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Posted on Mon, Oct 31, 2011 : 1:38 p.m.

In Iowa, they remember Hawkeyes' 9-7 upset of Michigan in 1981

By AnnArbor.com Staff

Thirty years ago, the Michigan football team was ranked No. 6 in the nation and played host to an unbeaten Iowa team. The result, a 9-7 Iowa victory, remains a strong memory for former Iowa staff member George Wine, who now has a blog.

Among Wine's memory of that day in Ann Arbor:

The Hawkeyes used that victory as a spring board to a Big Ten co-championship and berth in the Rose Bowl. More importantly, Iowa sustained that success and became the most successful football program in the Big Ten over a seven-year period, making those "bad decades" a distant memory.

Comments

Tru2Blu76

Mon, Oct 31, 2011 : 6:56 p.m.

One sure sign a football team is in need of a boost is when: someone drags out the 30 year-old "miracle upset" against Michigan that saved their season. (Noting: especially when the well intentioned booster mentions "... making those bad DECADES a distant memory.") Michigan hasn't had but ONE bad decade (the one under Bump Elliott) in the modern era. Ironic: I think Bump went from Michigan to Iowa and was deemed a big success as their athletic director. Well: it looks very much like that 1981 landmark win won't help Iowa THIS year. Doesn't that make it - "a distant memory" too? ;-) Go Blue! Beat the Hawkeyes!