University of Michigan - Michiganensian Yearbook (Ann Arbor, MI)

Page 186 text:

The Victors Joins t IT WAS ONE HUNDRED YEARS AGO THAT THE VICTORS WAS PENNED BY LOUIS ELBEL. BY STANDING THE TEST OF TIME, OURFAHWULCRYILIS PROVEN WITHOUT A DOUBT THAT IT TRULY IS THE GREATEST FIGHT SONG EVER WRITTEN. Kristy Parker The Marching Band belts out another round of our faithful fight song. The Victors became a Michigan Marching Band staple at numerous sporting events, including all football, hockey and basketball games. by Leo Kim In the fall of 1898, the football team defeated the University of Chicago 12-1 1 to become the champions of the Western Conference. Louis Elbel, a music student, was among the Michigan fans celebrating in Chicago. It was this victory that inspired him to write The Victors. While The Victors was first performed in public by John Philip Sousa in 1899, it did not catch on right away. Although Sousa considered it to be the greatest college fight song, The Victors wasn ' t officially the school ' s fight song for many more years. At the time, the song Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight was considered to be the school song. In 1998, The Victors celebrated its 100th anniversary as the official fight song of the University, with a celebration during the football game versus Wisconsin. The Victors also left an impression on the Marching Band. Last year, one of the first songs we played as a group was ' The Victors ' . That was a big moment for me, just hearing the whole band play it and being a part of it, said Nick McCoy, a sophomore computer engineering major. Bill Wahl, a civil engineering sophomore added, ' The Victors ' is one of the songs that gives me the chills every time I play it because I am so proud to play it. In the 1904 football season, The Victors was performed at a football game for the first time since 1899. By the fall of 1911, Michigan was no longer a part of the Western Conference. A new fight song, Varsity, was written by J. Fred Lawton and Earl Vincent Moore. Temptation also became popular at football games. ' Temptation ' is probably a favorite of everyone in the band, said first-year LSA student Ian Stewart. Now, The Victors is a staple at football games, as well as hockey and basketball games. Junior mechanical engineering major Andrew Leutheuser said, People always ask me if I get tired of playing ' The Victors, ' but it ' s something that has become a part of me. We ' ve played a lot of other schools ' fight songs, and ' The Victors ' is the most exciting and challenging to play, said Joe Heimnich, first-year engineering student. While other songs were played at football games, The Victors was hailed as the best. 180 100 years of The Victors

Page 185 text:

s IM as Popular as Ever rWtbeopP ivi Adriana Yugovich ate in varsity sports in high school, IM sports offered a less competitive environment. Laura Parker, enior psychology major, proclaimed, They ' re jnot as competitive as varsity; it doesn ' t take as rmch time as high school sports. You can just IQ out and play. The absence of major time :ommitments and high-pressure playing situa- ions made IM sports a favorite of many Uni- ersity students seeking exercise and fun. One of the best reasons that students participated in IM sports was because IM sports offered the opportunity to form new friend- ships. Senior engineering major Justin Koo said, I made so many great new friends in IM sports. My favorite part of IM sports was going out after the games! Whatever the reason that students participated in IM sports, anyone who joined an IM team could be assured that he or she would get exercise, make new friends, and enjoy new sports in a relaxed atmosphere. An IM rollerhockey player spends the afternoon practicing his shot in a parking lot near Elbel Field. Playing intramurals provided students with the op- portunity to make new friends and spend time with old ones. Inside Sports 179

Page 187 text:

the Century Club Superfan leads the faithful crowd of maize and blue in a rousing round of The Victors. In his first year as the new Superfan, first-year student Reza Breakstone did a marvel- ous job keeping the fans motivated and cheering with the familiar beat of the cowbell. Kristy Parker With fists raised in pride, the student body sings The Victors at a home football game. As part of a fundraiser, the Marching Band received one dollar from numerous benefac- tors each time they played The Victors at a 1998 home football game. raphic by Mike Lee Inside Snorts 181