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

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Two Michigan fans display the back of their truck, which is adorned with a painting of Michigan Stadium. Many non-student fans also enjoyed tailgating before games, and chose Hoover Street ' s grass and street parking as their pre-game spot. S. Jerome photo Michiganensian. 12 Michigan and Minnesota fans play beer pong in the lawn of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity on homecoming weekend. Homecoming, which was on Saturday, October 8 lh , brought additional celebration to football Saturdays as many alumni returned for the game. S. Jerome photo

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i I Connie Chang

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. days Hoov iatherine For the most part, Saturdays were a day to relax, kick-back, watch television, or simply a break from the rigors of the week. However, in Ann Arbor, everything was different in the fall. Saturdays meant people, drinking, hot dogs, lots of maize and blue, and most importantly, football. For seven Saturdays in the fall, Wolverine fanatics traveled from all over the state and country to cheer on their team. Whether it was State Street, Hoover Street, or the Victor ' s Lot, people congregated to prove themselves as the loudest, proudest cheering squad. State Street was wild. Fraternity and sorority members bounced around in blown-up moon walks and sprayed hoses at passers-by. Beer flowed, bands played and students danced. The experience was almost surreal with disproportionate clapping, screaming, and a mixture of Greek Life and football chants all at nine o ' clock in the morning. Hoover Street was a true tribute. Maize and blue painted the block so full of people that it was nearly impossible to walk down the sidewalk, much less for cars to pass. Beer bongs hung from three-story balconies and students embraced the opportunity to party and paint their faces blue. I wake up early and hang out at a house on the corner of State and Hoover Streets every football Saturday, junior English major Phil Eil said. I have been doing this ever since my freshman year and it ' s really cool because you can walk around to all of the different houses and stand in the street and it seems like everybody is there. Some people had so much fun on Hoover Street that they never quite made it to the game. The early morning partying warranted an early afternoon cat nap in preparation for the evening ' s festivities. In addition to the campus craziness, the city itself experienced major changes for these Saturdays. As Ann Arbor ' s population bordered 114,000, a doubling in its numbers certainly meant chaos. Roads were closed or redirected, parking lots were full, and traffic increased by more than 50 percent. For a city that was little more than 20 square miles, this mass invasion of fans ensured a surge in Saturday business for most stores and restaurants. Football Saturdays in Ann Arbor were crazy, but also a top event during the fall. The fight for space was hectic but welcomed, as alumni and students crowded into the stadium together. They did not care that they were squished like sardines for the big games they were all there for the same reason. They were true, proud Wolverine fans and they wanted their team to succeed. Michigan Life.1 3