Welcome to the thick of the college football season and collegial ribbing! This recently found little gem is from a letter from the Ohio History Connection’s Richard Morgan to the University of Michigan’s Dr. James Griffin.

“10-23-1944. Dear Jimmy, What is your prediction on the outcome of the Ohio-Michigan game now! I saw the game here yesterday and it was a honey. The stadium was jam-packed with a crowd of over seventy-three thousand people. Just like the old days with drunks all over the place.

The game Morgan was talking about was OSU vs. Great Lakes Navy  where a total of 73,477 people were in attendance to witness the #4 ranked Buckeyes win 26-6.  A month later OSU beat Michigan 18-14. For more stats on the 1944 OSU team go here. You might be wondering why Morgan would care so much about an Ohio State Football game?  Well, at the time the letter was sent, the museum was located at The Ohio State University and several of the curators were also instructors. For a sense of what campus looked like about that time, here is an aerial photograph taken sometime between 1935-1943 (OHS AL02861.tif). The Shoe is upper right and the Oval just below. Go Bucks!