10 Years Ago You Could See Michigan Football For 2 Coca-Colas

The Michigan Wolverines Football Program stands tall as one of the best programs in all of college football. They have the largest stadium of any team in sports, its (former) coach is one of the most successful coaches in both the NCAA and NFL, the most wins of all programs, and, oh yeah, they won the College Football Championship last year. No big deal.

However, 10 years ago Michigan's College Football program was in a bit of a slump. Still, seeing the Wolverines play was a rather sought-after affair. So, they teamed up with Coca-Cola for perhaps one of the most insane promotions ever that backed fired so dramatically that no one remembers today.

Two Cokes Promotion

Allow me to set the scene. The Wolverines are in the midst of another less-than-stellar season under 4th-year coach Brady Hoke, coming off a 7-6 season that had his job in peril. The Wolverines were up against Minnesota on September 27th, an early season conference game that should have been in Michigan's favor.

Despite their record, these tickets were still rather pricey. So when people started posting about an insane and apparently real promotion one that only required fans to buy two Coca-Cola beverages to receive two tickets to the game, people went berserk. Two tickets which usually run for $150 face value could be bought for $3. 

Read More: Michigan Football Has A Tough Season Ahead Of Them |

If this deal sounds too good to be true, that's because it was. While the tickets were legitimate, The University of Michigan apparently never signed off on the promotion with Coca-Cola and quickly pulled the plug on the promo, stating that they had had a miscommunication with Coca-Cola and that the promotion never should have gone live. The University did still honor the tickets people received prior to the promo being killed.

More Bad News

This day lives in Michigan Infamy for another reason as well. Not only did Michigan end up losing this game 30-14, the team was down 30-7 going into the fourth quarter. Their starting quarterback Shane Morris was getting pummeled the entire game and was visably struggling to stay in the game. Despite his wounds, coach Brady Hoke kept Morris in the game.

In what could be deemed one of the most irresponsible coaching decisions in college football history, Morris was hit very hard on a play that he ended up suffering a concussion on, resulting in backup Devin Gardner finally being subbed in. However, on the first play of Gardner being subbed in, his helmet fell off his head when he went down.

Per the NCAA's rules, he must be taken out for a play to be medically inspected. Instead of putting in fully healthy and ready to play 3rd string quarterback Russell Bellony, Hoke ordered Morris back on the field despite his injuries. Morris was put back into an already lost game for play that did not matter. It was unneccesarily dangerous and remains a bad taste in many Michigan fans' mouths.