It was no ordinary halftime show at the 1971 homecoming football game.

That Saturday afternoon, the announcer asked the crowd of 75,000 fans for a moment of silence to honor those who died in the Vietnam War, as well as the lives that would still be lost.

Fifty war veterans, who had lined the east sideline, then released 100 black balloons to symbolize the 1.5 million victims lost in the war, as the marching band played “Taps,” according to "War as They Knew It," a book by Michael Rosenberg.

University officials agreed to allow the anti-war observance during halftime after they were presented with a petition signed by 1,500 people. But they stipulated that band members and the local chapter of Vietnam Veterans Against the War could be the only people allowed on the field.

Signatures supporting the petition from two-thirds of the football team, however, presented some conflicts in the locker room.

Bo Schembechler, the University’s head football coach at the time, was concerned that the demonstration would be too distracting. In his eyes, there was no place for it at a Michigan football game.

Many viewed the 1971 homecoming theme, “Bring all the troops home now. Let’s have a real homecoming this year,” as a success.

Spectators at the game commented that the unusual halftime show was “an emotional experience in good taste.”

Marvin Epstein, an alum who watched the show, told the Daily at the time that the “fantastic” halftime festivities allowed the University to distinguish itself from other colleges.

Though University Secretary Richard Kennedy and Schembechler were concerned that mixing football and politics could be a distraction, the peaceful halftime show went off without a hitch.

In the end, the football team was unfazed by the interruption, winning 61–7 over Indiana.