All this presidential inauguration stuff inspired me yesterday to create a wallpaper focused on our own former President: Gerald Ford.Ford grew up in Grand Rapids and played center (and linebacker) on the undefeated National Champions of 1932 and 1933. During his senior year he was named Captain, but the team only won one game. Ford was voted the Most Valuable Player on that team.
In 1974 he became President of the United States after Richard Nixon resigned following the Watergate scandal. Even as the most powerful man in the world, Ford retained his passion for the Wolverines. He often had Hail to the Victors played instead of Hail to the Chief at events and he even requested to be awakened to find out the score of a 1974 Michigan-Ohio State football game while attending a summit in the Soviet Union. (Yes Sru, I know the Bucks won that one too.)
Michigan retired Gerald Ford's #48 in 1994.
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22 comments:
Great wallpaper, one of the best yet. Ford was an awesome player. Speaking of wonderful lineman, Long is in the Pro Bowl replacing Jason Peters who had knee surgery and was only voted in this year based on last season's performance (he was considered the least worthy after slumping to mediocre this year by John Clayton among others). Long deserved it and it's great to see his career get off to such a bright start.
I never leave comments but I had to respond to this because my worst dream came true you made a wall paper for a bench warmer, yeah he went on to become President, yes he had success at UM he won two National Championships, while riding the bench; that’s because UM had a two time All-American those years named Chuck Bernard. This is from the Bentley Library: Grantland Rice picked him as another of Michigan's great pivot men. Chuck had understudied Maynard Morrison in 1931, and was well prepared to be a brilliant center on three Big Ten championship teams. Called greatest college player in the country by pro coaches in 1933. Equally brilliant on offense and defense. "Without Bernard," said AP sports editor Alan Gould, "the Wolverines could hardly have topped the toughest league in the country." And yet the player that deserves recognition still doesn’t get any because his back up became president, and an appointed one at that.
Here is a picture of the two from the Ford Library Museum http://www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/avproj/hseries/h35-1b.gif , notice he’s not wearing a sweater because he wasn’t good enough to get one. I thought UM fans would know the truth and wouldn’t put Ford on a pedestal for his play or presidency, I know this is a rant but I’ve gone on longer ones about this, I guess it just runs through the blood.
Chuck: If this is your "worst dream come true" -- you need to consider getting some help.
I assume that you are related to Chuck Bernard ?
Facts:
1) Gerald Ford was a member of the Michigan Varsity football team in 1932 & 1933.
2) Michigan went undefeated and won the National Championship in 1932 & 1933.
3) He was the Captain of the 1934 Michigan football team.
4) He later became the President of the United States.
If it will make you feel any better, I can make a wallpaper of Chuck Bernard too, but only if it will help you sleep better at night ?
Amen, Andy.
Gotta love the great Chuck, but Chuck27, you make Ford out to be some sort of a-hole and Chuck the saving grace that never got his due. You're rubbing people the wrong way with that rant, and yeah anyone could guess that you must be related to Chuck. Spare us the inferiority blogging ejaculation and next time just put in a couple cents that Chuck was awesome too without trashing our beloved President... damn.
P.S. Benchwarmers was a fucking hilarious movie, learn to love'em.
Shorty your right I could have done it/said it differently, this is just something I get fired up about... my intent was never to make Ford look like an a-hole but to point out while he was on the NC teams he didn't start at center like some people think.
Andy it's not really my worst dream, but this was the first think I read when I woke up this morning which may have added to the abrasiveness of it.
My apologies.
Apology accepted.
You are welcome to leave comments and your opinion any time here. We welcome all kinds of views (see: Sru, o_g, and whet)
Thanks for educating me on Chuck Bernard. I honestly did not know much about him.
i think it's great that ford served from 74 to 76 - pretty much a half-presidency. you guys lead the world in half accomplishments!
:)
oh - Toledo - my bad, almost forgot
Yeah but Ford was 2-1 as a player and Michigan was 2-1 against tUOS during his time in office.
That makes his overall record 4-2 against the Bucks.
Ford owwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwns Ohio.
Let's not turn this into the hate-fest that Mgoblog has become.
BAH,
there's nobody around here w/ the energy to get that worked up about anything, especially Jerry Ford or the new DC hire, except maybe Sru.
and tosu fans spend most of their time these days questioning their own DC. doubt they have anything left for ranting about ours...
There is no hate here.
Just love and respect.
BTW, I did discover today that Chuck Bernard went to high school in my home town of Benton Harbor.
I will certainly make a wallpaper for him now, even if it doesn't help GoBlueChuck27 sleep any better.
Dude!
you're from Benton Harbor? not St. Joe's?
i didn't think anyone made it out of Benton Harbor alive!
I am indeed alive. Although T9 will have a good time convincing you that I am not well. A few of us actually do make it out of Berrien County.
Benton Harbor is a sad / strange place. The bleak contrast between BH & SJ is mind boggling to anyone that doesn't live there. For some reason, my parents still choose to live there.
I concur, Andy...you ain't right. ;-)
the state of Michigan has never had one of its citizens elected president.
I spent the summers of 1982/83 working for C&O out of the Benton Harbor & New Buffalo yards. New Buff was sort of like the middle of no where (though I hear they have a casino nearby now). Benton Harbor was more like the end of the world. I remember getting off of 94 onto US 12 & driving thru downtown to the yards. It was like a scene out of a post nuclear holocaust movie. Miles of empty store fronts & not a living soul in sight.
Sure, Ford did not get elected. But he did guide the country thru a very tough time. He just was a preview of things yet to come: The country decides to vote for a SEC guy from Georgia rather than send a Big Ten guy to the top.
BTW, No former Ohio State alumni has ever been President of the the United States.
he pardoned nixon
case closed
Yeah well, Gerald Ford ended up being Homer Simpson's friend. HOw many of your precious Ohio Presidents can make that claim?
OG-
I believe it's 8 presidents from the state of Ohio and not one went to Tuos... that's because they knew that Tuos was detrimental to their future prospects. Come, on that was just too easy. If you're going to pick your battles, pick one that you can dispute in some reasonable manner.
talk about being in the right place at the right time - Ford was appointed vice president when Spiro Agnew resigned and was named President after Nixon did.
although he wasn't AS lucky on the field - the only year he was captain at Michigan, they won ONE game. Kinda makes 3-9 seem like a dream year.
Oh and his real name is Leslie, so he had that going for him, which was nice
wv: "lamenes" i shit you not
We all know how he got to office... but he was appointed to the office as the one and only non-elected President as he was third in line as the Speaker of the House. As speaker he was very influential and important to all the politicians in Washington... that counts and so does being President... by the way Jimmy Tressel's real first name on his birth certificate was Delilah.
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