Michigan and Ohio Fought a Crazy War In 1835

Michigan and Ohio fought a war over a strip of land, including Toledo. Thus, began a rivalry that continues this coming Saturday on the football gridiron in Columbus, Ohio. The game rotates between Columbus and Ann Arbor, Michigan (the home of the University of Michigan). The rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State is the best in sports and has deep historical roots.

Michigan-Ohio Was A Real War

Michigan fought Ohio in a war, perhaps prefacing their football rivalry. The war between Michigan and Ohio in 1835 (lasting until 1836) was over Toledo and the strip of land around it. The strip of land included both states and deemed the mouth of the Maumee River as economically valuable.

Michigan had just become a state and in the dispute, which was adjudicated by President Andrew Jackson, it gained the Upper Peninsula and the valuable copper mining there. In football, Ohio State and Michigan would not play until 1897. Some things were more important than football, but now this great rivalry is at risk of the death penalty because of transgressions in football.

The Death Penalty

The University of Michigan is accused of having a staff member, Connor Stallions, steal signs in an elaborate scheme. The NCAA investigation is ongoing and there has been no decision on the matter. The sign-stealing scandal is a serious transgression and may result in the death penalty for them. That would be a bad outcome as it would end one of the great rivalries in college sports.

Evidence of the sign-stealing scandal includes the staffer, Connor Stallions, taking videos of opposing teams and using other electronic devices prohibited by the NCAA. It is without question that the allegations against them are serious and could result in the death penalty. But, it is reasonable for fans of the rivalry to want it to continue.

A death penalty would not be unprecedented. Southern Methodist University received a death penalty sentence from the NCAA in 1984 and is just now recovering. A more likely outcome is that “school up north” gets some kind of postseason ban and loses some football scholarships. Any penalty is a bad idea because the NCAA would be punishing players now for the sins of past teams. Also, some great rivalry traditions with Ohio State would have to end.

Ohio State Traditions

Ohio State and the University of Michigan have been playing football against each other since 1897. There are some great traditions associated with the Michigan versus Ohio State football game. Most notably, players on the Ohio State team receive a gold pants necklace pedant if they win. The gift is from the boosters. Right now, amazingly, because Ohio State has lost the game in three consecutive seasons, there are no football players on Ohio State’s roster who own a gold pants charm. The gold pants are just one of the many traditions at tradition-rich Ohio State. 

Conclusion

From war to begin the rivalry to perhaps the greatest sports rivalry in all of sports, Ohio (State) and Michigan (the University of) have a colorful and entertaining history. For a rivalry to exist, both teams need each other, so there is no bigger fan of the University of Michigan in its sign-stealing scandal than Ohio State. For the rich traditions to continue the game must. This football game means much more to both teams than any other game on the schedule. Regularly, both teams are beat up after this war.