From Red to Crimson, Rivalry Week flares

It would have been something about "Who wants to be a millionaire?" (Get it?) But in an ever-anticipatory sports culture, sometimes you need to step back.

With a few clicks of a mouse, you can find the projected teams for the Liberty Bowl (it's Brigham Young and Mississippi, in case you cared). With a few more clicks, you can vote in a poll for the greatest college running back of all time. Leading in one poll was Herschel Walker.

Also included among the "greats" was Ron Dayne, recipient of two gift-wrapped Rose Bowls and owner of exactly zero second-half yards against Michigan.

LOUIS BROWN/Daily Even when the legendary Red Grange played for Illinois, the Illini couldn't accomplish what they did this season - beating Michigan and Ohio State on the road.

Like I said, enough of this looking ahead to a long and productive career in the NFL, a la Herschel Walker. Or Ricky Williams, for that matter.

Dayne and Williams among the greatest all-time rushers seems a bit, well, premature to me. Kind of like Shaq in the 50 greatest NBA players of all time - or picking Arizona for national champs.

If you think about it, it's still very possible that the burly Dayne will be forever remembered as one of the greatest. But one who actually earned the right to be among the best was left off the poll.

Did we forget about Red Grange? Hmm?

Now, wait. I've lost precisely no sleep over the snub of the biggest badass in college football. Why? It was a stupid Internet poll.

But since it's rivalry week - make that Rivalry Week - it's time to look back to when old-school was just college football.

Grange, who played for Illinois from 1923-25, won a national title without standing above six feet tall, a facemask, or even a cool name like "Bronko."

But even Grange never beat Michigan and Ohio State on their home fields in the same season.

Surprisingly enough, last week's punishment by the Illini was the third time this decade that the Buckeyes have allowed Illinois to beat them in Columbus - they also lost in 1994 and 1990.

Michigan's loss was merely its second in the Big House this decade, but in addition to that 1993 loss, Michigan suffered a tie in 1992 that for the Illini, had to be similar to Harvard's 1968 grudge match against Yale.

Playing against Yale quarterback Brian Dowling, who would later be immortalized in Gerry Trudeau's comic strip, "Doonesbury," the Crimson scored 16 points in the final 42 seconds to erase a 29-13 Elis lead.

The headline in the Harvard Crimson the next day: "Harvard beats Yale, 29-29."

Isn't rivalry week great?

- Rick Freeman can be reached via

e-mail at rickfree@umich.edu.

11-19-99