ANN ARBOR -- Slippery Rock coach George Mihalik was on the sidelines 35 years ago when the university's football team played at Michigan Stadium for the first time.

He was a young assistant coach for Slippery Rock's game against Shippensburg on Sept. 29, 1979 in front of a record-setting 61,143 fans.

"It's a moment I'll never forget," Mihalik said.

Mihalik will be on the sidelines Saturday to help a new generation of Slippery Rock players create their own moment when his team plays Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference rival Mercyhurst in the Big House Battle.

The game is an extension of a decades-long relationship between Slippery Rock and Michigan that started when Wolverines public address announcer Steve Filipiak started announcing the Division II school's scores during home games in 1959.

As Filipiak kept the practice up, Michigan fans eventually felt an attachment for Slippery Rock, and its intriguing name.

Former Michigan athletic director Don Canham eventually invited Slippery Rock to play at the Big House in 1979 and again in 1981.

Slippery Rock linebacker Rick Allen, who played in both games, remembers everything about the experience from the locker room to the feel of getting tackled on Michigan Stadium's artificial turf.

"The locker room, oh man," Allen said, laughing. "It was like, wow. I think that was the first thing that hit you that made you say -- this is big time. And we played on grass at the time, so their turf was something else. When you hit that carpet, I do mean carpet, it would give you rug burn."

Planning for Slippery Rock's latest "home game" at Michigan started when Milhalik and a group of players were honored during a 2010 Wolverines' home game against Wisconsin.

Milhalik credited Michigan fans for keeping the bond alive over the years, as they continue to enthusiastically support the Slippery Rock name, and program.

"The mystique of the Slippery Rock name is still magic," Mihalik said. "It generates a lot of attention, just look at the reaction at every home game when they announce our score, look at the reaction at the Big House."

The relationship is just as special from Slippery Rock's perspective.

"It's a pretty big moment," junior running back Brett Crenshaw said, of Saturday's game. "It's a big stage, and we are excited to get up there and put on a show."

"It's unbelievable that Michigan has given us this presence and recognition. The fact that we get to play on the same field as Desmond Howard, Charles Woodson and Tom Brady is an unbelievable feeling."

Fans can purchase $20 general admission tickets online leading up to the game. On Saturday, tickets can be purchased starting at 11 a.m. at the will call window at the Northeast entrance of Crisler Center.



Michigan students with a valid MCard can get into the game for free. There are also family packages, and reduced prices for groups of 10 or more people.

As of Wednesday, Slippery Rock's Director of Athletic Communication Jon Holtz didn't have the exact number of tickets sold. A lot will depend on the weather Saturday. If there is nice weather that should drive a lot of Michigan students to walk up the day of the game.

"We're hoping the University of Michigan students and the Ann Arbor community comes out to support Slippery Rock's return to the Big House," Holtz said. "We've played in front of more than 35,000 people in each of our first two trips to Michigan, so we're optimistic a great crowd will be on hand Saturday."

Michael Niziolek covers local sports for MLive Ann Arbor News. Email him at mniziole@mlive.com or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Google+