The Start of The Ten Year War | |||||||||||||||||||
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Date | November 22, 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||
Season | 1969 | ||||||||||||||||||
Stadium | Michigan Stadium | ||||||||||||||||||
Location | Ann Arbor, Michigan | ||||||||||||||||||
National anthem | Michigan Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||
Referee | Jerry Markbreit | ||||||||||||||||||
Halftime show | Michigan Marching Band | ||||||||||||||||||
Attendance | 103,588 | ||||||||||||||||||
United States TV coverage | |||||||||||||||||||
Network | ABC Television | ||||||||||||||||||
Announcers | Bill Flemming & Lee Grosscup |
The 1969 Ohio State vs. Michigan football game is considered to be one of the best-known games of the series, as well as one of the biggest upsets in college football history. The Buckeyes went into the game as the top-ranked team in the country, with a 22-game winning streak under the direction of head coach Woody Hayes. They were also defending national champions. The Wolverines went into the game under a new coach, Bo Schembechler, who was trying to redefine a college football power that had fallen on hard times. Ohio State was playing for its second straight national title, while Michigan was playing for the Rose Bowl, and the championship of the Big Ten Conference was on the line. The game was witnessed by a (then) stadium-record crowd of 103,588 at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, and began the combative stretch of the rivalry informally known as The Ten Year War.
Ohio State's 1969 football team was dubbed by the media as the "greatest college football team of all time", with a handful of proven All-Big Ten players and All-Americans, such as quarterback Rex Kern, running backs Larry Zelina, Jim Otis and John Brockington, wide receivers Jan White and Bruce Jankowski, middle guard Jim Stillwagon and defensive back Jack Tatum. Leading up to the Buckeyes' meeting with Michigan, Ohio State had never trailed in a game during the 1969 season, and no team had scored more than 21 points on them all season (Michigan State in a 54–21 loss). In addition, Ohio State had not scored less than 34 points in any game and their closest margin of victory was 27 points in a 34–7 win over Minnesota.