Game of the Century!

We Don't Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan
O, we don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
The whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan
We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan, we're from Ohio
We're from Ohio...O-H
We're from Ohio...I-O
O, we don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan
The whole state of Michigan, the whole state of Michigan
We don't give a damn for the whole state of Michigan, we're from Ohio

This is one of the songs that exemplifies the rivalry between the Ohio State University and Michigan University, as well as, the rivalry between Ohio and Michigan. The rivalry between OSU and Michigan can be traced back to a feud between their respective states which began in 1835. The state of Ohio and the Michigan Territory fought a bloodless conflict with one another in a border dispute known as the Toledo War. Some have proposed that the college football rivalry is a modern manifestation of this historical tension.

Michigan-Ohio State rivalry is the intense rivalry between the University of Michigan and The Ohio State University football teams. Michigan and OSU ranked first in an ESPN poll conducted in 2000 of the greatest North American sports rivalries. Since 1918, the game has alternated location between Columbus, Ohio, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and has been played in Ohio Stadium since 1922 and Michigan Stadium since 1927. Since each school routinely ranks among the strongest in the country, the game often has implications upon the Big Ten Conference titles, Rose Bowl, and the National Championship.

It is no small wonder why We Don't Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan came about. Though a very popular song, especially when Ohio State plays Michigan annually in the Big Game, We Don't Give a Damn for the Whole State of Michigan's date of arrangement was written in this timeframe. The song appeared in the Broadway show "The Male Animal" (1940), and the subsequent movie in 1942, as We Don't Give a Darn for the Whole State of Michigan. James Thurber, an alumnus of The Ohio State University, and a famous writer and cartoonist, contributed his expertise to the production of the Broadway show. It is unknown if this song was written for the play or was already in use beforehand.

Even though Ohio State University is not mentioned in the productions, it is quite obvious that Thurber's Buckeye roots were showing. There is a reference to Hennicks, a former drug store and soda fountain that existed well into the 1950s on High Street; the main commercial center on the eastern boundary of The Ohio State University campus. The characters, in the productions, tune to frequency 1210 AM to listen to the game; 1230 is an AM frequency that is assigned to Columbus, Ohio.

[Sources: Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry, Wikepedia; Songs of The Ohio State University]

Postscipt: Legendary Shadows

The champions of the OSU-Michigan saga are the legendary headcoaches Woody Hayes (OSU) and Bo Schembechler (UM). Interestingly, both OSU and Ohio in general can claim Bo as one of their own. He was born in Ohio, and while a student at Miami University (of Ohio), Bo actually played for Woody, then became his assistant coach at OSU, before moving on and coaching "that school up north" for a couple decades.

Woody is an American cultural icon, despite having left the game on a sad note, where he let his bad temper be his final memory. Woody gave a face to American hardass. He is still remembered for a lot of good, not least of which, the wisdom recorded in his sayings. One of my favorites is, "You can never give back, but you can always give forward."

Sadly, yesterday, on the eve of what could be the greatest episode, Bo Schembechler died at the age of 77. They're planning a moment of silence in his honor at today's game. I hope the game will live up to expectations and thus be the fitting tribute to Bo, that nothing else could be. I hope our boys show that we do give a damn for Bo! --S.D.

Go Bucks!