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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].

Kellyn Parker

Parker Name:  Kellyn Parker
 
Current Residence and Contact Information:
Los Angeles, California
[email protected]
 
Graduating Class Year:  2007 with a BA in film and video studies
 
Pledge Class Year/Semester:  Winter 2004
 
Employer / Occupation or Graduate School:
Currently I’m working in the agent training program at united talent agency, one of the leading talent agencies in the world.
 
Career or Graduate School Overview:
Establishing a career in the entertainment industry...I love movies.
 
Personal Activities and Family Status:
I stay involved with pdt through housing corp and try to make it back on campus every fall for a football game (it breaks my heart that we have lost the last 3 times ive flown back). currently i am living with my girlfriend since high school gabby risner, she is teaching preschool out here and witnessed first hand the reestablishment of Michigan Alpha.
 
Interesting Career Fact or Experience:
I occasionally get to share elevator rides with famous actors
 
Role in the Reestablishment of the Michigan Alpha Chapter:
I was in the last wave of brothers to join as we transitioned out of being a colony into a fully functional chapter. i got see us work our way through a lot of obstacles and helped establish our identity as a newly formed chapter. in the subsequent years i served as the recruitment chairmen and president. most rewarding was the realization of all our hard work as we created our own legacy at michigan alpha, both reestablishing old traditions and starting up plenty of our own.
 
Favorite Memory of Michigan Alpha:
Loved my time in Phi Delt, it really enhanced the undergraduate experience and helped me establish connections that were vital in my transition out west, including a social and business network through the cal delta chapter (USC).
 
Being an active member and chapter president helped me learn and grow just as much as my classroom experience at UM. my best memories among many at PDT have to include the epic road trips we took to away football games, the blackout bus to Columbus, Ohio for the #1 vs #2 game and the 2006 Rose Bowl being the best (even though we lost both games) other memorable trips include going to Notre Dame, Mad Town, and Happy Valley. Honorable mentions would have to be spring break 2006 in Acapulco, Mexico, and our championship season in IM football.
 
Message for the Brothers About the 5 Year Anniversary of the Reestablishment of the Michigan Alpha Charter:
I cherish my time spent on campus and made some of my closest friends through the experience. I love to read the great updates in the Sword and Shield and talk to current brothers, they are continuing a great tradition. I’m very proud that my brothers and I had a hand in reestablishing a premiere organization on campus that future brothers will be able to enjoy as much as I did.  Go Blue and proud to be a Phi.