Michigan football continued to celebrate its first win at Ohio Stadium since 2000 with the addition of a new item to the Towsley Museum this week.
In addition to a mural of Michigan players huddled at midfield inside the Shoe that was added in December 2022, a platform that reads "The Game" and features the maize and blue Block M flag the Wolverines paraded around the stadium went on display at the museum at Schembechler Hall on Tuesday.
#Michigan has now added the flag planted in the field at Ohio State in the Towsley Museum in Schembechler Hall. pic.twitter.com/v61pXTxrIm
— Isaiah Hole (@isaiahhole) March 28, 2023
The display also includes photos of Michigan defensive back Mike Sainristil as he planted the flag on the Block O at midfield, linebacker Michael Barrett carrying the flag in Ohio Stadium's north end zone and a caption for both photos that includes Bo Schembechler's famous line: "Those who stay will be champions."
In the same vicinity of the mural, flag and photos are plaques for Michigan's consecutive wins over Ohio State, its back-to-back Big Ten Championship and back-to-back appearances in the College Football Playoff.
"I want to get that flag and put it in our museum."– Jim Harbaugh After Michigan beat Ohio state in 2022
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh remarked after the Wolverines' win in Columbus that he wanted to memorialize the flag immediately after it was planted. "I want to get that flag and put it in our museum," he said.
It's now clear that Harbaugh's comment was not simply made in jest. He fully intended to carry out that plan as soon as possible, and it finally came to fruition this week. When some of Harbaugh's assistants were asked to comment on the move, they explained their love for it, as the flag reminds them of the team's newly-rediscovered success in the rivalry.
"I love it, love seeing that," Michigan offensive coordinator Sherrone Moore told reporters on Tuesday. "I think about that game every day. I think about every moment. You see it as soon as you walk in. You see all the things about the rivalry and what it is, and you think about that every day. It's constantly on my mind, it's constantly on the players' minds, and we're all preparing for it."
Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter held the same belief.
"It's really cool," Minter said. "That's what makes college football special is rivalries and the ability to enjoy those moments and the significance of those wins."
However, the gesture was not looked upon fondly by most in Buckeye Nation – namely former players such as Chimdi Chekwa, who said he would like nothing more than to "vandalize that museum" on Instagram live the next time he visits Michigan's campus.
I'm going to vandalize that museum on Instagram live next time I see Ann Arbor. https://t.co/BxVbyupkTI
— Chimdi Chekwa (@ChimChek) March 29, 2023
Ohio State will look to keep Michigan from its third straight win in the rivalry when it travels to Ann Arbor for the 119th edition of The Game on Nov. 25. The Buckeyes have not lost three consecutive contests to the Wolverines since the 1995, 1996 and 1997 seasons, the heart of the John Cooper Era in Columbus.
