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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].

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Michigan Alpha Top Ranked Iron Phi Chapter

Leads the Phi Delt Nation in Athletic-based Fundraising for ALS

[Posted June 1, 2011]  Established by the Phi Delta Theta General Headquarters a few years ago, the concept of Iron Phi wasdeveloped as a way to strengthen both Phi Delta Theta and its impact on the fight against Lou Gehrig’s disease. Michigan Alpha is proud to be the top ranked Iron Phi chapter in the nation. PDT MA Iron Phi chapter

We achieved this status through individual and collective efforts to engage in athletic events that raisedmoney to combat this terrible disease.  To date Michigan Alpha has raised nearly $17,000 as a participantin the Iron Phi initiative.

The fraternity has a philanthropic partnership with The ALS Association, a non-profit entity with the mission of bringing awareness to the disease and finding its cure.  Through the fundraising efforts of members of Phi Delta Theta on the way to achieving personal athletic goals, the fraternity will be able to mobilize its membership base to help the Phi Delta Theta Foundation and The ALS Association achieve their missions.

To become an Iron Phi, members of Phi Delta Theta (undergraduates and alumni) must select an athleticendeavor (marathon, half-marathon, running relay, triathlon, duathlon and ironman, bike race, etc.), and raise $1,000 through the Iron Phi website and accomplish the athletic event itself.

Michigan Alpha members who have obtained Iron Phi status include Andrew Malmquist ’12, John Hacker ’12, Karl Cran ’10, Ben Murray ’12, Ben Kaufman ’09, Tim Grady, Brian Burchman ’14, Jordan Haddad ’14, Steve Irvine ’14 and Josh Lowenthal ’14.

For more information, view the Iron Phi web site at www.ironphi.org.

 

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