DETROIT (11/23/2013) -- As the University of Detroit Mercy men's basketball team gets ready to play Toledo tonight, it was just 50 years ago that the Titans and Rockets were supposed to square off in Toledo on the gridiron. But as most of the sports world reacted to the national tragedy of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the game was postponed and then cancelled.
Below are two articles on the cancellations that appeared in the Detroit News and Detroit Free Press discussing that weekend in Michigan sports as well as in the United States. In the articles from that day UDM is refered to as the University of Detroit or U of D since they were posted before the 1990 merger with Mercy College of Detroit.
State, U-M, Titans agree to postpone game
Detroit News
November 23, 1963
Michigan State, University of Michigan and the University of Detroit bowed to the example of most of the nation today and called off their football games in respect to the memory of the murdered President Kennedy.
Michigan State's game with Illinois-which will decide the Big Ten Championship and the Rose Bowl candidate will be played at 1:30p.m. Thanksgiving Day at East Lansing.
Michigan and Ohio State did not announce a new date for their game at Ann Arbor. Neither did U of D and Toledo for their meeting in Toledo.
Last night the two state universities had rejected the suggestions of Gov. Romney and Illinois Gov. Otto Kerner in agreeing with each other to play as scheduled, although all other Big Ten teams dropped their games.
Today the three games were dropped in a chain reaction.
Michigan President Harlan Hatcher announced his postponement at 9 a.m. MSU President John A. Hannah, informed of the move immediately conferred with Hatcher and called off the title game at 10:30
The Very Rev. Laurence Britt, U. of D. president, also was told of the impending postponement and also announced dropping of the Titan game at 10:30.
More than 30 major college games were called off, leaving less than 20 scheduled. Most important is the Oklahoma-Nebraska meeting for the Big Eight championship and Orange Bowl selection. Nearly all others are in the South and Southwest.
University of Michigan officials said the decision not to play had been made after they understood President Johnson had asked for a postponement of all public events.
They said it will be up to the conference to decide what to do about replaying the games. A Big Ten rule prohibits playing after this weekend, although it may be waived more than the championship game.
Wisconsin and Minnesota also have announced their game will be played Thanksgiving morning. The Purdue-Indiana game, like Michigan's is off indefinitely while Iowa and Notre Dame canceled their non-conference game shortly after midnight.
Michigan State and Illinois originally expected a sellout crowd of 76,000. All but 400 seats had been sold before today. Michigan and Ohio State expected about 62,000. Although many visitors were in both Ann Arbor and East Lansing, school officials admitted they thought many spectators would have no heart for the football gayety.
Gov. Romney was attending a governor's conference in Omaha when the President was slain yesterday.
"I called them (Michigan and Michigan State) from Omaha to suggest that they give careful consideration to calling off the games," he told reporters upon his return to Lansing last night. "But that was up to the university and the Big Ten"
However, the universities at first refused.
Michigan's Board of Regents also expressed disappointment at the earlier decision to play.
Five of the eight members said when contacted by The Detroit News they would have preferred postponing the games.
Two regents said they saw no harm in play and one, William K. McInally, of Jackson, declined to comment.
Most outspoken in his opinion was Allan R. Sorenson, of Midland, who said, "I most certainly think the game should have canceled. I intend to ask President Hatcher about this. The game should have been called off as a matter of respect, in consideration of the tragedy."
Shortly afterward it was called off, and the MSU and U of D games followed.
Illinois Gov. Kerner, who was in Omaha with Romney also was quoted last night as saying he expected the Illinois Athletic Board would vote to cancel the game.
However, Illinois President David D. Henry, former Wayne State University president agreed to play.
A cloud of mourning hit Lansing early last night, damping what ordinarily would have been festive celebrations on the biggest football game played hereabouts in a decade.
U.S. Sports Comes to Near Halt
Detroit Free Press
November 24, 1963
The sounds of sports crowds were stilled over the weekend in memory of a vigorous, sports-loving President.
Detroit college and professional teams were among the many who cancelled or postponed scheduled games because of the national tragedy.
The University of Detroit along with Toledo University canceled their football game which was scheduled Saturday night at Toledo.
The Red Wings' Sunday night game against the Bruins in Boston was postponed. The Pistons announced postponement of its Sunday night game with the Boston Celtics at Cobo Arena.
The Red Wing and Piston games will be rescheduled at a later date.
Dozens of big Saturday football games were canceled or postponed. All national television sports programs were canceled Saturday and Sunday
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ALMOST ALL sports events were canceled or postponed Friday after word was received of President Kennedy's death.
Most basketball and hockey games were not played. The national television fight was canceled.
Night racing was called off. The remainder of the day racing card was canceled at Narragansett Park after the third race, after the fifth at pimlico, after the seveth at Aqueduct.
The nine-race card at Golden Gate Fields was completed, but an eerie stillness prevailed during the races.
All tracks except Pimlico will stay closed until Tuesday or Wednesday. Pimlico ran Saturday, but called off Monday's racing.
The $50,000 National Racing Derby, which was to have been run Saturday night at Roosevelt Raceway, has been rescheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 27.
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GOLFERS in the Cajun Classic at Lafayette, La., played badly and said that they didn't care. Saturday's third round was postponed a day.
Football cancellations poured in throughout Friday night and early Saturday morning.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association left it to the colleges involved to do as they saw fit.
Only the Southeastern Conference offered a complete schedule. The Oklahoma-Nebraska game at Nebraska was the only Big Eight game which was not postponed. The game will decide the host team in the Orange Bowl.
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ALL FOUR Big Ten games, including the Michigan State-Illinois battle which was to have decided the championship were postponed.
The others were Ohio State at Michigan, Wisconsin at Illinois. The Notre Dame-Iowa game was cancelled.
In Toronto the United States equestrian team withdrew from events at the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair show. Riders from other nations observed two minutes of silence.
The American Football League postponed all four games on its Sunday schedule.
The worlds invitational bowling tournament will suspend play Monday in deference to President Johnson's request for a national day of mourning.
The fourth round of qualifying will be rolled Tuesday with the finals to be shot in four days instead of five as originally scheduled.
The National Football League will go ahead with its seven-game Sunday schedule, although the games will not be carried on television.
Pete Rozelle, NFL commissioner, said Saturday:
"It has been traditional for athlete to perform in times of great personal tragedy. Football was Mr. Kennedy's game. He thrived on competitions."
Michigan State University postponed the NCAA cross-country run, originally scheduled for 11:30 a.m. Monday until 1:30 p.m. Tuesday.
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THE AFL will extend its season one week with regular season games Sunday, Dec. 22.
The extension will mean that the championship game, originally schedule for Dec. 22, will be moved back.
Titan fans, remember to follow #DetroitsCollegeTeam on Twitter and Instagram at @DetroitTitans and remember to like the Titans on Facebook.
