Ohio's biggest Michigan Fan

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 7:21 p.m.

My wife and I and our two boys of 3 and 1 made the hour and a half drive from our home in OH to attend fan day. Most importantly to let our boys who are named Maizen and Hailon a chance to see where their names come from and go out on the field. We arrived at the stadium around 11:30 waited in the line right out side of the gate by section 38 Where Denard would be. We were prob about 100 or so ppl back from the front. When the gates opened we say person after person cut in line. By 2 oclock we somehow were magically about 300 ppl from the front. By 3:00 we had moved I would say about 40 ft. Staff watched as person after person cut in Denards line and did nothing about it. I then just decided we would try again next year and went into the stadium to let the boys play on the field. They loved it. around 3:30 we headed up the south stairs out and i was able to walk right up and get all of the LB's autographs and then proceeded to look for an open Bathroom. I grabbed the family Restrooms handle locked and heard a voice behind me say "Is that locked?" I turned around and said "yeah" and to my amazement it was Mike Martin. I told him about the ridiculously absurd way the lines were being organized on the north end and he told me he had been hearing about it all day. I asked if he could sign my Football for the boys and of course he obliged and said "I'm not a bad guy" I told him of course not and thanked him. All and all it was a good day. I really do think the staff was overwhelmed and was clueless I was told at one point the one tunnel was entrance only and walked in the staffer on the inside told me I couldnt come through then when walking out was told again that it was entrance only. I said "you guys need to get on the same page, you told me to go that way, he told me to go this way now I'm stuck here because one of you guys are wrong. Go talk to him" and was finally allowed to pass. Overall it was all right

treetowncartel

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 7:16 p.m.

And we wonder what is wrong with college athletics? It is so overrated and so commercialized now that it really is losing its charm. Why on earth would anyone endure this on one of the few summer Saturdays of the year?

oldblueypsi

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 3:58 p.m.

I was not there, so I didn't experience the lines or "disappointment" expressed by many. But let's not forget that the autograph signers are 18-23 year olds, some just three months out of high school. With the advent of the Hoke era, all of these gentlemen are learning a new playbook (for the new coaches, they are learning the players), working their way through two a days, preparing for fall classes, and adjusting or readjusting to the hectic fall schedule which awaits them. They cannot, and should not, be expected to sign autographs well into the evening hours. Could efficiency in the staging of such an event be improved? Yes, but there's a learning curve involved in that. Can abuse of the system by requesting mutiple signings be eliminated? Yes. Instead of just griping, how about submitting your ideas for improvement in writing to the Athletic Department? With the current athletic administration, I believe next year's (or even this year's basketball team's) fan day will show massive improvement. TiM!

Lorain Steelmen

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 3:51 p.m.

Regarding the lines, and the kids that left heart-broken, perhaps a NEW motto is appropriate; 'Those that stay will be disappointed.' ......just sayin'. I don't happen to be a 'respector of persons', so I 've never understood this whole 'autograph thing' anyway...but I do feel VERY badly, for the young kids. Why don't; they have one line for each player and coach...so you'd have, what?, 120 lines, at once.

Rich Rezler

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 3:46 p.m.

From Dave Brandon's Twitter feed, minutes ago: &quot;We are already meeting &amp; planning to change (what) is currently called &quot;Fan Day 2012.&quot; We will strive to create a 'wow' experience!&quot; <a href="http://twitter.com/#" rel='nofollow'>http://twitter.com/#</a>!/DaveBrandonAD

Edward R Murrow's Ghost

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 2:03 p.m.

I have long thought that A2.com attracted a disproportionate number of nattering nabobs of negativism relative to their number in the community at large. The comments on this article proves it. 1) Those football player could have been there until 7PM and the lines would still have been there. They were huge. 2) When I arrived at 2PM the lines were so long that I knew immediately that I'd never get to the players by 330PM, so I never got in any line. Yet I still saw people getting into line as later as 3PM when I left. They have no one but themselves to blame for their lack of common sense. 3) So after walking around the stadium, and getting some great pics of the player (esp. D-Rob) w/o being in line, I sent down on the field. Lots of fun being had down there by thousands of people. A really neat perspective that I never get from my seats. First time I had been on the field since construction of the press box and luxury suites. Those structures must make the field incredibly intimidating for visitors. 4) Got my picture taken with some REALLY cute cheerleaders. Might not have been D-Rob, but it was fun!! Bottom line: lighten up people, and get a life. It would have taken some real effort NOT to have fun at the Big House yesterday, but it sure appears that some people went out of their way to make that effort. Good Night and Good Luck

scott

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 12:20 p.m.

I had a blast at this, but only because it's Michigan and I'd be happy just sitting in the stadium. Going on the field was amazing. They really screwed up the lines, I could see all kinds of players not signing anything and sitting around because they couldn't get all four lines through in one. Basic common sense and organization was lacking throughout the stadium. It was crazy how many people were there working who did not know what was going on or just lacked a plan of how to get people through lines.

A2comments

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 11:13 a.m.

Back in 2007 my two sons got up early, drove to Meijer and bought 2 footballs (cheaper) and drove to fan days. Lines were long for the coach, Mike Hart, and qbs, but they got a few autographs. In line for the defensive lineman, time ran out. My oldest had lived across the hall from Terrace Taylor (who was rarely there as he lived in an off campus apartment). He yelled out Terrance's name, and Terrance brought the entire line over. As they were signing the footballs, Terrance asked my youngest &quot;are you his brother&quot;? My youngest said &quot;yes, this may be the only time I am happy to say that&quot;. Terrance exploded in laughter. Great memory for my boys.

ThoseWhoStayUofM

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 4:42 a.m.

That's what you get for advertising it like mad and holding the signing day on a Sunday. How utterly absurd. Put it on a weekday and shut the hell up about it. The true fans will be there and the ebay kings will get out.

Becky

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 3:55 a.m.

My son and I went to the fan appreciation day today. First we went to the &quot;garage&quot; sale that they had. Waited in that line to pay for items purchased. Then we went to stand in another line waiting for the gates to open. We stood for hrs in line and it was raining. But that didn't detour us to leave. We are Michigan fans and endure all types of weather. When the gates finally opened there was a mad dash to get in yet another line to wait for over an hour. Unfortunately there wasn't any type of order and people were cutting in line at the start of the stairs that led up to the concessions at gate 38. Also people were going to the top of the hill in the grassy area and line jumped there also. So the ones who were waiting and waiting in line got turned away. This has happened to me and my son for the past 3 yrs. I'm so very disappointed in the way that the event was &quot;set&quot; up. There was no order at all. If that's the way they continue to plan events I won't be attending any again. I grew up being a &quot;Michigan&quot; fan but am so disenhearted by the way things were done. My daughter is a Michigan State fan and has gone to their fan appreciation day and she says there was order to it by the way they set it up. She was able to get every players autograph. Hmmmmm maybe Michigan should learn from this.

DMoney

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 1:54 a.m.

I saw lines forming well before 1:00 (we went to lunch and then came back, forget that). So let's face it, if you weren't in line by then, you weren't getting autographs from any of last year's starters or the coaches. So, my kids and I walked around the stadium. To our surprise, we were able to get autographs from many of the key players (Including Rawls. Yeah, just walking around). Oh, include photos with David Brandon (Took the time to say hello). Also, from the kicker, Wile. And many others. My point is that sure, you could wait in line trying to get that once in a lifetime autograph (better make it in early), or you could get autographs from the other student athelete, have a good time on the field and in the stadium. All-in-all, this was a great event and I'll definitely do it again. My advice, just don't expect to get Denard's autograph showing up at 1:30 for a 2:00 event, that's a once in a lifetime thing. Seek other players, enjoy the access and remember to take it all in because none of the players or coaches have to do this sort of thing. Go Blue, DMoney

MichFanTex

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 1:47 a.m.

Just so we're all straight about this. The University and Athletic Dept. have spent the last eight months hyping Brady Hoke, deservedly so, and there is an electric buzz about this &quot;new&quot; team the likes of which haven't been felt in years, and Dave Brandon didn't expect a large turnout? Maybe this is a case where DB should have been reading some headlines and visiting the various fan forums.

eom

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 1:02 a.m.

I understand there were a lot of people, but it seems that the UofM staff didn't quite do enough to ensure more people left with autographs or Michigan garb. They manage to get 110,000 people in and out of that same stadium on game days with ease...yet today was a mess. It's a shame, there are a lot of disappointed kids out there tonight...

1st Down

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 12:41 a.m.

To people complaining: Have you ever seen sands in an hourglass...or a bunch of fluid in a funnel...? It takes time to push that many people through a small space... no doubt the turnout was much greater than anticipated and id bet that next year, they have a better and more efficient system worked out

1st Down

Mon, Aug 15, 2011 : 12:36 a.m.

Does the gentleman in the photo with Coach Hoke have a WWII vets hat on? it looks that way...quite impressive! The new scoreboards are also impressive...I cant wait to get back to AA to see a game and have that experience of live replays and things on those boards.

vwp11

Sun, Aug 14, 2011 : 11:55 p.m.

It was a joke. They let people keep coming and coming and they KNEW most of them were not going to get anywhere near an autograph in the measly 1.5 hour window. But in true Athletic Dept style, they let us all wait there for hours, continuing to sell merchandise (get that autograph!) and expensive refreshments. At 3:30 the fans were left holding the bag, so to speak, often with $100 worth of merchandise they expected to get signed. They came around and cut off the lines at a certain point and if they had any decency, the people who &quot;made the cut&quot; should have been allowed to get through. I was 20 people away from getting to the running backs and they just disappeared at 3:30 with people standing there in line yet, looking shell-shocked, disgusted, and even some little ones were crying. I moved about 100 ft in 2.5 hrs. Great fan day. They really take us for granted. I'm certain, as the reader above suggests, that the people with the full team signed helmets will be out on eBay in no time. Sickening, cruel, disorganized mess for lots of real fans... especially the little ones. No fault of the players, but Brandon should be a lot more than sorry. What did he expect?

sh1

Sun, Aug 14, 2011 : 11:52 p.m.

There were a lot more fans turned away than the article suggests. My nephew waited with us in one line for an hour and then tried to find a shorter line on the defensive side. They had, however, taken those three lines and consolidated them into one, so he waited again but then ended up without any autographs. It was a life lesson in disappointment, I suppose.

48104

Sun, Aug 14, 2011 : 11:25 p.m.

They need to enforce the lines and the item limits. There were definitely guys who could best be described as eBay dudes doing the chat and cut/chat and pass trick to exploit the system.