushing the field after a 'W'. Michael Eisenstein * Ruth Lincoln Courtney Ratkowiak a Andy Reid HIGHLIGHTS 3 Icinian Trophy winners Desmnid IHoward and Archi, Griftfin reflet on their experienc es playing in the greatest rivalry in sports history. ,,...,, ................ "Whal riakes ,iMi tiigin Man?" 1 hat question is harder to answer than i you might think. 8 trr'lle Pryorhit a blo k irty dit tl (ohim in Ann Arbot during hii, rio miting pro somiehow, ' theDaily toubs hi. 'rlcreption won'tl b as w'lcome this t'imarouncd. 2009 MICHIGAN FOOTBALL SEASON Sept. 5 vs. Western Michigan: ttefore this win, it had beena while since Michigan fans had anyithing to cheer about during the opening weekend. Sept.12 vs. Notre Dame: So Charlie weis doesn't like Big ten offitials. Boo hoo. Formral crplaints must e pant ot the internship process or something. t-Sept. 19 vs. Eastern Michigan: The fEagles put upa ngodtigtrt iin the'tirst tralt, hut Mitthirg ii ont a toin proved the're's only room ton one (collegte tootball teami in waski traw Conunty. Sept.26 vs.Indiana: tor the uirst time -well, mayhe ever hoth wolverine and Hoosier fans are thinking the exact same thing: "Is it baskethall ' sor yet?" Oct.-3 at Michigan State: So the Spartans heat Michigan for t h second year in a row. whatever.Keep Paul Bunyan.1hat thing is trt ugly anyway. Oct.10atiowa: Kirnitk Stdi itiut would rank is un' ot ic ut i tlic Bi hiTen it ttepdidn't play "GotdtaItteiny" t3,t00,000 tiir' anrd their tart didn't stotrtr tir lld agaiinst Unrankedtrains. Oct.17 vs. Delaware State: As it Michigan students needed monc irrottvation to skip ithis agme, the Athletic Departrment sh tedulei it during Fill Preik. Oct. 24vs. Penn State: toe Pat 'tino's Iit ievenr victory aisa si, MICHIGAN MAN From page 5B the difference between a Michi- gan Man. Because Lloyd Carr would never bolt to go to some other university, because he's at the greatest university on the planet. The people who are at Michi- gan believe that Michigan's the place to be, and embrace that and live it." Ron Kramer says that the Wol- verine tradition is different than other schools, simply because it has been canonized more than any other. And Hutchins does her part to make sure her Michigan Women realize they are stepping stones in that Michigan legacy. She talks to her freshmen at the beginning of each year about the honor of wearing the block 'M'. She requires new team members to write a research paper about the Michigan softball players who wore their jersey number before them. And if her athletes won't cher- ish the importance of the tradi- tion, Hutchins eventually gives them an ultimatum. You don't just get to wear the block 'M.' You're not entitled to it just because you worked hard in high school. For those reasons - even with the 2005 National Championship on her coaching rtsum6 - her favorite story from her time in Ann Arbor isn't during a game. It was after Stephanie Bercaw hit a two-run, game-winning homer to push Michigan into that year's Women's. College World Series inals. "Liverybirsy thinks sill these athletes are or'iltulli's, bitt this kid was oi like, not very tiict inst nit tof state tuition is e'tnrrmturns," Hutchins says ot ltil Wooster, hio native. ''ut .. she catie here and hit a home run that putli us into tle national finals. And oil the podium at this press conterence. they asked her. 'is this the greatest mroment of your "And she said, 'Noh. 'eit say I gotto sign a scholarstip to go t Michigan was the greatest stay ifi nit life:, SA -11, TOWN, Aflter growing up in mid Mich igan and playing football for live years (1999 2003) in Ann A rbor, I'hil Brabbs needed some breath- ing root. So the former kicker leit the state to start anew in North Carolina. But lie was in Ati Annrbor to visit family during a summer vacation when lie made his first trip to the emergency om. The doctors told him he had ai puirno- nary embolism. But when he still wasn't getting better, a hematolo- gist finally found that Brabbs had multiple myeloma, a cancer of the white blood cells. The median age for multiple myeloma diagnosis is 66. Brabbs is 29 years old. Brabbs and his wife, Cassie, needed to make a long-term deci- sion on where to live. They chose Ann Arbor because of the net- work of family and friends they knew they would have. "Ann Arbor's the promised land, don't you know?" he jokes now. It wasn't long after his cancer diagnosis when he ran into his old football coach - in the check- out line to buy groceries at Ann Arbor's Plum Market. Carr knew about Brabbs' blood clots, but he hadn't yet heard about the cancer diagnosis. As soon as the coach heard the news, he started asking his former kicker about his fam- ily, his plan and his emotional state. They held tip the line, talk- ing, as Carr made sure Brabbs felt he had the support he needed. Some of that support came from what he had learned on the gridiron. Brabbs believes you have to stick it out through col- lege in order to be called a Michi- gan Man, that you can't truly be delined as one until you receive your 'M' ring. And almost every day during his treatment, he thinks of two quotes from two of footbail's Michigan Men. Begin with the end in iind. Carr always told Brabbs' tea.s, Anis,. ifcititese. I'/trrui'is'ttrstun "Start tie gaie sittil the end in mind, but each day, its persever ance '" abbs says. "As I iarch forward each stay, Whether it ie the constipation ortise extreme vomiting, it's like, ' K. We've already defined what tse end goal is, ow in t iIWorldaitI going to get oni to tie next day?, " lie stated tinfirst round of' cliemotlerapy oi lOct. 6. Since lie end of ' September, lit'esti iates hundreds or maybe tit"iIS - i-0' teirClis' i lie 'steln d sd Mislhigati lautinly have reaCid Outt to in. I'li ust I donst feellike I diserve this kind of love and sup port fro tpeopleI I don't know." Itrabbs says. "ittit that's just how Michigan Ms) sipelrate." And yesterday, lie got another e trail froit someone ie didn't know, former Michigan defensive back Vada Murray (1998-90). Murry, a nonsmoker, was diag Dosed in -2008 with stage 3i lung cancer, sne level lower than the players! b woirst diagnsosis. Ohio Stadit "He sent me this beautiful But in th e-mail today inviting me over to ply says, "I have dinner with his wife and the Ohio S three children," Brabbs says. guys." "Gave me his home phone, his It's abo cell phone, and said call when- character. I ever. - tion isn't c "And at the end of his e-mail, ning. he said, 'As Michigan Men, we Novemb have so much in common.'" it his gre "TI E GA ME" State game MAKES THE MAN Michigan the game w It has been 20 years since after Sch Schembechler pushed the idea 1969 victo of the Michigan Man into the capped M national consciousness. But 20 regular sea years before that was one of the There's defining games in the greatest crowd in t football rivalry: the 1969 Michi- that day, th gan-Ohio State game. long afterI Listening to Carr, it's clear that after the t being a true Michigan Man on the The Victor gridiron is not just about experi- sports i encing the rivalry, but living it. Bruce Mad "There's not a day that I was the room. head coach that Ohio State wasn't "Lloyd, I somewhere in my thotights," Carr leaving. Yo says. "This is where they are. This is what they did yesterday. * 'rhis is who they're playing this week. And they're getting better. It's an everyday thing." 'that also includes knowing A what exactly what the Buckeyes are saying about Michigan, just as Carr's 1995 team knew about Glenn's offhanded comments. ' ' C And it involves doing dam- age control, like when Michi gan quarterback Jim Harbaugh guaritesd a victory against the Bluckeycs in 1986 "io wts livid. lle was livid Carr says. "hut ... itf I took all tine experienices I hitsvithn him, its' ilylire hasndlet'h aist situtin w s just unbelievably good For ori sntt. t'secause tie went il ltse meeting oin Tuesday and ihe said, '(iK, Harbatigh shot his moutth oT, and thie only thing we cal do now is back hi up .' The Wolverines found a way to back ilthat giisttrts stee and win that gsne in a coe I rom behind. 7 20 2A thrillerat th e Horseshoe. in front oif 90,74 io their fiercest Hated, l l lit rsp cted. It's a stnsttInge' cic'lt t ha mtt'eass- sign Michigasit sti unght not understand. but a Michigan Mars has .town pat. That hostile environment was 6 clear in Columbus during Carr's assistant coaching y esrs, with water shut off at thie Michigan tea hotel oln stwo searatceaway trips. And what thie forner coach reseCtd thie most tic', still cearly bothered, callsthhe 21004 incident "over the edge" was when police dogs sarchId his ags as they entered atm. he next breath, he sim- I've always found that tate players are classy ut class, values and But it's clear that tradi- 'omplete without win- er 22, 1997. Carr calls eatest Michigan-Ohio in his 28 years on the coaching staff -and was 28 years to the day embechler's defining ry. The 20-14 victory lichigan's undefeated son. never been a louder he Big House than on e coach says now. And the clock had expired, eam had already sung rs in the locker room, information director lej came into the locker that crowd. They're not on gotta take that team back tot there." So they did. Why wouldn't they? The Big Ten title was theirs. And they would go on to win a share of the national champion- ship, the first one in 60 year,. "What I've always felt defines you, each team here, is champion- ships," Carr says. "As important as Michigan-Ohio State is - and it's the greatest rivalry in sport, I believe it is - but it still is defined by championships. "This program has been built around championship football. And no school is gonna win them all, but we've won more than oue share. And that, to me, is the pinnacle. That's what it's all about." Want play-by-play detail of The Game? Follow our live blog at michigandaily.com. U-,,m A proud 'M' in Columbus It may be a little blurry, dark and hard to see, but this is a picture that was sent to the Daily of a Michigan flag that was hoisted at the heart of the Ohio State campus this week. Who said this rivalry had lost luster this season.? Follow (dmichdailysports for live Twitter updates all game long. 'I t) tImII ; II A ImMIIV I k ,n I. 7P