A New Era Begins at Michigan

It was the evening of January 1, 2008 and I was basking in the afterglow of having just been present at one of the Michigan Wolverines greatest football wins of the past decade. After a season of lows and highs, the Maize and Blue sent Coach Lloyd Carr out with a win in his last game over Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow and the Florida Gators.

Tomorrow a new era begins at the University of Michigan. Rich Rodriguez will coach his first game for the Wolverines and for the first time since 1969, a non "Michigan man" will be at the helm. I, for one, am more excited about this season opener than I have been in years. Much of that can be attributed to the unknowns. Will the offensive line be able to get the job done? Is the quarterback position going to be a liability? How will the freshmen do? Will the defense be as fast and strong and good as predicted?

Though I'm excited, I'm also nervous. This team could be good enough to go to a major bowl OR they could end up with a losing record for the first time in my lifetime. USA Today has a great feature on Coach Rodriguez and the new beginnings in Ann Arbor. Some highlights from Kelly Whiteside's article:

"New coach. New offense. New stadium. New era, beginning Saturday against Utah. What makes these changes so intriguing is Michigan's status as an unrelentingly successful college football icon. One of the most tradition-rich programs, it is the winningest school in major college football history. One of the significant challenges for new coach Rich Rodriguez is the delicate balance between ushering in change and upholding tradition.

"The perception is that everything has changed. I've heard people say that, 'He's trying to change the culture,' and that's not true at all," says Rodriguez, who was hired from West Virginia and became the first head coach outside the Michigan "family" since Bo Schembechler arrived in 1969. "I'm embracing the culture. Are we running a new system as far as plays and maybe some different training methods? Sure."

There is good reason Michigan revels in its past. It's maize-and-blue history is unmatched: 11 national championships and 42 Big Ten titles; legendary coaches such as Schembechler; distinctive winged helmets; the famous fight song, The Victors; and of course the Big House, which will resume its status as the largest stadium in the country, seating 108,000-plus once renovation is complete. This combined with Michigan's academic reputation and relatively police-blotter-free past have created, depending on your point of view, either an aura or an arrogance. "I think tradition is good," senior defensive end Tim Jamison says. "It just needed a little update."

Others say Rodriguez's fiery on-field demeanor is not much different than Schembechler's. Plenty of parallels between 1969, Schembechler's first season, and 2008 have already been drawn. Those first rigorous practices in 1969 have become legend, causing Schembechler to put up a sign — "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions" — over the doors to the practice field. Rodriguez invited members of that team to speak to his squad about that season. Billy Taylor, a halfback on that 1969 team, left impressed. "Rodriguez is a young Bo Schembechler with a Southern accent," Taylor says. "Rodriguez is a Michigan man in heart."

You can read the whole article here. Here's to a solid performance tomorrow afternoon against Utah. Go Blue!

This Year's College Freshmen Class

Each year Beloit College distributes their Mindset List and this year's was just released. The Mindset List gives a glimpse into the worldview of the nation's 18 year olds and the world they grew up in. The complete list for the class of 2012 can be found here, but here are some things that stood out to me:

GPS satellite navigation systems have always been available.

Coke and Pepsi have always used recycled plastic bottles.

Shampoo and conditioner have always been available in the same bottle.

Gas stations have never fixed flats, but most serve cappuccino.

Electronic filing of tax returns has always been an option.

Universal Studios has always offered an alternative to Mickey in Orlando.

WWW has never stood for World Wide Wrestling.

Films have never been X rated, only NC-17.

Students have always been "Rocking the Vote.”

Clarence Thomas has always sat on the Supreme Court.

Schools have always been concerned about multiculturalism.

IBM has never made typewriters.

The Tonight Show has always been hosted by Jay Leno and started at 11:35 EST.

They may have been given a Nintendo Game Boy to play with in the crib.

Authorities have always been building a wall across the Mexican border.

Macaulay Culkin has always been Home Alone.

Caller ID has always been available on phones.

The Green Bay Packers (almost) always had the same starting quarterback.

Soft drink refills have always been free.

They have never known life without Seinfeld references from a show about “nothing.”

Windows 3.0 operating system made IBM PCs user-friendly the year they were born.

98.6 F or otherwise has always been confirmed in the ear.

Radio stations have never been required to present both sides of public issues.

This list always makes me feel old...

How Well Do You Know Your Presidents?

Did you know that 42 men have served as President of the United States of America? You may have known that, but how many of them do you think you can name? Well, now here's your chance.

MentalFloss.com has this quiz in which you have eight minutes to see how many of the U.S. Presidents you know by name.

I'm a bit of a U.S. history and presidential buff , so I was actually able to name 39 of the 42. Why don't you take a few minutes to take the quiz and let me know how well you did. Good luck!

After you have taken the quiz you can learn about the answers to the statements below at Presidental Fun Facts:

• 9 Presidents never went to college and Harvard has the most alum, 5, to serve in office.
• The most common religious affiliation is Episcopalian.
• The ethnic background of all Presidents is limited to the following heritages: Dutch, English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, Swiss or German.
• Only one President was never married and only one was divorced.
• Eight Presidents died while in office and another six had assassination attempts on their lives.
• Fourteen Presidents served as Vice-Presidents prior to becoming top dog.