As I prepare for another Thanksgiving Weekend filled with family, food, and plenty of sports spectating, I find myself recollecting one from nearly 30 years ago.
1995 was a memorable year for me for a several reasons, chief among them was my wedding Mother’s Day Weekend. But when it comes to being a sports fan, nothing in 1995 could measure up to Thanksgiving Weekend.
My friend Mike (heard here in Episode 9 of Conversations with Sports Fans) got married on Friday, November 24, 1995. A fellow sports fan, it should come as no surprise that a live sporting event would factor into his wedding weekend activities.
His wedding festivities included the following:
- Wednesday Night – Rehearsal and rehearsal dinner
- Thursday Morning – Buddies’ breakfast at my apartment
- Thursday Afternoon – Bachelor party at the Vikings-Lions football game
- Friday Afternoon – Wedding ceremony
- Friday Evening – Wedding reception
A late addition to the weekend was my friend Josh from Fairbanks, AK, who was able to snag a good airfare and decided to come in for a long holiday weekend visit. I hadn’t seen Josh since moving back to Michigan from Fairbanks 14 months earlier so this was a happy bonus. Mike and his soon-to-be wife Sheryl and their families were gracious enough to allow Josh full participation in all of their wedding events.
And, because Josh was traveling close to 4,000 miles to visit, I figured I should do something to make it worth his while. So I reached out to a contact I had in the University of Michigan Athletic Department about tickets to The Game. I figured it was a bit of a longshot as Ohio State was a perfect 11-0, featured eventual Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George, and ranked No. 2 and Michigan No. 18 entering. Lo-and-behold, my man Paul was able to find a pair of seats at Michigan Stadium for Saturday’s game.
With that, the makings of an epic sports weekend were set … now if only the games could deliver.
Boy, did they!
By all accounts my breakfast skills were solid: The scrambled eggs were free of shells, the bacon and sausage was done to everyone’s liking, and the pancakes were plentiful. It was, in short, a great way to begin our Thanksgiving.
The Lions and Vikings apparently also fueled up appropriately, that morning. The Over/Under for the game was set at 46. The teams combined to score 52 points by halftime, with Minnesota leading 28-24.
Vikings quarterback Warren Moon threw for 384 yards and three touchdowns while the Lions’ Scott Mitchell finished with 410 yards and four touchdowns. Barry Sanders was, well, Barry Sanders. He rushed for 138 yards and a touchdown and Detroit’s big three wide receivers (Herman Moore, Johnny Morton, and Brett Perriman) all finished with over 100 yards and at least one touchdown.
In the end, Detroit led 44-38 after a field goal by Jason Hanson giving Moon and the Vikings the ball one more time. The final Hail Mary was interecepted by Sean Vanhorse.
My lasting recollection of this game, aside from enjoying a wildly entertaining 44-38 Lions victory with a dozen or so fellas who got along famously, was Lions’ receiver Moore, who stood 6-feet-4, being on the field playing deep safety for Moon’s final throws.
My lasting recollection of the Michigan-Ohio State game – my first and only as an in-person spectator – was Michigan running back Tshimanga Biakabutuka aka Touchdown Tim.
He ran over, around, and through the Ohio State defense all day long. He had 18 carries for 195 yards … at halftime! Biakabutuka finished the afternoon with 37 carries for 313 yards and a touchdown. The more highly touted George, meanwhile, finished with a rather pedestrian by comparison 21 carries for 104 yards and a score.
In the end, Michigan took down the second-ranked Buckeyes, 31-23, thanks to an interception by then-freshman Charles Woodson as OSU was driving late in Wolverines’ territory late in the game.
Josh and I are still in touch and we talk about this weekend every so often. He repeated a Thanksgiving trip in the following year and, in an effort to complete a Detroit pro sports hat trick of sorts, we attended a Detroit Pistons-Vancouver Grizzlies game the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, the Lions-Kansas City Chiefs game Thursday, and a Detroit Red Wings-Florida Panthers matinee on Sunday.
For Your Enjoyment
The entire FOX Lions-Vikings broadcast.
And highlights from the UM-OSU game.