The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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4 THE WOLVERINE APRIL 2017 DON'T FORGET 1985 Dear The Wolverine: Your list of near misses is good, but I would think you have to include the 1985-86 team in there (and fairly high up as well). They finished 10- 1-1, with a last-second loss at No. 1 Iowa. They had the lead and the ball with less than two minutes left and needed a first down to put the game away (sound painfully familiar?). Then they tied Illinois on the road — and I believe they were in position to win that game late until they fumbled the chance away. That team went on to win the Fiesta Bowl and finish No. 2. They should be recognized. I know I thought of them often during the later stages of this football season. Mike Rockow Salem, Ore. Here's the catch, Mike. The list presented in our February issue featured Michigan teams suffering two or more losses, by very narrow margins. As Jim Harbaugh himself would be quick to point out, the '85 Wolverines didn't lose two games. As far as an agonizing, near-miss season, though, you're right. That year drew within a couple of breaths of both a Big Ten title and a national championship effort. April 2017 • Vol. 28, No. 9 ISSN 1048-9940 Editor John Borton The Wolverine.com Editor Chris Balas Football Recruiting Writer Brandon Brown Contributing Writers Orion Sang Managing Editor Ryan Tice Contributing Editor Steve Downey Editorial Intern Leland Mitchinson Layout And Design Jeanette Blankenship Chris Miller Contributing Photographers Lon Horwedel Per Kjeldsen Cover Photo Lon Horwedel Publisher Stu Coman Business Manager Linda Autry Circulation Manager Gail Evans Marketing/Merchandise Manager Beverly Taylor Director Of Advertising Michelle Delee-Hamilton Customer Service Lauren Saunders The Wolverine is published monthly. A one-year (12 issues) subscription is $52.99. The Wolverine is printed at The Papers in Milford, Ind. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to The Wolverine, P.O. Box 2331, Durham, NC 27702. Periodical postage paid at Durham, NC 27702 and additional offices. For advertising or subscription information, call 1-800-421-7751 or write The Wolverine, P.O. Box 1304, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The Wolverine is a publication of Coman Publishing Company, 905 W. Main St, Suite 24F, Durham, NC 27701. E-Mail Address: thewolverine@comanpub.com Subscription questions: gevans@comanpub.com Web Site: www.thewolverine.com Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters P.O. Box 1304 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Or e-mail: jborton@thewolverine.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length. FROM OUR READERS Jim Harbaugh quarterbacked the 1985 Wolverines to a No. 2 final national ranking in 1985 with only a two-point loss at No. 1 Iowa and a 3-3 tie at Illinois. FILE PHOTO