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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].

« January 2014 | Main | March 2014 »

Successful Bi-Province Conference Hosted by Michigan Alpha Leaders and Nat Love '81

More than 125 Actives from 9 Chapters Attend to Learn Best Practices 

PDT MA Bi Prov 2014 February 22

[Posted February 22, 2014]  Congratulations to the Michigan Alpha active chapter leadership and Sigma North Province President Nat Love '81 for organizing and hosting a very successful PDT Bi-Province Conference at the Michigan Union on Saturday.

The conference was attended by more than 125 active member Phis from nine chapters in the Sigma North and Sigma South Province that covers Michigan and parts of Ohio. In addition, alumni leaders from Michigan Alpha and other chapters attended.

Remarks and presentations were made by PDT General Council Reporter Jeff Davis (Southeast Missouri State '94), former General Council President Michael Scarlatelli (Kettering '76), U of M Office of Greek Life Director Mary Beth Siler and a U of M student support group on issues of high importance to properly operating fraternities, risk management and achieving excellence.

Love and Sigma South President Jim Warner (Akron '71) have been organizing this annual event for over 14 years. Both Love and Warner felt that the conference succeeded in sharing information on best practices while broadening connections between leaders from different PDT chapters.

Posted in Active Chapter, Alumni Updates and News |

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Facebook logo PDT MA

 [Posted February 18, 2014]

PDT MA facebook 2014 February 18

Posted in Active Chapter, Facebook News Feed |

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Michigan Alpha Recruits 10 Men During 2014 Winter Rush

Growth Pattern Continues as Total Membership Reaches 100

PDT MA 2014 Winter Pledge Class house picture

[Posted February 13, 2014]  The active chapter's momentum is continuing with another strong pledge class. The 2014 Winter Pledge Class has 10 freshmen. Half of the pledges are from towns in Michigan, but the class includes geographic diversity reaching coast-to-coast -- and even Europe.

Building on the 21 new initiatives from the 2013 Fall Pledge Class, Michigan Alpha is on track to add 30 new members in one school year for the second time during the last three school years. The current active membership stands at 90 men -- 100 total members including the Phikeias. This is the chapter's largest membership total since the 1990s.

Congratulations to the Rush Chairmen and all brothers who made a strong effort to grow the fraternity with men who are willing to uphold Phi Delta Theta's high standards for academics, character and brotherhood.

Roster of the 2014 Winter Pledge Class:

Siddhartha Acharya '17, Plymouth, Michigan 
Jackson Ralph Comstock '17, New York, NY
Mitchell Reece Donahue '17, Orange Country, CA
Joey Arr Evans '17, Chicago, IL
Kai Christopher Norden '17, Stowe, VT
Chase Nicholas Richmond '17, Traverse City, Michigan
Daniel McElroy Rockwell '17, Geneva, Switzerland
Collin Smalley '17, Ann Arbor, Michigan
Konstantinos Dimitris Tzavaras '17, Saline, Michigan
Spencer David White '17, Glen Arbor, Michigan

Posted in Active Chapter |

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Alumni Association E-newsletter for 2014 Homecoming

[Posted October 21, 2014]  To learn about the Alumni Association's plans for the 150th Anniversary Dinner and the 2014 Homecoming Open House, view the Sword & Shield 2014 Homecoming E-newsletter:

PDT MA 2014 enews

Posted in Sword & Shield Newsletter |

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Active Chapter Forms Team for 2014 U of M Dance Marathon

Phis Join Successful Campus Philanthropy Event

UM Dance Marathon fundraising 2014

[Posted February 2, 2014]  Michigan Alpha is expanding its impressive commitment to philanthropy by forming an eight member team to participate in the 2014 Dance Marathon at U of M (DMUM). This is the first time PDT has participated in this extremely popular U of M student-run charity event that features 30 hours of non-stop dancing by participating teams.

DMUM, which is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Ann Arbor, facilitates partnerships between students and families with disabled children who have special therapy care needs not currently covered through health insurance or government assistance.

This year's dance marathon will be held on February 15 at the U of M Track and Field Building. It is one of the University's most respected and high energy philanthropy efforts as it brings to hundreds of U of M student to raise financial donations in conjunction with the event.

All donations raised by student teams are used to pay for children with severe disabilities to receive non-traditional physical and social therapy from the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at U of M or Beaumont Children's Hospital in Royal Oak.

Significant Donations Raised by DMUM, Michigan Alpha's Goal

During the 2013 DMUM, student teams raised the record amount of $516,707. Since its establishment in 1997, DMUM has raised more than $4.6 million that has benefited hundreds of children as well as the therapy programs at the hospitals.

Michigan Alpha's 2014 dance team is partnered with the Duggins family in Ann Arbor who has a little girl with Down Syndrome and Autism. The chapter's goal is to raise $2,500 that will pay for this girl to receive special therapy from C.S. Mott Children's Hospital at U of M.

Alumni Association Encourages Alums to Support the Actives' Team

The actives are very enthusiastic to help the Duggins Family's young girl while making a proud showing for PDT in this high profile campus charity activity, but they would benefit from assistance from alums to achieve their fundraising goal.

It is worth noting that donations to DMUM are tax deductible. Also, corporate sponsorship packages -- more than 50 local businesses and several national corporations are currently sponsors -- are available through DMUM.

The Alumni Association encourages alums to make contributions through DMUM's secure online donation processing web site that credits Michigan Alpha's fundraising for the event (https://dmum.donordrive.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=donate.start&destination=P&eventID=554&participantID=7271).

Every dollar raised helps! The deadline to donate is February 15, so please consider donating today to help the active chapter make a big difference for a local family in need while further demonstrating Michigan Alpha's strong dedication to philanthropy.

If you have any questions or want information about corporate sponsorship opportunities, please contact Michigan Alpha's 2014 DMUM team leader Connor Gibney '16 at [email protected].

Posted in Active Chapter |

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