Trickier Than it Looks

The Dutch League

Mr. Peabody: "Welcome again to another episode of Mr. Peabody and Sherman, with our very special guest - Mark II. Sherman, set the WAY BACK MACHINE to the year 1720 A.D."

Way Back Machine: "WWWWHHHHIIIIZZZZ, WWWWHHHHIIIIRRRRLLLL, ZZZZAAAAPPPP, ZZZZOOOOIIIINNNNKKKK!!"

Mr. Peabody: "Folks, we are here in Amsterdam at the Van Halen Gallery. "

Sherman: "Amsterdam? Van Halen? What gives, Mark II?"

Mark II: "Sherman, as we have learned the British Empire League was the dominant 17th century football league. However, the lesser known Dutch League flourished around mid-century. Rembrandt van Rijn and several other prominent Dutch painters captured for posterity the most important figures and events in Dutch League play. Edwardus van Halen, a popular and prosperous musician, football fan and patron of the arts, collected these masterpieces of football art and graciously exhibited them for public viewing."

Mr. Peabody: "Masterpieces of football art? Fascinating, Mark II. Please go on."

Mark II: "Mr. Peabody, the Dutch League is of interest to us more for the artwork that it inspired than for its quality of competition. Michigan dominated the league easily under the direction of coach Bernardus ("Bernie") Oosterbaan, winning 30 titles."

Sherman: "Forefather of the great Michigan coach Bennie Oosterbaan - the 1948 National Coach of the Year?"

Mark II: "Indeed, Sherman. Coach Oosterbaan of the Dutch League is depicted in this exquisite Rembrandt portrait."

"Coach Bernardus 'Bernie' Oosterbaan With His Playbook"
Rembrandt van Rijn - 1631
[click on picture for larger view]

Mr. Peabody: "Magnificent work! Masterful technique!"

Sherman: "SSSSHHHH ... we're in an art gallery."

Mark II: "Right, Sherman, we have to keep it down. Over here is a group portrait of the Michigan offense of 1642 - an awesome machine, I might add."

"The Michigan Offense of 1642 - Dutch League"
Rembrandt van Rijn - 1642
[click on picture for larger view]

Sherman: "A fearsome lot indeed. Who is the woman in the painting, Mark II? A cheerleader?"

Mark II: "No, Sherman, just one of Bernie Oosterbaan's groupies. Cheerleaders wore maize and blue, as this portrait shows."

"A Michigan Cheerleader"
Jan Vermeer van Delft - 1665
[click on picture for larger view]

Mr. Peabody: "Hey, she's not too bad!"

Mark II: "Not at all, Mr. Peabody. Anyway, as I was saying Michigan didn't face much competition in the Dutch League. Anders van DerBilt, a commodore in the Dutch navy, assembled a strong defense but lackluster offensive play doomed him to mediocrity. Michigan's most serious challenge came from the Ducks, led by quarterback Normanus van Brocklin."

Sherman: "Ah ... the Flying Dutchman?"

Mark II: "Indeed, Sherman. In fact, Michigan met the Ducks in the first Tulip Bowl in 1660. Remarkably, this was the first documented bowl game in world football history. It was quite an event, too. This magnificent landscape shows the scene in the parking lot before the game."

"Fans Gathering in the Tulip Bowl Parking Lot"
Aelbert Cuyp - 1660
[click on picture for larger view]

Sherman: "A big crowd, Mark II. So Michigan won the game, I expect?"

Mark II: "Yes, Sherman. Normanus van Brocklin suffered an injury to his throwing hand while repairing a windmill two days before the big game. It was a devastating blow to the Ducks, and Michigan won 'handily.'"

Mr. Peabody: "A little bit of humor, Mark II?"

Mark II: "Just a little, Mr. Peabody. Of course after the game the Michigan fans went wild, as shown here."

"Michigan Fans Celebrating Victory in the Tulip Bowl"
Jan Steen - 1668
[click on picture for larger view]

Sherman: "So the Rose Bowl is not the 'granddaddy of them all' after all."

Mark II: "Not by a long shot, Sherman."

Mr. Peabody: "Well, Mark II, this certainly has been a highbrow experience, mingling here with the Dutch Masters."

Mark II: "Speaking of Dutch Masters, let's go get a cigar."