Yost builds the Big (bigger, and biggest) House

Fielding Yost observes construction of Michigan Stadium with foreman. Black and white. Two men wearing white straw skimmers.

When the gates at Michigan Stadium opened to fans on Oct. 1, 1927, the venue could seat 72,000 fans — though heavy rains kept the day’s attendance to under 40,000. Thanks to the expansive vision of coach Fielding Yost, 107,601 fans can gather in Michigan Stadium nearly a hundred years later.

  1. Bar Scene at the Del Rio, October 1994

    The Del Rio: Hippie hotbed

    Second home to radicals, hipsters, jazz lovers, rock stars, nudists, DetBurgers, giant burritos and the Midwest’s most hostile waitstaff, the Del Rio bar embodied countercultural Ann Arbor—until it finally outlived its times and closed. In this book excerpt, the Del’s former owner Ernie Harburg remembers when Ann Arbor was a very different place.

  2. U-M remembers former President Robben Wright Fleming

    Robben Wright Fleming, the imperturbable U-M president who steered the school safely through the student unrest of the late 1960s and early 1970s, died Jan. 11 at age 93. His devotion to the ideals of academic freedom and civil debate amid social and political tumult led the regents to name the university’s central administration building in honor of Fleming and his wife, Sally, who died in 2005.

  3. The man who gave me Japan

    An alum’s story of how U-M prof Edward Seidensticker changed his life through poetry.

  4. U-M now metro Detroit's second-largest employer

    The University of Michigan is now metro Detroit’s second largest employer behind Ford Motor Co., according to the Crain’s Detroit Business 2010 Book of Lists. A year ago, Crain’s listed U-M fourth behind the Big Three automakers.

  5. Brandon named U-M athletic director

    University of Michigan alumnus and former football player David Brandon has been named U-M’s new athletic director. Brandon, the CEO of Domino’s Pizza, has also served as a Regent for the University.

  6. Banks and bailouts: Playing politics?

    Banks with strong political connections were more likely to receive bailout money from the government—and more of it—in the past year than those with weaker ties, say researchers with the U-M Ross School of Business.

Field of Dreams

U-M’s iconic Elbel Field, home to U-M’s iconic Michigan Marching Band (MMB) has moved! To be clear, the field hasn’t really moved, but the band has taken its gear to a new location within marching distance of its former home. Anyone looking to catch an outdoor practice can find the MMB at the site once owned by Fingerle Lumber, across Hill Street and north of the original Elbel. And while the field may have changed, the dream remains the same. These photos come courtesy of Michigan Marching Band Photography.

  • Over the rainbow

    Features at Elbel redux include a secondary, partial practice field with an endzone, a sound amplification system, audio-visual technology, overhead cameras, a video board, a goal post, Wi-Fi, and more. When plans were announced in 2023, MMB director John Pasquale told the University Record he was confident “this state-of-the-art classroom space with integrated technology will set a new standard in pageantry arts instruction.”

    A deserted Elbel Field with a rainbow

  • Strike a pose

    “The band not only contributes to the unparalleled atmosphere of our athletic events, but inspires pride across our Michigan community,” David Gier told the University Record in 2023. Gier is the dean and Paul C. Boylan Collegiate Professor of Music at U-M’s School of Music, Theatre & Dance.

    Cool Michigan Marching Band kids strike a pose.

  • What’s in a name?

    MMB director John Pasquale says it was important to the band community that the new site retain its name in honor of composer Louis Elbel, a U-M alum who wrote the University’s legendary fight song, “The Victors,” as a student in 1898. “It’s an iconic part of the institution,” Pasquale says.

    Line of Michigan Marching Band horn players

  • Band on the run

    The Elbel Field project is one piece of a transformative plan to expand affordable student housing options on Central Campus. The original site soon will be home to a 2,300-bed residence hall and dining facility.

    Michigan Marching Band practices under colorful sky.

  • The beat goes on

    Elbel — old and new — is the most visible classroom on the campus at U-M.

    Michigan Marching Band members line up in formation.

  • A-Maizing

    Generations of Ann Arborites and their children have long enjoyed band rehearsal — possibly the best free entertainment in Washtenaw County.

    Michigan Marching band formation

  • Tune with a view

    Like its predecessor, the revamped Elbel Field features field lighting, an instructional tower, fencing, and bleachers.

    Elbel Field with tower.

  • Matching set

    The main field is sized and oriented in a north-south position to match the game field at Michigan Stadium.

    Two baton twirlers perform at MMB practice.

  • Stay hydrated

    There are just a few last-minute touches to be completed: installation of permanent water filling stations, MWireless access points, and the green space to the left of the field.
    Musician fills water bottle during Michigan Marching Band practice.