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Michigan Alpha Centennial 1964

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    The Centennial Celebration 1964 jointly hosted by the Michigan Alpha Alumni Association and active chapter.

Homecoming 2013

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    Homecoming 2013 at 1437 Washtenaw.

Harmon BBQ 2013

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    BBQ at the chapter house to honor Tom Harmon '41.

Homecoming 2012

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    BBQ revives tradition attracting strong alumni attendance.

Mud Bowl

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    A PHOTO HISTORY OF THE MUD BOWL 1934 to 1997 ~ MICHIGAN'S GREATEST FRATERNITY ATHLETIC RIVALRY During the fall of 1934, Phi Delta Theta (PDT) active member E. Reed Low '37 challenged the "house across the street" (Sigma Alpha Epsilon -- SAE) to a friendly game of "touch" football on the morning of Homecoming in a little used valley in their side yard along South University. Low is considered the founder of the Mud Bowl. The men of PDT and SAE fought a close match which SAE narrowly won 8 - 6. Given the intense rivalry between the two fraternities which were located only a couple hundred feet apart, it was decided that the Mud Bowl would be an annual event. The Mud Bowl became a revered Homecoming tradition as PDT and SAE fiercely battled each year for nothing more than pride. In the early years, the game essentially was a rough intramural football match played on a field that was wetter and shorter than regulation. As the annual contest matured, it was decided that the challenge and entertainment value of the game could be enhanced by tilling the ground and flooding the field. Eventually, the Ann Arbor Fire Department contributed to making the mayhem on the field even more muddy by pouring approximately 10,000 gallons of water into the valley shortly before the game. By kickoff of games played in the 1970s through the 1990s, it was not uncommon for the mud to be more than one foot deep with water covering the west end of the "field." The PDT-SAE rivalry series in the Mud Bowled ended in 1997 after the 60th game between the two fraternities was played. The records about these 60 games are a combination of fact and myth, but no one disputes that this was the greatest fraternity athletic rivalry in the State of Michigan if not the entire nation. The Mud Bowl grew into such a spectacle that crowds numbering in the thousands showed up each year to witness the game. The game attracted coverage by Sports Illustrated, ESPN, ABC Sports as well as campus, Ann Arbor and Detroit media. The Mud Bowl became so popular that national brewing companies -- at first Stroh's, and then Miller -- sponsored the event. Of course, some people have speculated that the presence of sororities playing football, or speedball in some years, during the half-time may have garnered most of the great public interest in the event. Nonetheless the athleticism and intensity of the PDT-SAE matchups proved to be very entertaining for the fans. While the exact win-loss tally is subject to dispute, it is believed that PDT rightly boasts a few more victories in the series than SAE. Given that SAE hand picked the referees for each Mud Bowl, a PDT victory typically required overcoming the opposing players plus the men in stripes. For this reason, PDT's hard fought "losses" remain as much a source of pride as its many victories. If you have pictures or memories of the Mud Bowl to share with the Alumni Association's Heritage Project, please contact us at [email protected].

« Homecoming 2009 | Main | Chapter House History »

Circa Mid-1930s Pictures of Chapter House Found

Son of 1936 Michigan Alpha President Donates Historic Photos to Alumni Association

PDT house 1936 

[December 16, 2009]  While recently going through a collection of his father's old photos, the son, Bob Young, of Michigan Alpha's President,  Robert C. Young '36, during the 1935-36 school year came across pictures of the Phi Delta Theta chapter house believed to have been taken during the  mid-1930s.

While it would have been easy for Bob to just keep these photos in his family's archive forever, he decided to find out if the photos were meaningful to the owners of the fraternity house.  Bob's research on the Internet enabled him to find the Alumni Association's web site and e-mail address which he used to provide us with copies of the photos.

As it turns out, Young's photos of the exterior and interior of the house have provided us with the best visual record we have of the structure from this era.  All of Young's photos can be viewed in the "Historical Photos" album.

In the course of discussing the discovery of these photos, the Alumni Association learned from Bob about his father's noteworthy career in journalism.   After graduating from Michigan, Young went on to a distinguished 46 year career with the Chicago Tribune.

He was present for, or reported about, many historic events.  Young became a Tribune White House correspondent and was in the presidential motorcade in Dallas on that fateful November day in 1963 when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

During his career, Young covered Presidents Truman, Eisenhower, Kennedy,  Johnson and Nixon before retiring as the editor of the Tribune's Washington Bureau in 1977.

Young spent his retirement years with his wife living at Leisure World in California before passing away in 2000 at the age of 85.

Thanks to the thoughtfulness of his son, the Alumni Association now knows more about the early history of our grand old chapter house as well as Young who achieved great distinction in his professional career.  This find is a tremendous addition to the Alumni Association's Heritage Project.

The Alumni Association is very grateful to Robert C. Young for keeping these photos in his archive for decades.  In coelo quies est, Brother Young.

Posted in Alumni Updates and News, Heritage Project |

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