Many students remembered those strange mornings when they rolled over in bed and woke up to the sound of horns and woodwinds blaring through the bedroom window. They were the warm-up tones of the marching band announcing the arrival of another football Saturday. Students who lived within six blocks of the stadium could have been roused this way and students all over campus tumbled out of bed to see swarms of cars in the streets, nearly all of them waving "M" flags and sporting "Michigan Alumni" decals in their windows.

Soon after they barreled into town, those visitors paid $10 or $15 each to park in driveways, on lawns or on the golf course. Then visitors and students alike took place in the great tradition of American football - the tailgate. Sophomore engineering student Marty Ferren said, "My parents came to town for the homecoming day. They were really excited about pre-partying and they just bought tons of food. I invited all my roommates and stuff, but we still couldn't eat it all. The only bad part was that we missed the kick-off because we were still eating on the golf course." Similar tailgates took place all over campus where housemates, parents and friends were seen mingling around the backs of cars and heating up grills. Smells of hotdogs, cookies, chips, brownies and popcorn drifted in the air. Food spilled out of trunks and "The Victors" played while University students and friends waited for kick-off, often with beer in hand. As if on cue, the tailgaters looked at their watches, packed up their trunks and swarmed toward the stadium to take their seats in the Big House.

Other students watched football games from down on the field, like senior marketing student Cyndi Lynott, who was a horn player in the marching band her first two years. Remembering her days in the band Lynott said, "It was cool because you were part of the show. We were right down in the middle of it, you're in the center of things." But Lynott had also seen the games another way, this time strictly as a fan: "The last two years I bought student tickets and I love it. Now I get to pre-party with all my friends. We drink beer and grill hotdogs. It's a blast."

Not all students had season tickets, however, and some did not really care about football. Junior art and design student Erin Sanderson said, "I don't have tickets because I work every Saturday. The restaurant where I work is much busier on game days. The past two years I had tickets but I didn't go to the games that much. I don't really care about football." But Sanderson did admit, with or without the game, football Saturday could be a fun time. "I used to pre-party with my older brother and his friends. That was probably my favorite part," he said. That was one point that season ticket holders, football haters and visitors all seemed to have in common: at the University, a pre-party was a natural part of football Saturday. by Sarah Johnson