Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football
I just received a fresh copy of 'Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football' from Turner Publishing. Michelle O'Brien authored the collection, which pulls together fascinating photos from the vaults over at the U-M Bentley Historical Library over the past 100+ years. It isn't confined to games and practices; it also includes a few unique looks at the band, the fans and in some cases, the excitement on campus and outside the stadium. Each photo contains a detailed caption describing the photo often along with a relevant background from the period. O'Brien did a very nice job-it's a fine collection and would make an excellent gift. -- mvictors.comWho could have guessed that such a colorful game as football would look so vibrant in black and white? That's the impression one gets flipping though Michelle O'Brien's coffee table volume Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football, which covers a century of maize and blue gridiron action. From 1879, when the school's football program started (the game then was a mix of rugby and football) until 1979, when Bo Schembechler's reign was in full flower, the game is brought to life in nearly 200 photos. You can almost imagine you're at The Big House on a chilly autumn Saturday afternoon. -- Hour Detroit MagazineMichelle O'Brien's new book Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football is a thoroughly wonderful look back at the first century of football in Ann Arbor, from the cap clad gentlemen who became the first intercollegiate team formed west of Pennsylvania to Anthony Carter's Homecoming game catch against Indiana in 1979, the photos collect many of the iconic images of the winningest team in the history of Division I football. Enhancing the photos, lovingly rendered on glossy pages in vivid black and white are some wonderful captions, which provide context, trivia, and detail. As you progress through the book, you feel the story of Michigan football being told to you, piece by piece. -- Craig Barker, The Hoover Street Rag BlogspotI've been a fan of University of Michigan football since the 1960s. My first visit to Michigan Stadium was in the fall of 1965, when I was in high school. As a freshman at U of M in 1968, I attended all home games on my student ticket (if my memory is correct, a student only paid $6 per game at that time). And of course, I've followed the Wolverines every season since then. After spending a few moments looking at photos from 1967 and 1968, I went back to the beginning of the book, and I read it cover to cover. Ms. O'Brien has done a first-rate job in the selection of photographs and the writing of the accompanying captions. As for the photographs, many of the action shots are magnificent - even stunning in their power. All in all, the book is extraordinary, perhaps because it features many extraordinary persons and events. I haven't even mentioned Bo and Woody and the greatest game ever (1969). I am convinced that anyone who loves the tradition of Michigan football will enjoy looking at this photo book time after time. -- heathpie.blogspot.comIn Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football, Michelle O’Brien catches the glorious, and not so glorious, moments pf a hundred years of Michigan Football. Starting with teams from the earliest years through the 1979 season, Historic Photos of University of Michigan Football contains enough “Miiiiiiichigan” football to satisfy the legion of die-hard University of Michigan Football fans, and enough history for the historically minded as well. -- Historical Society of Michigan Chronicle