Getting Pumped for Saturday with Ufer

As we get ready for Saturday's Michigan-Notre Dame showdown in Under the Lights 2, thought we'd dig into the ol' MZone archives for one of our favorite videos from last year: What if Bob Ufer had called the U-M/ND classic from last season?  It probably would have gone something like this...

Greatest. MZone. Email. Ever.

Following Michigan's thrilling come-from-behind victory over Notre Dame, I put up this post about how the only thing that could have possibly made the victory any sweeter was if legendary Meeechigan announcer Bob Ufer had called it, especially U-M's final, miracle TD with :02 seconds left.  To illustrate what that might have been like, I made the following video:



The response to the video from the Maize and Blue faithful was very gratifying.  It's amazing what kind of impact "old man Ufer" still has on Michigan fans some 30 years after his passing.

Then I got the email below via the MZone YouTube account last week.  I think it's the best email ever received here at the MZone:

Good Evening,

Tom Ufer (son) and I are here tonight watching the YouTube video you uploaded of the greatest voice of MEEEECHIGAN football along with his sidekick, the "Bo 'George Patton'!!

We are in tears! GREAT edit!

As you may or may not know, Tom and his family run The Bob Ufer Foundation (www.ufer.org) and annually give scholarships to Ann Arbor area high school seniors for college tuition.

Tom would like to learn if you are interested in linking the clip and your site/blog to the foundation site and/or any other way to promote and support the cause honoring his dads legacy.

Thanks!

DM

Folks, that email made my day.  I was truly touched and thrilled that the late and great Robert Frost Ufer's son had seen the video and liked it.  And we here at the MZone would like to help promote and support the cause honoring Bob Ufer's legacy. 

According the Ufer website linked in the email above, "The Bob Ufer Foundation was established by the Ufer family in 1997 with a mission to raise funds to support youth activities and scholarships in the Ann Arbor community. As a major sponsor of the annual Superball 3 on 3 basketball tournament, our Foundation has helped raise money to fund teacher grants in grades K-12 in the Ann Arbor Public Schools.

Other programs supported include the Ann Arbor YMCA building fund, C.O.P.E. Center for Occupational and Personalized Education, Common Bond, and student independent projects at the local high schools. Purchase of the Ufer CDs as well as tax deductible contributions to the Foundation, will perpetuate this commitment to the community. "

That's in addition to The Bob Ufer Memorial Scholarship Fund, which originated in 1983 and "is to be utilized to provide four scholarships to students in Ann Arbor who exemplify the pursuit of athletic and academic excellence, as well as the enthusiasm and love of life, which characterized Bob Ufer’s life.

Scholarships totaling $20,000 are awarded annually to seniors from Ann Arbor Huron and Ann Arbor Pioneer High Schools who will be attending the U of M. The Scholarship Fund now totals over $445,000. Over 110 scholarships totaling $515,000 have been awarded over the past 26 years."

So if you can donate, please do.  And if you call yourself a Meeechigan fan but don't already own the Ufer CDs, for cryin' out loud, do yourself a favor and get them.  You'll quickly understand why Bob Ufer was - and still is - so beloved.

Pam Ufer Wood and Tom Ufer present Lloyd Carr with a
$250,000 endowment check for athletic scholarshops
to the University of Michigan

Imagine Bob Ufer calling the Michigan-Notre Dame game

About the only thing that could have possibly made the Michigan-Notre Dame game last Saturday night any better would have been to hear legendary Michigan football announcer Bob Ufer call what one could easily argue is the greatest comeback in U-M's storied history (it's definitely the most improbable).

For those of us not fortunate enough to be at the game, we got Brent Musburger on ESPN.  Fine, professional announcer.  But no Bob Ufer.

As I savored the victory, I got goosebumps just thinking about "old man Ufer" honking his "Bo 'George Patton' Schembechler" scoring horn after his beloved Meeeeechigan Wolverines unbelievable touchdown with two seconds left.  Something tells me, he'd still be honking the thing.

This all spawned the video below.  Enjoy.  Go Blue.  And...

God bless each and every one of your cotton pickin' Maize and Blue hearts!



UPDATE: If you'd like to honor Bob Ufer's legacy, check out this post with links to the Ufer Foundation.