The View from Ann Arbor and Columbus

Despite the hoopla surrounding the Michigan - Ohio State rivalry -- the pre-game build-up, pep-rallies, insults hurled by opposing fans -- coaches and players tell us that ultimately "the game is decided on the field." That is certainly true, but how the game is viewed and remembered by Wolverine and Buckeye fans has a lot to do with how the game is reported -- and the view is often markedly different in Ann Arbor and Columbus.

The game accounts in the student newspapers and alumni magazines of the rival schools demonstrate that there are two sides to every story. What is seen as brilliant strategy on one campus might be viewed as costly errors on the other. From the Columbus vantage point it was a spontaneous outburst of enthusiasm that led the OSU players to carry coach Woody Hayes off the field following the Buckeyes' drubbing of Michigan in 1961. To the Michigan Alumnus Magazine writer, however, it appeared that Woody "stood on the field after the game and motioned until some of his players got the idea he wanted to be carried off the field on their shoulders."

Michgan Daily masthed 1897   Ohio State University Monthly masthead

In pairing Ohio and Michigan accounts of games from each decade of the rivalry's history, this site is interested as much in how the game was reported to each school's fans as in the results on the field. Our selections are based not so much on the importance of the game as on the possibility of widely divergent interpretations of the result. So, we have included the first game in 1897, OSU's first win in 1919, the games with the biggest winning and losing margins for both schools, a couple down-to-the-wire cliffhangers, and games in which the sportswriters' styles were especially florid. These rival reports from the Michigan Daily, The Lantern, the Michigan Alumnus Magazine and the Ohio State University Monthly provide a flavor of the intensity of the rivalry through the years and how each school's official press shaped the accounts for its most passionate fans - its students and alumni.


1897
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Varsity Takes a Brace:  
Ohio State University Defeated by a Score of 34-0 
Michigan Daily
Defeat - Meets the Home Eleven at Ann Arbor The Lantern

1902
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The Ohio Game UM Alum. Mag.
Four Score And Six - Was the Total When Michigan Got Through - OSU Under a Landslide for the First Time The Lantern

1919
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Harley and Stinchcomb Feature Ohio State Defeat of Michigan - Sparks and Goetz Wolverine Stars Michigan Daily
The Michigan Game and Other Athletics OSU Monthly

1926
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Michigan Wins Epic Battle by Single Point
Ohio Beaten 17 to 16 after Thrilling Game in Columbus Stadium
UM Alum. Mag.
Benny Friedman's Toe Earns One-point Margin The Lantern

1931
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Ohio Defeats Sluggish Varsity UM Alum. Mag.
Inspired Eleven Outplays Wolves The Lantern

1944
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Strong Ohio Wins Title in Hectic Game UM Alum. Mag.
What A Homecoming!   Michigan Racked UP OSU Monthly

1955
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Buckeyes Blast Hopes
First Win at Ann Arbor Since 1937 Costs Michigan Title and Trip
UM Alum. Mag.
Buckeyes Observe Ann Arbor Day OSU Monthly

1961
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Crippled Team Falls to OSU Power, 50-20 Michigan Daily
OHIO STATE 50, Michigan 20 OSU Monthly

1970
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"M" rushers thwarted - OSU defense immobile Michigan Daily
Ann Arbor Remembered OSU Monthly

1986
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Bo-quet of Blue roses
Wolverines hold off Buckeyes 26-24
Michigan Daily
THE GAME: Michigan 26, Ohio State 24 OSU Monthly

1995
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Biakabutuka's 313 yards ruin Ohio State's title hopes Michigan Daily
Déja Blue
Michigan dashes Ohio State's Rose Bowl dreams - again
The Lantern

2002
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Ohio State holds on to secure championship Michigan Daily
Heart and Soul OSU Monthly