Jim Harbaugh and Michigan Football ready to ‘feel the roar’ of The Big House at full capacity

2020 was a strange season for the Michigan Football team, a strange year for the world due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a strange sight at Michigan Stadium last season, with football games being played, but no fans in attendance. A place known for being the largest stadium in the United States seemed naked. 110,000-plus fans were missing.

Michigan has already sold over 85,000 season tickets for the upcoming season and The Big House will be back at full capacity for games. Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh likened the lack of fans last season to a player being injured and itching to get back onto the field to play.

“Something that you were used to and you miss it,” Harbaugh said about fans in the stands. “As a player when you get hurt, can’t play, just makes you want to play that much more. You can’t wait to get out there, got something taken away that you really appreciated and enjoyed.”

Harbaugh went on to describe his feelings about running out of the tunnel, seeing the fans, feeling the energy, hearing the noise, and embracing the atmosphere.

“There’s something about running out of the tunnel at any stadium. But the Big House, maybe I’m just partial that way, but you come out of there and you touch that banner, and then you feel the roar — you feel. It’s physical, it must be in the soundwaves or something. It’s hitting you and reverberating. It’s there and the adrenaline is going that way,” Harbaugh said. “The next thing is you’ve just got to look, you’ve got to look at the crowd and see it. You’re hearing it and you know that it’s not pumped in music, it’s au naturel. This is happening because there’s 110,000 or 115,000 people in here. And then the visual of the colors —there’s no laser show, it’s au naturel.”

Michigan will have seven home games this season, starting with four in a row this September against Western Michigan, Washington, Northern Illinois, and Rutgers.

“It’s a big stage, it’s a spectacle,” Harbaugh said. “It’s something you appreciate each and every time that you go through it. It’s awesome — let’s have it back.”