Hail to the Victors: Michigan's Return to Greatness

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The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history. The team is known for its distinctive winged helmet, its fight song, its record-breaking attendance figures at Michigan stadium, and its many rivalries, particulary its annual season-ending game against Ohio State, once voted as ESPN's best sports rivalry.

Michigan began competing in intercollegiate football in 1879. The Wolverines joined the Big Ten Conference at its inception in 1896, when the conference was commonly known as the Western Conference, and have been members since with the exception of a hiatus from 1907 to 1916. Michigan has won or shared 42 league titles, more than any other football program in any conference. Since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936, Michigan has finished in the top 10 a record 37 times. The Wolverines claim 11 national championships, most recently that of the 1997 squad voted atop the final AP Poll.

From 1900 to 1989, Michigan was led by a series of nine head coaches, each of whom have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame either as a player or as a coach. Fielding H. Yost became Michigan's head coach in 1901 and guided his "Point-a-Minute" squads to a streak of 56 games without a defeat spanning from his arrival until the season finale in 1905, including a victory in the 1902 Rose Bowl, the first college football bowl game ever played. Fritz Crisler brought his winged helmet from Princeton University in 1938 and led the 1947 Wolverines to a national title and Michigan's second Rose Bowl win. Bo Schembechler coached the team for 21 seasons (1969-1989) in which he won 13 Big Ten titles and a program-record 194 games. The first decade of his tenure was underscored by a fierce competition with his former mentor, Woody Hayes, whose Ohio State Buckeyes squared off against Schembechler's Wolverines in a stretch of the Michigan-Ohio State rivalry dubbed the "Ten-Year War". After Schembechler's retirement, his longtime assistants Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr, helmed the team for the next 18 years.

After Lloyd Carr retired in 2007, Rich Rodriguez took over as the team's head coach, and we all know how that ended up. Rodriguez led the Wolverines to a terrible 3-9 record in 2008. In 2009 he led them to a 5-7 record after starting the season 4-0, and in 2010, Rodriguez led Michigan to a 5-0 start, but wound up being only 7-5. One of the most unacceptable things people saw in Rich's brief stay as head coach of the Wolverines, was his 0-3 record against the Ohio State Buckeyes.

After Michigan's bowl game, which was the first one Rich Rodriguez had led them to in his career at Michigan, the Wolverines terminated his contract.

Speculation was that Michigan would hire Stanford head coach, and former Michigan player, Jim Harbaugh. That is until on January 12, 2011, the Wolverines hired a 27-year old from a small town in Ohio. In fact, he lived about three hours away from the Ohio State campus. His name, is Matt Lytle. He has accepted the head coaching job at the University of Michigan, and assures the University, the fans, and the alumni, that he will bring Michigan back to the way they used to be. He assures that he will return them to the top of the Big Ten. He assures them that they will finally beat the Buckeyes. And he assures them, that he will return Michigan, to greatness!

[first few paragraphs are from Wikipedia. from Lloyd Carr to my hiring, it's all me.]

Welcome to the Big House! 109,901 strong! Go Blue!

[WWF80sKid]

2011: 10-0 [currently playing]

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2011 Schedule:
Wk 1: vs Arizona [W: 34-0]
Wk 2: vs Notre Dame* [W: 27-23]
Wk 3: at Western Michigan [W: 34-7]
Wk 4: vs ECU [W: 31-10]
Wk 5: BYE WEEK
Wk 6: at #6 Wisconsin [W: 21-0]
Wk 7: vs Indiana [W: 38-0]
Wk 8: at Michigan State* [W: 41-17]
Wk 9: at #17 Iowa [W: 30-0]
Wk 10: vs Minnesota* [W: 35-3]
Wk 11: vs Illinois [W: 38-0]
Wk 12: at Northwestern
Wk 13: vs #2 Ohio State*
Wk 14: BYE WEEK

* - Rivalry Game

[WWF80sKid]

[WWF80sKid]

- Week 6 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week: JB Fitzgerald (6 Tkls, 2 TFL, 2 Scks, FR) vs Wisconsin
- Week 8 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week: Denard Robinson (15/22, 192 Yds, 16 Car, 151 Yds, 5 Total TDs) at Michigan State

[WWF80sKid]

Hey guys, thanks for checking this out. I actually did a Michigan dynasty a while back, and seemed to get quite a few of you to check it out, and enjoy it. I hope that I can do even better with this one!

Let me know how I do throughout the time, and I'll be sure to try to make it as enjoyable as possible, with times where you guys can interact, and hopefully see Michigan "return to greatness".

[WWF80sKid]

BREAKING NEWS: Tate Forcier transfers to Illinois

After going 7-5 in the regular seasons, the Michigan Wolverines have lost their backup quarterback. Tate Forcier has transferred to the Illinois Fighting Illini. Michigan's brand new coach, Matt Lytle, reportedly tried to convince Tate to stay, promising him that he'd use him to the best of his abilities, but Tate declined. Michigan is still equip with quarterbacks Denard Robinson and Devin Gardner, and looks to be set for the future. Some say it's a big loss, while others aren't losing sleep over this.

[WWF80sKid]

Coach Lytle Available for Questions

Coach Matt Lytle will be available to answer any questions you have for him concerning the Michigan Wolverines football program, and the upcoming 2011 season. If you could state your name, and where you are reporting from, as well as keep the questions brief, that would be appreciated.

If you have a question for Coach Lytle, please step up to the microphone and ask.

Thank you.