Conquering Heroes: 'Free Jim Harbaugh' Chants Roar At Michigan Hockey Game In Ann Arbor With Coach And Players In The House

Michigan men and their martyr made a triumphant return to Ann Arbor Saturday after winning at No. 10 Penn State, 24-15, without suspended head football coach Jim Harbaugh.

Michigan Won Without Jim Harbaugh At Penn State

Harbaugh, interim head coach Sherrone Moore, running back Blake Corum and other players and coaches got back in time to cheer on the Michigan hockey team Saturday night at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor. Michigan and Minnesota skated to a 2-2 tie in front of 5,800 fans.

Chants of "Free Jim Harbaugh ... Free Jim Harbaugh" broke out when the crowd noticed Harbaugh with other members of the team watching the game together.

The Big Ten Conference suspended Harbaugh from the game on Friday because of what the NCAA and Big Ten have learned from their investigation into the program's systemic in-person scouting and sign-stealing scheme.

Harbaugh pointed and waved at the crowd to thunderous cheers.

Michigan attorneys had filed an emergency motion Friday in Ann Arbor in hopes that Harbaugh would receive a restraining order against the league and be able to coach in the game Saturday. A judge did not hear the plea, but is expected to on Friday before Michigan plays at Maryland.

Michigan and Coach Sherrone Moore Dominated Penn State

Harbaugh could not be at the Michigan-Penn State venue, but he stayed in State College, Pennsylvania, and watched the game, presumably at the team hotel. He flew with the team to Penn State on Friday and returned with his players and coaches on Saturday.

If he watched the postgame, he saw Sherrone Moore's tearful interview on FOX, where he pledged his love and support for Harbaugh as did Corum right in Harbaugh's hotel television set.

The Big Ten suspended Harbaugh for the final three games of the regular season, but not the postseason. No. 3 Michigan (10-0) closes the regular season against No. 1 Ohio State (10-0) on Nov. 25.

Written by
Guilbeau joined OutKick as an SEC columnist in September of 2021 after covering LSU and the Saints for 17 years at USA TODAY Louisiana. He has been a national columnist/feature writer since the summer of 2022, covering college football, basketball and baseball with some NFL, NBA, MLB, TV and Movies and general assignment, including hot dog taste tests. A New Orleans native and Mizzou graduate, he has consistently won Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) and Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) awards since covering Alabama and Auburn at the Mobile Press-Register (1993-98) and LSU and the Saints at the Baton Rouge Advocate (1998-2004). In 2021, Guilbeau won an FWAA 1st for a game feature, placed in APSE Beat Writing, Breaking News and Explanatory, and won Beat Writer of the Year from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA). He won an FWAA columnist 1st in 2017 and was FWAA's top overall winner in 2016 with 1st in game story, 2nd in columns, and features honorable mention. Guilbeau completed a book in 2022 about LSU's five-time national champion coach - "Everything Matters In Baseball: The Skip Bertman Story" - that is available at www.acadianhouse.com, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble outlets. He lives in Baton Rouge with his wife, the former Michelle Millhollon of Thibodaux who previously covered politics for the Baton Rouge Advocate and is a communications director.