Every couple of minutes Sunday morning, the doors to the University of Michigan's Indoor Track Building opened and garbage bag-toting Wolverines fans stepped out into a steady rain.

Greg Rhodes said he had about $280 worth of merchandise from the Michigan athletic department garage sale in his black plastic bag. His friend, Chris Richards, did a double-take. He thought his $95 worth of purchases was significant.

The two Ypsilanti residents walked out of the sale with roughly the same items: polo shirts, a jacket, a pair of running shoes -- most brand new, with their original tags.

It's just that Rhodes grabbed 10 polo shirts from the racks and tables spread throughout the facility, enough to wear a clean Michigan shirt every day of the year.

"That's pretty much all I wear, anyway," Rhodes said.

Rhodes, 33, and Richards, 34, were there early enough to choose from the best merchandise, which included football jerseys, football pants, footballs, shoes, polo shirts, T-shirts, shorts, basketball practice jerseys, warm-up jackets, warm-up pants, robes, gloves and other merchandise.

They arrived at 6 a.m. and estimate they were 100 deep in line. The doors opened at 8 a.m. and the sale is open until 11 a.m.

By 9:15 a.m., when Rhodes and Richards exited the rear door of the Indoor Track Building, the men said the only sizes remaining inside were extra-small and XXXXX-large.

As they walked back to their vehicle -- headed for breakfast with friends before hitting the Michigan Fan Day festivities, which start at 2 p.m. -- a line of umbrella-toting fans still snaked along the right-field fence and back to the grandstand at Ray Fisher Stadium.

None appeared to be in the market for XXXXX-large polos.

Rich Rezler is a sports producer for AnnArbor.com. Contact him at richrezler@annarbor.com or 734-623-2553.