Former Michigan player’s debut novel about legendary 1969 Wolverine team lends mojo to The Game against Ohio State

Michigan and Ohio State have played each other in the last game of the season since 1897. A fierce rivalry for decades, one that often determined the Big Ten Champion. But it was the 1969 season that catapulted into a whole new stratosphere and launched the moniker by which it goes today: The Game.

Bo Schembechler assistant coach Gary Moeller — Unknown date; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Michigan Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler talks to quarterback Steve Smith (16) alongside assistant coach Gary Moeller (left) at Michigan Stadium. | Malcolm Emmons-Imagn Images

Brian Letscher knows what it's like to beat Ohio State

Former Michigan player under Gary Moeller in the 1990’s, and a member of the 1993 Rose Bowl Championship squad, Brian Letscher knows a bit about beating Ohio State. He also knows a bit about storytelling – a combination that resulted in a unique new telling of the turbulent, magical 1969 season, a historical fiction novel, HAIL! Those Who Stayed.

The novel, written to put the reader in the room with characters like Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes, is a captivating ride through Bo’s roller-coaster first season at Michigan, one that ended with the Wolverines beating the #1 ranked, “unbeatable” Buckeyes, 24-12, in Ann Arbor. A victory that ignited the “Ten Year War” and reverberates through the program and contest to this day. It’s the season that gave Michigan “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions”.

“I wanted to pull this powerful history forward for a new generation of Michigan fans. To tell this incredible story in a new way, to honor that team and all they did for Michigan Football, as well as inspire players and fans today.”

In the spirit of The Team, The Team, The Team, Letscher is donating a portion of the proceeds to Football Alumni of Michigan (FAM), a non-profit founded by former players that supports their band of brothers as they move through life after football.

Michigan's 1969 Underdog Team

University of Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler shows his temper during a game. | Mary Schroeder, Special to the Free Press

1969 was Coach Schembechler's first year leading the Michigan Wolverines as head coach. The team exceeded expectations compiling an 8–3 record including 6–1 in Big Ten conference play. The 1969 Wolverines finished the year with a 1970 Rose Bowl matchup versus USC, and finished the season ranked ninth in the final AP poll.

But it was the 1969 Michigan versus Ohio State matchup that has captivated decades of fandom and attention as one of the biggest upsets in college football history. Ohio State entered 'The Game' on a 22-game winning streak and was ranked first in the polls. It also featured the first head-to-head matchup between Schembechler and Ohio State's Head Coach Woody Hayes, with Schembechler previously serving as a former player under, and assistant coach to Hayes.

Underdog Michigan outplayed the Buckeyes by picking off six Ohio State passes on route to a 24-12 victory over the top-ranked Buckeyes, in front of a raucous crowd of 103,588 at Michigan Stadium. This win catapulted the Wolverines into the Big Ten Conference's berth for the 1970 Rose Bowl against USC.

Like 1969, and last year for that matter, the Wolverines once again find themselves as underdogs. Perhaps that past magic will once again pour out of the tunnel as they take the field.

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