17, 1956
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
PA
17 1956 THE MIChIGAN DAILY PA
This morning on
STATE STREET
.by'stee heilpern
Michigan Leads Conference
In Overall 1955-56 Recor
The Big, Big Stadium
THIS IS YOUR first football game at Michigan Stadium, and it'll
be something to write home about. I'm assuming, of course, that
you've never seen a game at Michigan Stadium. Okay, okay, so you're
from Detroit and you used to come up all the time when you were
in high school. So what're you reading this for-you know what it's
like. Scram-I'm writing this column to the guy or gal from Pine
Bluff, Ark., or White Plains, N.Y., or. . . okay, you get the idea now.
t You're going to the game for one of four reasons: one, you like
football; two, you're curious; three, it's gonna be awful dead in the
dorms; or four, you're. a conformist. Okay, you're going, .and I don't
care why. It's no skin off my nose-stay home and talk to your house
mother if you want. Okay, you're going.
You're walking toward the Stadium and you're wondering where
all these people came from. Thousands, millions maybe. And this
isn't even .a sellout. Where are they gonna fit 'em? You'll soon see-
you're entering Michigan Stadium, the world's largest college owned
enclosure for, the purposes of promoting mass confusion. It makes
Yankee Stadium look like a chicken coop. One Hundred Thousand or
r Thereabouts Capacity-tell this to your buddies back home next
vacation.
* * * * *
Section 29, Row 84, Seat 15...
yOU CLUTCH your season's ticket-section 29, row 84, seat 15. You
look at the diagram of the place and you see you're in the end zone
corner-but 'your upperelass friend tells you you can see from ANY-
SPLACE-they built this place for the spectator. You go- in the gate,
walk Up to your entrance, give the man your stub, get a piece of paper
they call a program, and walk in. It's big, all right. You wish you had
gone to that small college back East that they told you about, but you
go in anyway. You have to go in-you're being pushed.
You don't go towards your seat at first-you just look. You see.
the band on the' field-more people in the brass section than there
were in your whole high school. Everybody's yelling-and the game
hasn't even started. You look around a little more, then you get
pushed again, then you go find your seat. It takes a while, but you
eventually find one square foot with a "15" on it, and you sit down...
.,..and you look around you again. You feel small, smaller than
you've ever felt before. But the band stasrts playing something slow
and everybody starts to stand up. So you stand up too. They start
singing: "Sing to the colors.. ." And you sing too. You don't know the
words, but you will soon-and you'll never forget them. It's the Alma
Mater. You begin to feel a part of this big place.
Pretty soon a lot of guys dressed up in yellow and blue run out,
and everyone stands up and yells-only real loud. It's your team. It's
Michigan. "Hail to the victors . ."
... and you begin to feel a little better. You're set to watch the
game, but you know you're watching something more than a football
game. This is the patt of Michigan that fewpeople forget. You're
not so sorry that you came here after all. You don't mind it when the
fellow next to you lets some of the mustard from his hot dog drip
onto your shirt. You don't mind it at all.
.0 .,
JOIN THE DAILY
SPORTS STAFF
-Daily-Dick uaskx i
NOT STOPPED YET-Michigan's Jim Pace (43) seems about to be
tackled by Army's Pete Lash (24) in last year's 26-2 Wolverine tri-
umph, but looks are deceiving. Pace broke away several times during
the game for long gains.
WITH FLASH CARDS:
Block M Provides Pep
For Home Grid Contests
I.
By GARY PECK
"CARDS UP!" will be 'the Block
'M's signal to action this fall as
the Wolverines begin their 1956
football season.
The Block 'M' is an institution
containing 1161 of Michigan's most
avid cheering fans. The Block 'M'-
ers comprise Michigan's flash card
section who perform at every home
game, if weather permits.
This season they will wear their
felt capes, some yellow, some blue.
They will flash their new pom-
poms. But most important, they
will help cheer our team to victory
with their clever flash card stunts.
Only Four Years Old
The Block is only four years old
but it still is rated nearly equal to
the famed Illinois Block.
Four cards with a different col-
or painted on each side are passed
out to each Block 'M'-er two min-
utes before halftime. Then, when
the band begins to .march, the
Block takes to action.
For instance, on some of the
school songs the Block might pic-
ture the traditional yellow 'M' on
a blue background, or even spell
out MICHIGAN. If, the band
played the Star Spangled Banner,,
then the Block might portray a
flag waving in the breeze.
The Block, in connection with
the band, can create anything
from a Hawaiian Hula Dancer
swaying her hips to a football
player (Michigan, of course, cock-
ing his arm to throw.)
The Block has a few basic
stunts but it usually creates about
forty new ones during the pro-
gress of each season..
There are approximately 150
openings in the Block which are
reserved for freshmen this fall.
Any interested freshmen may sign
up either at registration or at the
booth on the diag. The positions
will be distributed on a first-come,
first-served basis.
Organized in Spring
Dick Rusnak, chairman of the
Block 'M' Committee, and his
Central Committee organize the
Block 'M' in the spring. They
conduct the spring sign-ups, have
the yellow and blue capes cleaned,
and have new instruction cards
printed.
A mass meeting of the Block
'M', including freshmen, is held
during orientation week in the fall
at Hill Auditorium. Movies of pre-
vious year's Block sections of this
and other schools will be shown;
cheerleaders will teach the cheers;
and the football captain will give
a little pep talk.
*v DAVE GREY
Daily Sports Editof
Athletics at Michigan during the
1955-56 year again found theI
phrase "Champions of the West"-
champions of the Big Ten, at
least-deservedly belonging in Ann
Arbor.
For the second straight year in
the Western Conference (Big
Ten), Michigan did better on a
strictly mathematical basis 'than
any other Conference school. The
record speaks for itself with cham-
pionships registered in indoor and
outdoor track, wrestling, and ten-
nis.
Three Second Places
Second places were earned by
three Wolverine squads - swim-
ming, gymnastics, and golf. The
football team came in third in the
Big Ten with a 5-2 record, and the
baseball team finished fourth.
Only one Michigan sport ended
out of the hypothetical "first di-
vision." Basketball was again
doomed to a medicore year and a
ninth place finish.
Net included in the Big Ten rec-
ord books is intercollegiate hock-.
ey, since only three Conference
schools -- Michigan, Michigan
State, and Minnesota--compete in
the Western Intercollegiate Hock-
ey League that also has Michigan
Tech, Colorado College, Denver
University, and North Dakota Uni-
versity as members.
For the sixth time in nine
years, Michigan copped the Na-
tional Collegiate Athletic Associa-
tion crown in hockey. This was
Michigan's only NCAA title last
year; but as the New York Yank-
ees of baseball, Michigan has es-
tablished a winning name in hock-
ey that never seems to die.
In comparison, only Illinois and
Ohio State were able to capture
more than one Big Ten champion-
ship. The Illini won fencing
(Michigan, Minnesota, and Purdue
do not have teams) and gymnas-
ties. The Buckeyes from Ohio came
out on top in the coveted football
scramble and also in swimming.
The football season was an "al-
HAIRSTYLING
TO SUIT
YOUR TASTE
715 N. UniYersity
Ii
most but not quite" with nearly
every game one to be long re-
membered. The rout of Army, the
edging of Michigan State, the ral-
lies to defeat Minnesota and Iowa,
the crashing defeat by Illinois, and
the final 17-4 loss to Ohio State
all helped make for a dramatic
season.
Winter added more memorable
events. Vic Heyliger's hockey team
got off to a slow start and then
fought back to take the season's
last four games from runner-up
Michigan Tech.
MEN OF MICHIGAN
Sam' SiS
Welcomes you to
WHY PAY)
MILITARY
OXFORDS
for
Army ROTC
Navy ROTC
Air Force ROTC
Block and Brown
$688
Meanwhile, the swimmers re-
covered from some mid-season
problems to show well, the basket-
ballers had some tense, tight
games, sophomore Ed Gagnier was
nothing short of sensational for
the gymnasts, and Captain Mike
Rodriguez continued his reign as
one of collegiate wrestling's most
colorful performers.
MacKay Draws Recognition
Track under Coach Don Can-
ham was to continue to be "the
best," tennis Captain Barry Mac-
,
Kay backed up his being picked o
the preliminary Davis Cup squa
by sweeping through the Big Te
championships.
The golf team was to find itse
and finish a strong second, whi
the baseball squad got revenge b
taking an important late-seaso
double header from "eVer-rivals
Michigan State.
It was a big year for Michiga,
and the triumps of 1955-56 seeme
to forecast that 1956-57 could b
even better and maybe just as ex
citing.
fore
Ann Arbor
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LEVI'S
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I
THE INTERFRATERNITY
CU ICL
wishes to announce
i
s
SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 14
* Whether you are
rush fraternities.
a freshman or
a senior, you
are eligible to
* Register for Rushing in Room 1020 Administration Building
from September 17 through October 3.
* NO FEE-just sign the l.F.C. Rushing List.
f