web
www.pdtumich.com

Michigan Alpha Centennial 1964

  • PDT MA Cen 7
    The Centennial Celebration 1964 jointly hosted by the Michigan Alpha Alumni Association and active chapter.

Homecoming 2013

  • PDT HC 13_993
    Homecoming 2013 at 1437 Washtenaw.

Harmon BBQ 2013

  • HBBQ9999999
    BBQ at the chapter house to honor Tom Harmon '41.

Homecoming 2012

  • 999
    BBQ revives tradition attracting strong alumni attendance.

Mud Bowl

  • F 998 90 MB 90
    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].

« May 2015 | Main | September 2015 »

Active Chapter President’s Report

Team 151

By William S. Watkins ‘17

William Watkins picture 2014[Posted June 1, 2015]  On behalf of the active chapter membership, I would like to thank our alums who have been generous in donating their money, time and moral support to Michigan Alpha. Your backing is critically important and tremendously appreciated.

I especially wish to thank the leaders of the Alumni Association/House Corporation and the Chapter Advisory Board for donating countless hours of your time to help the active chapter stay focused on the right direction while also keeping our historic chapter house in outstanding condition.

A special thank you to all of you donated and or attended our Boxcar event and Founder’s day celebration this spring.

A strong alumni relationship and support system is very beneficial to a chapter’s long-term success. Based on what I've seen in my time here at Michigan Alpha, I think our alums are best in the U of M Greek System. That being said, I believe that we need to continue to constantly work on enhancing our relations so that actives can have more opportunities to bond with alums and establish closer personal connections. I am pleased to say that the fraternity is continuing to grow and improve. Michigan Alpha is fulfilling its mission to be a leader in the U of M Greek System, and in doing so making a positive impact on the campus and the Ann Arbor community

Early this spring six other Greek houses caused hundreds-of-thousands of dollars to ski resorts in Northern Michigan that has brought the University of Michigan Greek Life into a bad light. We are proud that we canceled our Ski Trip in after this happened so we did not get dragged into the bad press. While Greek Life continues to pop into the national news Michigan Alpha has continued to be a responsible member of the Greek Community. Thank you for the support of the chapter as we continue to strive to be the pinnacle of our community at Michigan and Nationally.

As we continue to grow, my hope is that you will find our achievements worthy of your continued support and make you proud to say you are a Michigan Alpha alum.

The following outlines highlights of the 2014-2015 year, with much emphasis on this the Fall Semester.

Intramural Sports

After raising over $3,000 for Autism Awareness PDT was apart of this years Winterfest, a broomball tournament hosted by Alpha Sig where in the first round we lost in OT to DKE. It was a great event to be apart of and hope to continue our involvement in the event in years to come.

As for IMs PDT won volleyball, and Waterpolo. We were runner-ups in basketball finals and dodgeball. Rec Sports has decided not to get Stevenson’s Cup again this year but we believe that we would be in the running if they were to do so.

Grade Point Average

The Office of Greek Life and IFC has not yet released our average GPA from for the 2015 Winter Semester but I am confident that we will remain above the all campus male average and among the top within Greek Life.

Winter Rush

This winter we matched our Fall class with a pledge class of 16 excellent men. The active chapter is very happy with their progression as future members who will activate in September of 2015.

This is one of our largest Winter classes we have ever had and we are very pleased with this school years recruitment of 32 total men. The Phikeia are from eight different states including, Georgia, California, New York, New Jersey, Illinois, and of course, Michigan.

Total Membership and House Occupancy

Currently, our active membership is 90 with our 16 Phikeia. Our total of 106 members places Michigan Alpha above the U of M fraternity average of 82 members. It continues to not be our goal to be the largest fraternity on campus, as we believe that one of the hallmarks of Michigan Alpha’s historic success is the opportunity for men to participate in multiple activities and leadership positions.

We have grown in numbers a lot over the past years, but remain a close-knit brotherhood. Even with our recent growth we have maintained a size that allows us to know every member of the fraternity -- a feat not possible in some houses that strive just to be the biggest in numbers rather than best in quality.

In addition to keeping busy with activities in the chapter, Michigan Alpha members are involved in campus activities such as the Hockey Club, Dance Marathon, Managing the Michigan Football team, Club Sailing, ROTC, Investment Club, Economics Club, Ski Club, an Improv club and many other organizations. In the Fall we will have 27 actives living the chapter house and we continue to look to grow this number in the coming years. This is two more than last year and while our tailgate house is an important asset for us I believe that this number will continue to steadily rise in the coming years.

Social Events

Despite cancelling our Ski Trip we had a great semester socially. Next year we are excited to be tailgating with the lovely ladies from Zeta Tau Alpha. We are excited to see Coach Jim Harbaugh next season, and I kow there will be a new buzz around Michigan Football. Additionally we had a great St. Patrick’s Day event with the fraternity Delta Upsilon, and sororities Zeta Tau Alpha, and Pi Beta Phi.

We also had our Formal this year in Chicago, we Bused brother and their dates down The Congress Hotel where everyone stayed. Everyone was responsible for their own dinners and then we met at a boat on the river at 9pm that went down the river and on to Lake Michigan around Navy Pier. It was a great weekend, and we hope to continue improve upon this event and continue doing it in the future.

Philanthropy

Michigan Alpha’s commitment to philanthropy remains steadfast as we have continued to work with Ann Arbor Active Against ALS (A2A3) to awareness about, and funds for, combating Lou Gehrig's Disease. This Winter we had our 7th annual Boxcar Derby with A2A3 and it raised together we raised the most money the this event has ever raised, coming in around $15,000.

11 members completed the University’s Dance Marathon, which raises money for Mott’s Children Hospitals. The PDT team raised the most money out of any other fraternity and now many brothers have gotten more involved and have obtained leadership roles within the organization. It appears that MI Alpha will continue to lead the way in the Greek Community with Dance Marathon involvement.

Upcoming Events and Alums Always Welcome to Visit

During the Fall semester, with momentum from the 150th we will be planning a fun Homecoming event with the Alumni Board that we hope many alumni can attend.

As always, if you have suggestions or questions, please feel free to contact me by e-mail at [email protected].  Proud to be a Phi!

Posted in Active Chapter |

|