CPD
Welcome to the rivalry
Raucous OSU fans hassle Rodriguez
Monday, February 18, 2008 Doug Lesmerises
Plain Dealer Reporter
Ann Arbor, Mich.- Add it to the rivalry's lore - in Rich Rodriguez's first public appearance as Michigan's football coach, Ohio State students interrupted his halftime speech at Sunday's basketball game with a "Tressel" chant from the upper rows of Crisler Arena.
"We owe it to the rivalry and the history of the tradition to cheer," said Ohio State junior Luc Nutter, who was holding a sign the size of a sheet that read "1,548 Days," which is the length of time since Michigan's last football victory over Ohio State.
"If we had stayed quiet during such a big moment, it wouldn't have been honoring the tradition."
That wasn't exactly how angry Michigan fans saw it.
"It was classless," said Wolverines fan Mark Leonard, seated a few rows in front of the students. "I couldn't hear anything [Rodriguez] said. If my kid went to a game, I would hope they wouldn't do that."
Another Ohio State fan in the area walked over and admonished the students, angry himself at the representation.
"That showed a lack of class, and Ohio State fans are classier than that," he said without identifying himself. "It was funny at first, but that was too much."
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