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6B Wednesday, October 5, 2011 // The Statement
ednesday, October 5, 2011 The Statement
news in review
Five of the most talked-about stories of the week, ranked in ascending order of actual importance
- m
Sunday evening marked the end
of 92-year-old journalist Andy
Rooney's 33-year run on CBS's,
"60 Minutes." During this period,
1,097 installments of his segment,
"A Few Minutes with Andy
Rooney," aired.
--
At Apple's first product
announcement since former CEO
Steve Jobs retired in August,
the company introduced its new
iPhone 4S yesterday - a faster
and more powerful upgrade of its
current iPhone 4.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie
confirmed yesterday that he will
not enter the 2012 presidential
election and put to rest recent
speculation that he would seek
the Republican nomination. "Now
is not my time," Christie said.
About 700 protestors from the
"Occupy Wall Street" movement
were arrested on the Brooklyn
Bridge for disorderly conduct
on Sunday. The mass protest,
anchored in Manhattan's Financial
District, has lasted for two weeks.
On Monday, Amanda Knox and
then-boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito
were acquitted of the 2007
murder of Meredith Kercher by
an Italian appeals court. Knox
and Sollecito were convicted of
Kercher's murder in 2009.
A lot of Wolverines love Michigan athletics, but only a few maize-and-blue enthusiasts are
worthy of super fandom status.
ith the winningest football program Levinson, the president of RheTech, Inc.
in NCAA history, the most national - a plastic company based 20 minutes out-
championships in hockey and bas- side of Ann Arbor - has deep University
ketball's infamous "Fab Five," Michigan roots. He attended his first game in 1959 with
sports fans - that's 500,000 living alumni his grandfather, who graduated from the
and more than 40,000 students - have a lot University in 1917.
to boast about. Except for his years sitting in the student
If you asked, you'd probably get about section, Levinson has watched every home
540,000 answers as to who is the Wolver- game from midfield in section 22, row 76 -
ines' biggest fan - but can they go toe-to-toe his grandfather's original seats dating back
with superfans like John Levinson, Dottie to 1956.
Day, Jeff Holzhausen or Patrick Brown? "I'm pretty into the game itself," Levinson
Probably not. said. "I yell and scream. I'm not one of the old
grey-haired blues."
Where were you on Jan. 1, 1976? John Levinson played on Michigan's lacrosse
Levinson was on his couch as Michigan team - then a varsity club sport - from 1969
stumbled to a 14-6 loss against Alabama in to 1974. A year later, he earned his second
the Orange Bowl. He wouldn't make that University degree, an MBA.
mistake again. His wife Kathleen has sat beside Levinson
"I absolutely hated it when I was watch- at 431 of the 432 games. She's only missed- a
ing on TV, and to be perfectly honest missing 1978 game at Iowa. The couple has no kids,
that game ... drove me to want to do what I which according to Levinson, has allowed
... do," Levinson, 60, of Commerce Township, the streak to continue.
Mich., said. The self-proclaimed "young 60-year-old"
So what has he done? remembers everything, but nothing rivals
The real answer lies in what he hasn't Michigan's November 1969 upset of top-
done - miss a game. ranked Ohio State - considered one of col-
Last Saturday's win over Minnesota lege football's biggest upsets.
marked Levinson's 432nd consecutive game "I will still remember that until the day I
he's attended in the Big House and across die because it was so raucous," he recounts.
the country. To put the streak in perspec- "I've never, in any sport, felt what I felt that
tive, Levinson has been to seven Rose Bowls, week leading up to the game. The whole atti-
saw five Michigan coaching regimes and has tude on campus that week was ... kind of like
been a part of 16 outright or shared confer- a volcano. You could feel the eruption com-
ence championships. ing, and then, come Saturday, it all came out
Levinson's streak of 308 consecutive on the field."
home games attended dates back to 1964, Even family and work can't get in the way
nine years before he graduated with a B.B.A. of football.
from the School of Business. "In the family, during football season,
"We all need hobbies," Levinson said. "It's they know that if they want me, they better
my hobby. I guess that's the easiest way to schedule around it," he says. "As far as work,
put it. A long time ago, I knew myself well the guy that I originally worked for in this
enough that I said, 'If I don't find some hob- company 25 years ago, that was a part of the
bies, I'll work all the time.' The Michigan first interview. I said, 'I will not be there dur-
games give me a schedule." ing football season."'
Fortunately for Levinson, the interviewer
was a Michigan fan.
"I am the true definition of a diehard fan,
there's no doubt about that," Levinson said.
But is he a diehard in the in the truest
meaning of the term?
When Levinson missed his last game in
1976, he was saving money to buy a house
while his wife had yet to graduate college. So
what will cause him to miss his next game?
"I'll be dead in my grave. I won't know."
Nobody's perfect. We've all been told
this. Dottie Day sure isn't perfect.
From 1972 to 2007, Day attended 1,026 of
Michigan basketball's 1,030 games. But if you
want a percentage, rounded up, you get: 100
percent (OK skeptics, it's actually 99.6 per-
cent, but who's counting?).
Day missed three games when her mom
died in 1976 and two games when her father
died in 1996. Reconstructive foot surgery
took her off the sidelines and onto her couch
for a month in 2007. Since then, her record
has been flawless.
With all the travel the 65-year-old Ann
Arbor resident does, it'd be easy to assume
she doesn't like her hometown. But in real-
ity, she loved it so much as a student that
she didn't leave after graduating in 1967 or
obtaining a master's degree in 1968.
Today, she works in the University Hospi-
tal.
"I have a tremendous, unbelievable appre-
ciation for the University in general," Day
said. "I just got so much out of my experi-
ence, and part of that was the athletics and
the contact with the athletes. I love sports -
I always have. It all mended together really
nicely."
Her affection for the men's basketball
program started with just one player - C.J.
Kupec.
During Kupec's freshman year in 1971 -
when freshmen were ineligible to play var-
sity sports - Day attended the freshman
games.
"I just thought he was the best thing since
bottled beer," Day said with a laugh. "(I
decided) that when this guy's a senior, I'm
going to go to all of the games. I did that, and
I had so much fun that I haven't stopped."
For a period during her streak, she trav-
eled with the team while serving as a men-
tor to athletes for the Athletic Department,
but the mentor program stopped in the '80s.
That didn't stop Day, who often drives to
games - home or away - by herself.
And while basketball is her first love, she
attends nearly every football game. "Except
when they interfere with basketball games."
From 1972to2007, she didn't miss a single
football game that didn't overlap with a bas-
ketball game.
Her longest trip ever, in 1983, began with a
10-hour drive to New Jersey for a basketball
game against Rutgers. She then had to hurry
to make the 36-hour drive to El Paso, Texas.
The game wasn't for another six days, but
Day had to beat the team - which flew - to
the hotel, so she could be there to greetthem.
"We got there just by the skin of our teeth
to greet the team when they arrived," she
said.
After the two-day tournament, she made
the 18-hourtrip to New Orleans forthe Sugar
Bowl. And after Michigan fell to Auburn -
the third loss she saw in five days - she made
the 18-hour return drive home.
"My friends think I'm nuts, but they also
think that it's a neat thing," Day said. "Those
that go with me say, 'Now I get it. Now I see
why you have so much fun.' But most people
think I'm crazy.
"A lot of my closest friends are men
because they appreciate the fact that, 'Hey,
here's a woman that can talk to me."'
Basketball season stretches through the
heart of Midwest winters, and Day has driv-
en through many blizzards.. Under harsh
0 7 1 2 3 4 5 6 7:8 9M1
quotes of the week from the archives
"I have no interest in politics or political office. I'm Lloyd's luscious lyrics
just doing this as a private citizen trying to make a
difference."
H OWA RD SCH ULTZ, STA RBUCKS CEO, on the compa ny's "Create Jobs 4 Let's hold of f
for USA" program announced on Monday. The initiative will loan money
to small businesses via in-store and online donations. on the CD release
for a little while...
"I put responsibility on the president because this
is obviously a step in the wrong direction. We have
just totally disrespected the Constitution."
RON PAUL, TEXAS REPRESENTATIVE, commenting on the Sept. 30
assassination of American-born al-Qaeda leader Anwar al-Awlaki, at a
town hall meeting in New Hampshire on Monday. ILLUSTRATION BY HANNAH DOW
Michigan head football coach Lloyd Carr likely would not be offered a record
deal subsequent to his 2007 retirement - at least, such is the impmression
the rules drawn from a Feb. 15, 1998 Michigan Daily article telling of Carr's croon-
ing in a play about sportsmanship ("Beyond Price and Prize") at Ann Arbor's First
Congregational Church. According the article, Carr's vocals were less than stellar:
No. 337: No. 338: No. 339: "a little flat, a little off-key and even a little bit funny - yet entertaining and maybe
No one is going If you're not from Football pajama even a touch inspirational."
Then-Michigan linebacker Dhani Jones also joined the thespian efforts, cast as
to blame you for Michigan, it's parties are a must Mr. Poor Sport, whose poor attitude toward losing anchored the play, as castmem-
circumventing the OK to suddenly this weekend to bers instructed Jones - er, Mr. Poor Sport - on how "to be a good sport." Accord-
Diag during the become a Tigers celebrate our first ing to the article, a meeting with Carr, who opined on sportsmanship, would provide
the story's fodder. Despite his involvement, Carr admitted his vocals weren't the
pro-life exhibit. fan. away game. best: "It was my debut and my finale."
by the numbers
cOURTESY OF THE BBc
Years that Amanda Knox was sentenced to Years Knox spent in jail before being Years that Rudy Guede, the third
jail for the 2007 murder of then-roommate cleared of Kercher's murder by an Italian defendant in the case, will spend in prison
Meredith Kercher in Italy. appeals court on Tuesday. for Kercher's murder.