Mount Pleasant — The Michigan Wolverines trip to the National Championship game has led has brought fans out to bars and restaurants across northern Michigan.
A pub in Mount Pleasant, where the patrons typically root for the Central Michigan Chippewas, set that aside Monday night to cheer on the Wolverines.
Braydon, a manager at the Blue Gator Sports Pub and Grill in Mount Pleasant admitted they’re, “happy to have a team to cheer for.”
“When it’s a big moment in the game and the whole bar is cheering it’s just magical,” Braydon said.
The Blue Gator Pub sits just blocks away from Central Michigan’s campus, but over the past couple of weeks it’s looked more like a bar in Ann Arbor.
A student at Central Michigan University, Jayce Holliday said, “even though we’re not in Ann Arbor, everyone is still cheering for Michigan because that’s where we’re from.”
The bar is typically closed on Monday, but the pub has stayed open the past couple weeks during Michigan’s trip through the College Football Playoff.
“Last week when they were in the playoffs we got a big showing from the community,” Braydon explained. “And with the buzz around the game and the community we thought it would be a good idea to open again.”
And although Monday’s game didn’t feature the Chippewas it didn’t stop students like Bobby Galloway from cheering on the Wolverines. Galloway said he’ll go back to a Chippewa on Tuesday, but was excited to cheer on the Wolverines Monday night.
“The University of Michigan is a tough school to get into,” Galloway acknowledged. “So, I took my opportunity here at Central Michigan, but you can’t give up on a big school like Michigan when it comes to football.”