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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].

Kevin Szawala

P3280629 Name: Kevin ‘Mr. Peace’ Szawala

Current Residence and Contact Information:  
Northville, MI         
[email protected]
       
Graduating Class Year:  Class of 2007. 
Degrees in Economics, Spanish & Global Change

Pledge Class Year/Semester:  2004 / Winter Semester

Employer / Occupation or Graduate School:
Being Who I Want 2 Be / Motivational Speaker
       
Career or Graduate School Overview:
Spent 4 years as a Sales & Marketing Analyst at the global automotive supplier, Federal-Mogul.  Recent MBA Graduate of Wayne State University
Focus in Marketing & Entrepreneurial Management.

Personal Activities and Family Status: 
In my spare time I love to read, learn, travel, connect with new people and hear their stories, create hip-hop music, write poetry and play basketball.

Interesting Career Fact or Experience:
As Michigan’s current 15th District Team Leader for the Department of Peace campaign, he has hosted P.E.A.C.E. (Promoting Ethnic And Cultural Equality) DAY on the main campus Diag of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor since 2007.  The intention of the yearly event is to encourage further connection, community, tolerance and acceptance.  Further, I am the founder of "Being Who I Want 2 Be, LLC" (www.beingwhoiwant2be.com), a motivational speaking forum for youth groups, high school students and young adults.  So far the message of change, hope and inspiration I share with others has reached nearly 40,000 people across the state of Michigan.

Role in the Reestablishment of the Michigan Alpha Chapter:
Served as Intramural Sports Chairman.

Favorite Memory of Michigan Alpha:
My favorite memory was winning IM Championships in Basketball & Flag Football.  I remember how hard all of us brothers had worked to get Phi Delt back to the elite status of being recognized as a competitive sports fraternity again within the Greek system.

Message for the Brothers About the 5 Year Anniversary of the Reestablishment of the Michigan Alpha Charter:
Phi Delt is different when compared to other fraternities in the sense that it consists of a very special group of brothers who have chosen to be a part of something bigger than themselves.  They have decided to put other’s needs and the needs of the greater community ahead of their own.  Focusing on this, along with striving to do what is morally right and always looking to make a difference are the basic principles in which Michigan Alpha was re-founded upon.  I wish both the current and future brothers nothing but the greatest of success in the years ahead with the ongoing challenge to never stop asking yourself what you want to be remembered by, who you wish to be for this planet and what makes you come alive, because what this world needs are more people who have come alive.  And as you go your dreams, remember, that the opposite of success is not failure, it is quitting.  Proud to be a Phi!  Peace In.