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 pdtumich@gmail.com.

« | Main | » 

Alumni Association Top News and Web Site Updates

Homecoming 2016

Michigan Alpha's 2016 Graduating Seniors

PDT Named "Fraternity of the Year" by U of M IFC

2015 Fall Semester Pledge Class

2015 Homecoming

Sword & Shield E-newsletter 2015 Homecoming Edition

2015 Homecoming Open House

2015 Fall Rush Begins

Active Chapter President's Report: Team 151

Michigan Alpha's Newest Alums Graduate in 2015 U of M Ceremony

Sword & Shield E-newsletter Early Spring 2015 & Winter 2015

Sword & Shield Newsletter 2014 Review Edition

Active Chapter President's Report

Michigan Alpha 150th Anniversary Dinner &

2014 Homecoming Open House Invitation

Happy July 4th from Ann Arbor!

Memorial Day Weekend 2014 Salute to Brother John Bierkamp '42

Michigan Alpha's Newest Alums

Michigan Alpha Active Chapter Achieves Academic Success

Successful Bi-Province Conference Hosted by Michigan Alpha Leaders

Michigan Alpha Alums' Scholarships for Active Chapter Members

Michigan Alpha Recruits 10 Men in 2014 Winter Rush

Sword & Shield E-newsletter for Winter 2014

Active Chapter Forms Team for 2014 U of M Dance Marathon

Michigan Alpha Initiates 21, Total Active Membership at 90

Merry Christmas and Season's Greetings from the Active Chapter

150th Anniversary Planning Yields 1891 Picture of Michigan Alpha

Nat Love '81 Helped to Re-establish PDT at Michigan State

Alumni Association Mourns the Loss of Don Lund '45

Christmas and Holiday Season 2013 at Michigan Alpha

149th Anniversary of Michigan Alpha

Homecoming 2013

Harmon BBQ 2013 at the Chapter House

Don Lund '45 and New Harmon-Chappuis-Lund Award

PDT Wins 2012-2013 Fraternity League IM Sports Championship

Sword & Shield newsletter 2012 Review

Facebook News Feed

Homecoming 2012 Article

Homecoming 2012 Photo Album

Annual Fund 2013-2014

Posted |

|