Michigan Wolverines . . . Go Blue!

The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor (U of M, U-M, UM, UMich, or simply Michigan) is a public research university located in the state of Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university, the flagship campus of the University of Michigan, and one of the top public universities in the world. It also includes two regional campuses in Flint and Dearborn.

The university was founded in 1817 in Detroit as the Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania, about 20 years before the Michigan Territory officially became a state. The university moved to Ann Arbor in 1837 onto 40 acres (16 ha) of what is now known as Central Campus. Since its establishment in Ann Arbor, the university has physically expanded to include more than 584 major buildings with a combined area of more than 35 million gross square feet (664 acres or 2.69 km²), and transformed its academic program from a strictly classical curriculum to one that includes science and research. During the 20th century and early 2000s, UM was the site of much student activism and was a focal point in the controversy over affirmative action within higher education admissions.

Today, the university is considered one of the original eight Public Ivies. In the most recent edition of World University Rankings, the university was ranked 18th among universities worldwide. In 1995, the National Research Council ranked Michigan third nationally for the quality of its graduate programs. Having one of the world's largest number of living alumni at 460,000 in 2007, the university is alma mater to the late U.S. President Gerald Ford. UM owns the University of Michigan Health System and has one of the largest research expenditures of any American university. Its athletic teams, called the Wolverines, are members of the Big Ten Conference and the Central Collegiate Hockey Association. The athletic program is known for its success in ice hockey and football, the latter of which plays in Michigan Stadium, also known as "The Big House," one of the largest college football-only stadiums in the world.

The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly Division I-A) level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in Division I history.Official 2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book The team is also known for its distinctive winged helmet, its fight song, its record-breaking attendance figures, and its many rivalries, particularly its annual season-ending game against Ohio State, voted as ESPN's best sports rivalry.

Michigan began competing in intercollegiate football in 1879. The Wolverines are members of the Big Ten Conference and have won or shared 42 league titles, more than any other football program in any conference. Since the inception of the AP Poll in 1936, Michigan has finished in the top 10 a record 37 times. Their current head coach is Rich Rodriguez.