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Exterior photo of the Lloyd Carr Tunnel at Michigan Stadium, April 16, 2024, by Olivia Torchia
Tunnel of Legacy
Tunnel of Legacy
by Olivia Torchia
As the stadium shakes beneath the roars and chants of the loyal Wolverines, a wave of men proudly displaying the iconic maize and blue rush out. They carry with them the spirit of the game and the legacy of grit and determination bestowed upon them by the tunnel they just passed through bearing the name Lloyd Carr.
The third-winningest Michigan Wolverines football coach, Lloyd Carr, is one of the most famous and respected coaches in the program’s history. Carr coached at UofM from 1990 until his retirement in 2007. With a 122-40 record, winning ten Big Ten titles and the program's 1997 national championship title (the most recent until Jim Harbough's 2024 win). Only Bo Schembechler and Fielding H. Yost have more wins under their belt (“Lloyd”). Carr has been recognized for his coaching abilities, including being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2011. He was given six Coach of the Year titles from different organizations in 1998 alone (“Lloyd”). Additionally, he was honored for his work on and off the field with the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year in 2007. The Bobby Dodd Award is considered the desired Coach of the Year award in college football. The award celebrates the coaches whose program has the “highest ideals of scholarship, leadership and integrity on and off the field” (“Dodd”).
Lloyd Carr accepted his induction into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, FL. Dec. 31, 2021 Photo Courtesy: MLive
Interior photo of the Lloyd Carr Tunnel at Michigan Stadium, March 24, 2024, by Olivia Torchia.
Carr exhibits leadership and dedication not only on the field but also off through his many philanthropic efforts at UofM. Carr is a proud supporter of women in sports and has also sponsored a full scholarship awarded annually to one female student-athlete at UofM. (There's another scholarship in his and his wife's name too!) Carr also led many fundraising events, such as "Carr Wash for Kids," which raised thousands of dollars for Comprehensive Cancer Center and Mott Children's Hospital. Carr and his wife Laurie also served as co-chairs in the "Champions for Children" campaign, which had raised over $50 million for C.S. Mott Children's and Women's Hospital ("Lloyd").
On September 22, 2022, the Board of Regents at the University of Michigan unanimously voted to name the once-known "Michigan Tunnel" as the Lloyd Carr Tunnel (Slagter). It was officially dedicated to Lloyd Carr on October 15, 2022, at a UofM home football game against Penn State (Slagter).
The last name Carr is a Gaelic name. It's an Anglicized version of the Irish names Ó Carra, Chathair, or Chéire (Keary), according to Ancestry.com, which adds that it comes from from the word corr, meaning pointed spear. The name history website also says Carr can be a varriant of the name Kerr. House of Names adds another possibilty of meaning: "black or dark brown," coming from the Gaelic word "ciar," as a shortened version of the names O'Ciarain or O'Ceirin.
The tunnel was a part of the original construction of the Michigan Stadium in 1927 (Kahn). It is the only tunnel that leads onto the field at Michigan Stadium, the largest college football stadium in the United States (Kahn). The tunnel is most known as where the football team rushes out onto the field before the game begins. It first became famous in November. 21, 1969, the day before the biggest game of the season between the Michigan Wolverines and the Ohio State Buckeyes. A fight erupted between the two teams in the tunnel, leading to a tense game the following day (Kahn). That game became iconic in Michigan football, marking one of Michigan's biggest upsets against the highly-ranked Ohio State during Bo Schembechler's first season as head coach ("Memories from 1969" ). The fight and the outcome of the game gained many headlines, thus making the Michigan Tunnel widely known throughout the college football community. The tunnel holds another iconic piece of Michigan football. While walking into the stadium through the Lloyd Carr tunnel, you are hit with three repetitive identical phrases spelling out "The Team, The Team, The Team." This phrase is well known in the UofM community as a frequently used phrase used to describe the UM football team by their loyal fans.
In renaming the Michigan tunnel after Lloyd Carr, the university not only pays tribute to one of the greatest coaches the football program has seen but also bestows his attributes of hard- work, determination, and perseverance. Carr's long-term success and achievements within the University of Michigan inspire all at the university, especially those who tread through the walls of the tunnel leading up to a game. Even when off the football field, his commitment to philanthropy in women's sports and children's medicine serves as a model of Carr's exemplary leadership. As generations pass, all can carry Lloyd Carr's legacy and commitment to excellence and community.
Work Cited
Blake, Neal. "Michigan Stadium tunnel named after former coach Lloyd Carr." MLive, 31 Dec. 2021 www.mlive.com/wolverines/2022/09/michigan-stadium-tunnel-named-after-former-coach-lloyd-carr.html. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
"Carr." Ancestry.com, https://www.ancestry.com/name-origin?surname=carr Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
"Carr History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms." House of Names, https://www.houseofnames.com/carr-family-crest Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Crawford, Kirkland. “Michigan Football to Name Tunnel at Big House after Ex-Coach Lloyd Carr.” Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free Press, 22 Sept. 2022, www.freep.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2022/09/22/michigan-football-lloyd-carr-tunnel-michigan-stadium/69512776007/. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
“Dodd Trophy Celebrates Carr’s 15th Anniversary of Winning Award.” Peach Bowl, 13 Oct. 2022, chick-fil-apeachbowl.com/news/2022/10/13/the-dodd-trophy-presented-by-pnc-dodd-trophy-celebrates-carrs-15th-anniversary-of-winning-award.aspx. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
Kahn, Andrew. “The Historical Ins and Outs of Michigan Stadium’s Now Infamous Tunnel.” MLive, 10 Nov. 2022, www.mlive.com/wolverines/2022/11/the-historical-ins-and-outs-of-michigan-stadiums-now-infamous-tunnel.html&subscribed=google-oauth2%7C114431928571437909452.
“Lloyd Carr.” UM Staff Memoirs and Memories, 14 Feb. 2008, staff-memoir.dc.umich.edu/lloyd-carr-2/.
“Memories from 1969: A Friday Fight in the Tunnel.” University of Michigan Athletics, mgoblue.com/news/2009/11/18/Memories_from_1969_A_Friday_Fight_in_the_Tunnel. Accessed 26 Mar. 2024.
Slagter, Martin. “Michigan Stadium Tunnel Named after Former Coach Lloyd Carr.” MLive, 10 Nov. 2022, www.mlive.com/wolverines/2022/09/michigan-stadium-tunnel-named-after-former-coach-lloyd-carr.html.
Torchia, Olivia. Picture of the exterior of Lloyd Carr Tunnel. 16 Apr. 2024. Author's personal collection.
Torchia, Olivia. Picture of the interior of Lloyd Carr Tunnel. 24 Mar. 2024. Author's personal collection.
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