Fans pour onto Ann Arbor streets to celebrate championship win

Ann Arbor — Dollar bills and confetti floated off rooftops as University of Michigan fans packed the streets of downtown Ann Arbor on Monday night into the early morning, sending up fireworks and gold confetti.

"It's great to be a Michigan Wolverine," they chanted.

Before Michigan football even secured the win, 34-13, against the Washington Huskies, fans stormed downtown Ann Arbor to join the celebration. Thousands gathered at the intersection of South University Avenue and Church Street. Others said they were losing their voice from chanting the "Hail to the Victors." Strangers in the crowd embraced one another and gave chest bumps.

"That was an absolute victory that no one can take away," said Rodrigo Contreras, as he ran into the crowd. "No one can beat Michigan."

A sea of maize and blue filled downtown, fans waving flags, climbing light poles and crowd surfing as helicopters flew above. A heavy police presence barricaded streets before the game and managed crowd control as Ann Arbor firefighters tended to burning tree branches and a couch set on fire in the large crowd. A mattress was set on fire before it was thrown out of the window of a downtown residence.

Celebrations continued through the early morning with speakers blasting "Mr. Brightside" by The Killers, Neil Diamond's "Sweet Caroline" and "We Are the Champions" by Queen.

From apartments to bars to grocery stores and gas stations, students, alumni and others gathered around TVs — anywhere — to watch their school play for football immortality. Downtown and elsewhere, theaters and popular pubs were filled with fans roaring with applause at the plays on the field in Houston.

"It's rare to be ranked and beat the caliber of schools Michigan has," said Austin Stout, a lifelong Ann Arbor resident and Michigan fan. "I remember how great the team was in the 90s, 2005, and now this ... it feels even better than when Michigan (basketball) made the Final Four in 2018."

The team gained "infinite immortality," Stout said. Michigan last won the championship, in 1997, against Nebraska and broke a 49-year drought.

Before the win, security cars lined the streets of the main campus. Some downtown streets near pubs were blocked off to limit congestion. Hundreds gathered in lines or watched the game through windows of already-full bars like Scorekeepers, the Brown Jug, Blue Leprechaun and Good Time Charlies on South University Drive.

Police officers directed traffic but took time to join the crowd outside the Brown Jug to learn the score on televisions mounted outside.

Meanwhile, more than 2,500 people gathered at Crisler Center Arena, where Michigan plays basketball, to watch the game.

"Shout out to the marching band," Stout said. "That was a perfect M on the field, and we don't see them on national TV enough."

Jadyn Marks of Ypsilanti waited more than an hour outside the Brown Jug on Monday night, watching the game through the windows, but celebrating in the streets is a moment he'll never forget.

"To be in Ann Arbor during the national championship, not many people can say that, and I've been waiting 23 years for this championship," said Marks, 23. "It still doesn't feel real."

Steven Monhehan II skipped class at the University of Detroit Mercy and made his buddy skip work so they could watch the game in Ann Arbor. They had to be in Ann Arbor, but they couldn't get into any of the already-full bars.

"This is either the first or last national championship in our lifetime," said Monhehan, 21, of Plymouth. "You were either here or you were in Houston or you weren't at all."

"I drove from Detroit and came because it's nostalgia for me," said Wes Miller, 30, as he stood outside of Good Time Charlies for more than an hour. "I used to live here. I remember watching the 1997 championship on a couch in Warren.

"This time, I thought it would be worth it to be in person, and it is really all about the environment here. ... I love Michigan football more than the Lions."

The game was held at NRG Stadium in Houston but was shown at the Emagine Theatres, which sold more than 2,800 tickets over 11 theaters, including nine in Michigan and two in Indiana. Most were sold out by game time. The Michigan Theater on Liberty sold out 1,600 seats over the weekend.

The MJR Theatre in Sterling Heights had about 100 fans, nearly selling out a large auditorium where ticket holders were reclined and swathed in comfort with blankets, and in hoodies and pajamas. 

Chris Mason of Macomb was in the audience with his parents, and they wanted to enjoy the moment with other fans.

“It’s the atmosphere, it’s fun. We shut ‘em down, and everyone’s yelling and screaming. It’s cool,” Mason said in the second quarter. 

Longtime Wolverine fan Zondra Taylor missed the game before the playoff because she didn't have the right channel at her house, so for Monday night’s game, she wasn't taking any chances. Dressed head to toe in maize and blue, including with pompoms and bright yellow, shiny sneakers, Taylor had her ticket to watch at Emagine Royal Oak.

“This way, I can be sure to be around people that are going to enjoy it as much as I do, that are going to scream as much as I do,” said Taylor of Detroit, who has worked at the University of Michigan nearly 40 years. “I’m a Michigan die-hard. I love everything Michigan. I think it’s the greatest state in the Union.”

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