Michigan
How Michigan football, hockey, and basketball compare over the last 50 years
The Michigan football season ended on a high note in 2024 with the signing of No. 1 overall recruit Bryce Underwood and the takedown of No. 2 Ohio State on the road in Columbus. However, the 7-5 finish to the regular season was a disappointment given high expectations after a National Championship in January.
While the football season was a bit of a letdown, men’s basketball and hockey are off to great starts. The basketball team, led by first-year head coach Dusty May, just beat No. 11 Wisconsin on the road in Madison and took down a ranked Xavier in the Fort Myers Tip-Off Tournament to win it all. Hockey split the weekend taking on a ranked Western Michigan, but they were 10-3-1, sporting sweeps of No. 5 BU, No. 20 Notre Dame, and Penn State heading into last night’s game against No. 4 Minnesota.
It’s often joked in my family, and I’m sure in yours, that we sacrificed one program for the success of another. It’s a pretty common joke online, too. Over the last 50 years or so, each of the big three men’s programs has seen success and failure. So, is there any truth to the saying, “They can’t all be good.”
A few disclaimers:
First, the best and worst finishes for each program are subjective. For example, I listed the 1981-82 season as the worst for that decade. The team in 1982-83 had a worse conference finish (9th instead of 7th) but had a better overall record. Neither team had a postseason appearance, so I went with the better conference finish.
Next, this only covers the last 50 seasons or so. I have some time on my hands but not enough to go over the entire history of each program. If you want to do that, I’d love to hear what you find out!
1973 – 1982 | Michigan football and basketball find consistent success, Michigan hockey only has two postseason appearances
Michigan Football
Best Finish (1980); Rose Bowl win over Washington, the first postseason win after several losses for Schembechler; (10-2, 1st in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (1979); Loss in Gator Bowl; (8-4, 3rd in Big Ten)
Despite the struggles in bowl games, Bo Schembechler and the Michigan football team consistently finished at the top of the conference. They either won or shared the title with another team for most of this period.
Michigan Basketball
Best finish (1975-76); Lost Championship game to Indiana; (25-7, 2nd in Big Ten)
Worst finish (1981-82); No postseason appearance (8-19, 7th in Big Ten)
For basketball, Johnny Orr and Bill Frieder helped lead their teams to some impressive tournament appearances, including a National Championship appearance in 1975-96. The Wolverines lost to Indiana 86-68.
Michigan Hockey
Best finish (1976-77); Lost Championship game to Wisconsin (OT); (28-17-0, 3rd in WCHA)
Worst finish (1978-79); No postseason appearance; (8-27-1, 10th in WCHA)
Hockey struggled for most of this stretch. The main exception is the 1976-77, when the Wolverines lost in the Championship game to Wisconsin in overtime. Their only other postseason appearance came after the 1973-74 season where they got knocked out in the first round.
1983 – 1992 | Michigan football and basketball dominate, Michigan Hockey postseason appearances still limited
Michigan Football
Best finish (1989); Rose Bowl win over USC; (10-2, 1st in Big Ten)
Worst finish (1984); Loss in the Holiday Bowl (6-6, Tied for 6th in Big Ten)
Michigan football continued its conference dominance during this ten-year stretch, despite a 6-6 finish in 1984. Even when Bo Schembechler handed the reins to Gary Moeller, Michigan still finished at the top of the conference for his first three seasons.
Michigan Basketball
Best Finish (1988-89); NCAA Champion; (30-7, 3rd in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (1990-91); Lost NIT 1st Round; (14-15, 8th in Big Ten)
Basketball had an insane stretch of postseason appearances in this decade. Winning the NIT tournament in 1983-84 and the NCAA tournament in 1988-89. The Wolverines didn’t miss a postseason during these ten years but did have to vacate the 1991-92 Final Four appearance and the 1992-93 season, because, you know, Fab Five.
Michigan Hockey
Best finish (1991-92); NCAA Frozen Four; (32-9-3, 1st in CCHA)
Worst finish (1985-86); No postseason appearance; (12-26-0, 8th in CCHA)
For most of this decade, the Wolverines struggled to make the postseason but hired Red Berenson ahead of the 1984-85 season. It’s crazy to think back on Red’s early years with the Wolverines, not finishing with a winning record until his fourth season as head man, but by the end of the 1992-93 season, they had finished at the top of the CCHA and made back-to-back Frozen Four appearances.
1993 – 2002 | Michigan hockey becomes a program, Michigan basketball, and football start to take steps back
Michigan Football
Best Finish (1997); National Championship (12-0, 1st in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (1996); Outback Bowl loss to Alabama (8-4, Tied for 5th in Big Ten)
Listen, Michigan football was still winning games with Lloyd Carr and they won a freaking National Championship in 1997 for crying out loud! However, the early 90s came with some 8-4 seasons and less-than-stellar finishes in the Big Ten.
Michigan Basketball
Best Finish (1993-94); NCAA Elite Eight (24-8, 2nd in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (2000-2001); No tournament appearance (10-18, tied for 9th in Big Ten)
Even though you could argue Michigan’s best basketball season is “technically” the year they won the NIT or finished first in the Big Ten those seasons don’t really count anymore. By 2000, the Wolverines missed out on three straight postseasons.
Michigan Hockey
Best Finish (1995-96); NCAA Champion (34-7-2, 1st in CCHA)
Worst Finish (1999-2000); NCAA Quarterfinals (25-11-6, Tied for 3rd in CCHA)
Enter the best ten-year stretch of hockey for the Michigan Wolverines in the last fifty years. Red Berenson and Michigan made the postseason each season, including two National Championships, multiple Frozen Four appearances, and finishing regularly at the top of the CCHA.
2003 – 2012 | Michigan hockey continues postseason appearances, Michigan football has the worst stretch imaginable, Michigan basketball is smack in the middle
Michigan Football
Best Finish (2003); Rose Bowl loss to USC, (10-3, 1st in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (2008); No bowl trip (3-9, Tied for 9th in Big Ten)
Ugh, the decade of football I think we’d all like to forget about for the most part. The Wolverines had some of their worst overall records ever and lost to App State in 2007. When you thought it couldn’t get worse, Rich Rod and Brady Hoke happened. Despite a win over Ohio State in 2011, there’s not much to look back on in this stretch of football history.
Michigan Basketball
Best Finish (2012-13); NCAA runner-up (31-8, Tied for 4th in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (2004-05); No tournament appearance (13-18, 9th in Big Ten)
Michigan peaked in the John Beilein era with an appearance in the National Championship in 2012-13. While they didn’t win the game against Louisville, Michigan had consistent postseason appearances under head coach John Beilein.
Michigan Hockey
Best Finish (2010-11); NCAA Finalist (29-11-4, 1st in CCHA)
Worst Finish (2012-2013); No tournament appearance (18-19-3, 7th in CCHA)
When it comes to Hockey, it’s a tale of highs and lows. The early 2000s continued to see success in the postseason, appearing in the tournament each year until 2012-2013, when the Wolverines posted a sub .500 record and didn’t make the tournament for the first time in years.
2013 – 2023 | Michigan football started from the bottom, now we’re here! Michigan hockey and basketball have bright spots
Michigan Football
Best Finish (2023); Won CFP Championship, (15-0, 1st in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (2014); No bowl appearance (5-7, 5th in Big Ten)
It took some time, but Michigan football reached the top — Again! Jim Harbaugh, J.J. McCarthy, Blake Corum, Mike Sainristil, and the rest of Team 144 helped the Wolverines win the CFP National Championship at the end of the 2023 season. This stretch includes the 2020 sports seasons, but with all the Covid changes it’s easy to brush that off. While the Brady Hoke Sugar Bowl win didn’t hang around long, Jim Harbaugh couldn’t seem to beat the Buckeyes until 2021, when Aidan Hutchinson and Hassan Haskins helped the Wolverines get over that hump.
Michigan Basketball
Best Finish (2017-18); Won B1G tournament, NCAA runner-up, (33-8, T4th in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (2023-24); No tournament appearance (8-24, Last in Big Ten)
Michigan basketball had a few fun and surprisingly successful tournament runs. Including the year they won the Big Ten Tournament after a plane crash and went on a crazy run to the National Championship game. The hiring of Juwan Howard came with some things to celebrate, but that would fizzle out in the last few seasons, which paved the way for hiring Dusty May.
Michigan Hockey
Best Finish (2021-22); Won B1G tournament, NCAA Frozen Four, (31-10-1, 2nd in Big Ten)
Worst Finish (2016-17); No tournament appearance, (13-19-3, 5th in Big Ten)
Michigan hockey is going places, but had a tough stretch at the end of Red Berenson’s career, missing the NCAA Tournament three times, including his final season as head coach. The hiring of Mel Pearson seemed promising but he got fired by the University ahead of the 2022 season. Thankfully, Brandon Naurato kept the train moving in the right direction and has had two straight trips to the Frozen Four as head coach.
In the end, it looks like there’s some evidence to back up the idea that you can’t have three good teams at once. When football and basketball were winning, hockey struggled, when hockey turned it around, you started to see a decline in football or the basketball team had issues.
For some time, Michigan basketball helped comfort fans when football and hockey started to bottom out. Last season, who cared about the poor basketball performance? Football won the natty!! Even when one team is bad, we’ll always have another to fall back on.
It’s great to be a Michigan Wolverine!
Michigan has more freshwater shoreline than any other state, two peninsulas, and four Great Lakes for borders. The eleven towns below trade on different parts of that coastline. The wide white-sand beaches of the southwest corner. The dune-walled bays of the Lower Peninsula. The working harbors at the river mouths. The rocky shorelines of the Keweenaw, where mining ran before tourism did. Each town below earns the list because the lake is a daily fact, not a backdrop.
Traverse City
Traverse City sits at the foot of Grand Traverse Bay and runs as the regional hub for northern Michigan, with about 15,000 residents and miles of shoreline along the bay’s twin arms. The town is the eastern gateway to Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, where dunes rise more than 450 feet above Lake Michigan and Good Morning America viewers voted the park “the most beautiful place in America” in 2011. Downtown Front Street keeps a working main strip of bookstores, brewpubs, and tasting rooms tied to the surrounding Old Mission and Leelanau wine peninsulas, which produce most of the state’s award-winning Riesling.
Holland
Founded by Dutch immigrants in 1847, Holland sits on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Black River. Windmill Island Gardens runs De Zwaan, a working Dutch windmill that was milling grain in the Netherlands as far back as the 1760s before being shipped to Holland and reassembled in 1964 (it remains the only authentic, operating Dutch windmill in the United States). Six million tulips go in across the city each spring for the Tulip Time festival in May, drawing more than 500,000 visitors over its run. Holland State Park and Tunnel Park run the lakeshore for swimming and dune walks, and the Big Red Lighthouse anchors the harbor entrance.
Ludington
Ludington, the Mason County seat in western Michigan, has about 7,800 residents and a working harbor that still launches the S.S. Badger, the largest passenger and car ferry running on the Great Lakes, on its daily four-hour run to Manitowoc, Wisconsin. The Badger is the last coal-fired steamship in regular service in the United States. The town has miles of beaches along Lake Michigan and Hamlin Lake, plus two lighthouses (one at the end of the breakwater you can walk out to). Ludington State Park, consistently ranked among the best in the Midwest, covers more than 5,000 acres of dunes, marsh, and pine forest north of town with the historic Big Sable Point Light at the northern end of its beach.
Copper Harbor
Copper Harbor, with around 100 year-round residents, is the northernmost community in Michigan, set at the very tip of the Keweenaw Peninsula on the shore of Lake Superior. The peninsula sits on one of the oldest exposed lava flows on the planet and is the only region in the United States where prehistoric copper mining has been documented (Indigenous peoples were extracting native copper here as far back as 7,000 years ago). The harbor itself is rocky rather than sandy, but Hunter’s Point and Horseshoe Harbor open up flat shoreline walks. The Copper Harbor Trails system, built into the surrounding hills, has put the town on the international map for hard mountain biking and is the only IMBA-designated Silver Level Ride Center in the Midwest.
South Haven
With around 4,000 residents at the mouth of the Black River, South Haven runs along a working harbor with the South Haven Light at the end of its red catwalk-topped pier. South Beach, just south of the harbor entrance, has the town’s main swim area; North Beach, on the opposite side of the river, is quieter and longer. Phoenix Street is the downtown commercial strip, with Taste at 402 Phoenix a longtime stop for grilled cheese, sandwiches, and tomato soup. The Michigan Maritime Museum on Dyckman Avenue holds tall ships including the schooner Friends Good Will, a working replica of an 1810 Great Lakes vessel.
Grand Haven
The Grand Haven Musical Fountain, set on Dewey Hill across the Grand River from downtown, runs free water-and-light shows nightly from Memorial Day through Labor Day and has been doing so since 1962, making it the oldest synchronized musical fountain in the country still in regular operation. Grand Haven, with around 10,000 residents, was the first city formally designated a Coast Guard City by Act of Congress, signed in 1998, in recognition of more than a century of close ties to the service. The Tri-Cities Historical Museum covers regional fur-trade and shipbuilding history, and Grand Haven State Park sits at the river’s mouth on 48 acres of beachfront sand.
New Buffalo
In the southwest corner of Michigan near the Indiana line, New Buffalo draws weekenders out to its harbor, a wide white-sand public beach, and a marina that fills up through the summer. The town traces its founding to 1834, when sea captain Wessel Whittaker, headed for Chicago from Buffalo, New York, was shipwrecked along the coast and bought the surrounding land to build a town in his hometown’s image. The Whittaker name still runs through the street grid and the Whittaker Woods Golf Club. New Buffalo Beach, a short walk from downtown, takes up the wide stretch of Lake Michigan shoreline at the harbor mouth.
Muskegon
The name Muskegon comes from an Algonquian word meaning “marshy river,” and the town sits where the Muskegon River, the second-longest river in Michigan, empties into Muskegon Lake and on into Lake Michigan. With about 37,000 residents, Muskegon is the largest of these towns and holds onto a row of preserved Victorian-era mansions. The Hackley and Hume Historic Site keeps two adjoining 1880s lumber-baron homes open for tours, with stained glass, stenciled ceilings, and original woodwork. The Lakeshore Trail runs about twelve miles of paved path along Muskegon Lake and Lake Michigan. Pere Marquette Park, on the lakeshore, holds the South Pierhead Light at the harbor entrance and lines up with one of the longest unbroken Lake Michigan beaches in the state.
St. Joseph
St. Joseph sits on the bluffs at the mouth of the St. Joseph River in southwest Michigan, with about seven public beaches inside the city limits. Silver Beach, at the harbor mouth, is the most-used and pairs with the Silver Beach Carousel (a working 1910-style carousel built in 2010) and a public splash playground. The St. Joseph North Pier Lights, built in 1907, sit on the breakwater connected by a catwalk you can walk out to. About sixteen miles south, Warren Dunes State Park runs three miles of Lake Michigan shoreline and a row of high freshwater dunes used for sand-sliding and hang gliding.
Glen Arbor
Glen Arbor is a Leelanau Peninsula village of around 700 residents, set between Glen Lake and Lake Michigan inside the boundary of Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. The downtown is one short main street of art galleries, kayak outfitters, and small restaurants, including Cherry Republic, a longtime regional retailer with a tasting room for cherry wines and ciders. Just outside town, the Crystal River winds through farmland and back into Lake Michigan, and the Sleeping Bear Bluffs rise more than 450 feet above the lake about four miles to the south. The Leelanau Peninsula Wine Trail starts a few minutes inland.
Cheboygan
Cheboygan, with about 4,800 residents, sits where the Cheboygan River meets Lake Huron at the head of the Inland Waterway, a chain of lakes and rivers running about 40 miles inland to Crooked Lake. Cheboygan State Park covers about 1,200 acres along the Lake Huron shoreline, with views of the Mackinac Bridge to the west on clear days and the abandoned Cheboygan Crib Light at the harbor entrance. Downtown holds a row of brick storefronts and the restored Cheboygan Opera House (built 1877, rebuilt 1888 after a fire), which still books touring shows.
Where the Great Lakes Touch Town
Across these eleven towns, Michigan’s coastline shows up differently at every stop. The wide white-sand beaches of the southwest. The dune-walled bays of the Lower Peninsula. The working harbors at the river mouths. The rocky shorelines and old mining country of the Keweenaw. None of them are big, and most of them go quiet by the end of October, but the lake doesn’t, and the shoreline rewards the drive in every season.
Powerball, Mega Millions jackpots: What to know in case you win
Here’s what to know in case you win the Powerball or Mega Millions jackpot.
Just the FAQs, USA TODAY
The Michigan Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.
Here’s a look at April 27, 2026, results for each game:
Winning Daily 3 numbers from April 27 drawing
Midday: 0-9-9
Evening: 2-0-4
Check Daily 3 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily 4 numbers from April 27 drawing
Midday: 8-7-6-8
Evening: 8-3-5-2
Check Daily 4 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Poker Lotto numbers from April 27 drawing
JS-6D-2H-5S-10S
Check Poker Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from April 27 drawing
18-19-20-33-36
14-25-28-33-39
Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Daily Keno numbers from April 27 drawing
02-04-16-19-22-26-40-42-45-46-47-53-60-62-63-65-72-73-75-76-78-79
Check Daily Keno payouts and previous drawings here.
Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from April 27 drawing
04-15-19-21-31, Bonus: 04
Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.
Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results
Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize
All Michigan Lottery retailers can redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes up to $99,999.99, winners have the option to submit their claim by mail or in person at one of Michigan Lottery’s Regional Offices.
To claim by mail, complete a ticket receipt form, sign your winning ticket, and send it along with original copies of your government-issued photo ID and Social Security card to the address below. Ensure the names on your ID and Social Security card match exactly. Claims should be mailed to:
Michigan Lottery
Attn: Claim Center
101 E. Hillsdale
P.O. Box 30023
Lansing, MI 48909
For prizes over $100,000, winners must claim their prize in person at the Michigan Lottery Headquarters in Lansing located at 101 E. Hillsdale in downtown Lansing. Each winner must present original versions of a valid government-issued photo ID (typically a driver’s license or state ID) and a Social Security card, ensuring that the names on both documents match exactly. To schedule an appointment, please call the Lottery Player Relations office at 844-887-6836, option 2.
If you prefer to claim in person at one of the Michigan Lottery Regional Offices for prizes under $100,000, appointments are required. Until further notice, please call 1-844-917-6325 to schedule an appointment. Regional office locations are as follows:
- Lansing: 101 E. Hillsdale St. Lansing; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Livonia: 33231 Plymouth Road, Livonia; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Sterling Heights: 34700 Dequindre Road, Sterling Heights; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Detroit: Cadillac Place, 3060 W. Grand Blvd., Suite L-600, Detroit; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Grand Rapids: 3391-B Plainfield Ave. NE, Grand Rapids; Phone: 844-917-6325
- Saginaw: Jerome T. Hart State Office Building, 411 E. Genesee Ave., Saginaw; Phone: 844-917-6325
For additional information, downloadable forms, and instructions, visit the Michigan Lottery’s prize claim page.
When are Michigan Lottery drawings held?
- Daily 3 & Daily 4: Midday at 12:59 p.m., Evening at 7:29 p.m.
- Fantasy 5: 7:29 p.m. daily
- Poker Lotto: 7:29 p.m. daily
- Lotto 47: 7:29 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday
- Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily
- Daily Keno: 7:29 p.m. daily
- Millionaire for Life: 11:15 p.m. daily
This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Michigan editor. You can send feedback using this form.
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