By Tracy Sandler
Daily Sports Writer
A lot has happened in the past 100 years. The Titanic sunk and returned as a blockbuster movie. Television and radio were born. Communism rose and fell in Russia.
But through it all, there has been at least one constant: the heated rivalry between Michigan and Michigan State.
Tomorrow's game marks the 100th anniversary of this friendly - yeah, right - game of football. Oct. 12, 1898 brought the Wolverines a 39-0 victory.
Rivalries can be blown out of proportion, but this one is huge.
How huge? The massive trophy awarded to the winning team portrays Paul Bunyan standing on a map of Michigan and holding a flag from each school.
"We've seen it the past two days," Michigan quarterback Tom Brady said. "It's been on display. It's about seven or eight feet tall, so I look up to it. It's a pretty ugly trophy. Coach Carr always says, 'You don't miss it 'til it's gone.' Playing for that trophy is part of the tradition ..."
Fair enough, but there is more to this game than a trophy.
Former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler, who accumulated a .796 winning percentage over 21 seasons, is an expert on the subject.
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"Even though we won the (Big Ten) championship, beat Ohio State and had a great year, everyone said, 'Bo doesn't understand the importance of the Michigan State game,'" Schembechler said. "I said, 'OK, then we're going to start to place a lot of emphasis on that game.' Then, in my career, for the next 20 years, we beat them 17 times."
Is the importance of this blue and green bout beginning to sink in?
"Both teams could have a poor record," said former Michigan offensive tackle Jim Brandstatter, the current WJR radio color analyst for the Wolverines. "You win this game, in a lot of ways, you can make your season."
Former Michigan left tackle and Athletic Director Tom Goss agrees that whether the two teams are undefeated or suffering through losing seasons - winning this game means everything.
"No matter who the better team is at the time, the emotion that comes with this game is unbelievable," Goss said. "The athletes rise to a whole other level. They're playing for the 'state championship.'"
People do not forget these games. Oct. 13, 1973 sticks out for Schembechler.
"We played in East Lansing in a driving, driving rainstorm," Schembechler said. "I told our players that I wouldn't grade them on technique as long as they protected the ball. It rained so hard sometimes, you could not see the other side of the field. We beat them, 31-0, by not turning the ball over, and they turned it over half a dozen times."
Recent memory is the immediate concern as tomorrow approaches. In this game, one team earns bragging rights for 52 weeks.
"You're either on one side or the other, and you want desperately for your team to win," Brandstatter said. "This game means you have one year where you can gloat or they can. This game is important to everyone in the state."
Not only is it important to everyone in the state; but the matchup divides families, dictates Saturday dress and will be the main conversation topic at the water cooler.
"Basically, anywhere you go, everyone you meet knows who won and how well you played," former Michigan kicker Remy Hamilton said.
The players know there is no joy in spending the next 12 months hiding from Spartans.
"You don't want to go for a whole year knowing that Michigan State beat you," Michigan fullback Aaron Shea said. "You can't have a successful season at Michigan and lose to Michigan State."
Spending a year under the stigma of having lost this game is in everyone's mind.
"If you go out and you don't play well that day, for 365 days you've got to hear about it," Brady said. "Everyone understands that. It's a very emotional and physical game. In terms of intensity, it's like none other that we'll play."
The feeling of state pride reaches everyone. Ann Arbor Mayor Ingrid Sheldon and East Lansing Mayor Mark Meadows have a friendly wager going.
If the Wolverines leaves Michigan Stadium victorious, the University's block "M" flag will fly above East Lansing City Hall for a day and vice-versa.
"I attended a meeting at the Kellogg Center in East Lansing last January, right after the Rose Bowl," Sheldon said. "It was so neat being in the heart of Spartan territory with community leaders. There was so much pride from the Michigan fans that Michigan had done so well. It was neat to experience."
For the men on the field tomorrow, there's more than excitement. There's pressure, too.
"It's a big game, and it always will be in Michigan history," Michigan wide receiver Marcus Knight said. "It's there. You can feel it every day. You can feel it every minute of every day."
Part of the mystique stems from the two powerhouses playing, and it's no secret that they don't love each other.
"Every play's a battle," Shea said. "They play hard all game. We play hard all game. It's for the state championship and for bragging rights."
Not everyone, however, is buying the hype. Michigan State tailback Sedrick Irvin said he doesn't see the big deal. He said he's going out there to win the game. If that means gaining a statue of Paul Bunyan, then that's great too.
"You want to play to see whose the best team in the state," Irvin said. "But, all the rivalry and all the hype, I'm just not a guy who gets all into that. It's just a game that I would like to win, just like every game I play.
"So, excuse me for not being all excited about it. That's just not me."
Irvin has a point. There's a game to play tomorrow, and at game time, execution and smart play are most important.
"Your preparation is definitely intense," Brady said. "But once you get on the field, it's just like you're playing another
09-25-98
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