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It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since one of college football's most recognizable memes was born -- the Michigan surrender cobra.
In 2015, Michigan State upset rival Michigan 27-23 in a wild blocked punt sequence. The Wolverines led 23-21 with 10 seconds left and were set to punt from MSU's 53. But Wolverines punter Blake O'Neill fumbled the snap, and Sparty safety Jalen Watts-Jackson recovered it and returned it for a touchdown.
It was the last play of the game and gave Michigan State a win over the No. 12 Wolverines, marking a third straight victory over its in-state rival. Seconds after the play, ESPN's cameras caught a Michigan fan in shock. The fan had his hands over his head in a surrender cobra, mouth open in pure disbelief.
Let's take a look back at Michigan State's upset over Michigan 10 years ago, and revisit the viral Michigan fan meme.
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Michigan fan meme
Moments after the stunning MSU upset, the surrender cobra-ing Michigan fan's face flooded the Internet. His face was just about everywhere, and became synonymous with the craziness that is college football week to week:
Michigan’s “Surrender Cobra” is by far the best. pic.twitter.com/ZaIRgnBr4z
— Michael W. Jones (@Mike_and_such) May 20, 2024MORE: Revisiting Michigan coach Sherrone Moore's playing career
Who is the Michigan fan meme guy?
The fan is Chris Baldwin, who is from Saginaw, Mich., and grew up a lifelong Wolverines fan.
"It's definitely crazy that it's been 10 years," Baldwin told The Sporting News via a recent phone interview. "Obviously, I was in school at the time, so my life has changed significantly since then. Time does fly."
Baldwin was a freshman at Michigan during the 2015 game and became an instant celebrity on UM's campus. Via a recent ESPN interview with Baldwin and his friend Ian McKenzie:
McKenzie: Chris was a minor celebrity all of a sudden. We couldn't do anything without watching him take pictures for 10 minutes.
Baldwin: I definitely was getting recognized, walking to class, going to get lunch, going to parties. ... People were ready to take pictures.
"I would probably say really the the rush of, notoriety that happened even that evening," Baldwin said of what he remembers most about the game 10 years later. "It took a little bit before, you know, myself and my friends realized that we were on TV. But then even that evening, like there were so many, texts and calls and things like that, and we're watching SportsCenter and my picture's on there. It's obviously a pretty unique thing to experience as just an average college student."
Baldwin's face soon became plastered on another Michigan rival—Ohio State t-shirts:
Our favorite Michigan fan has been commemorated on a shirt for Ohio State fans. pic.twitter.com/Qix9k5Qwug
— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) October 20, 2015Baldwin says that his parents have a signed photo of him in their basement, as well as the sweatshirt he was wearing when he became a meme. He adds that he's grateful to be part of one of college football's most iconic moments.
"I've always said it's, kind of a bittersweet thing," Baldwin said. "I'm a huge college football fan, right? So you obviously remember those plays—the Stanford band on the field, or, the Kick Six, all the different plays over the years.
And to be a part of one of those—I wish Michigan would have won, who knows, the way the rest of that season would have gone. But, if they had to lose, it's a special and unique experience to be a part of that. And we'll have the memories, and the fun I've had with it and with my friends forever."
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How Michigan State upset Michigan in 2015
Entering this game in 2015, Jim Harbaugh was in his first season as head coach of the Wolverines. He had just returned to college football from the NFL, where he coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011 to 2014. The Wolverines were 5-1 and ranked 12th in the country. MSU, under legendary Sparty head coach Mark Dantonio, entered undefeated and ranked seventh.
Michigan went to the locker room with a 10-7 lead at halftime and scored 13 points in the second half to take a 23-14 lead with 9:25 left in the fourth. Sparty running back LJ Scott scored a one-yard touchdown—helped by a Connor Cook 74-yard bomb to Trevon Pendleton on first down—to make it a 23-21 game with 8:56 left.
Following a trio of consecutive three-and-outs from both offenses, MSU got the ball back with 3:07 left. Michigan's defense forced a stop on 4th-and-19 with 1:47 left and got the ball back at the 50. The Wolverines tried three straight running plays to run down the clock, but were forced to punt with just 10 seconds left.
"I wasn't even nervous in the shield," Michigan tight end Jake Butt told ESPN, remembering the play. "We've done this a hundred times. But you can always hear the thump of the punt. You can hear a thump. I didn't hear a thump. I heard the crowd noise shift, and you could sense the nervousness. I'm like, something's not right."
Something was indeed not right. On the snap, disaster struck. Michigan punter O'Neill fumbled the ball, and Watts-Jackson was there to recover it. He followed his teammate Jermaine Edmondson's blocks into the end zone to give Sparty an unbelievable 27-23 victory.
"As I'm running, I see only one guy in maize and blue [Wayne Lyons] in front of me," Watts-Jackson said via ESPN. "So then I'm thinking, we pick up this block, we can go all the way. Jermaine Edmondson is looking at me, and we're thinking the same thing. He turns around and picks up [Lyons]. At the 7-yard line, I dip my head and cut back inside both of them. Once I cut back, I was going for it."
The game lives in college football history as one of the greatest and most shocking plays in the sport.
"The only thing I really remember from the actual play is trying to quickly figure out if there would be any time left if Jalen was tackled," Baldwin said. "Then I remember some time a few minutes after how quiet it was and how nearly nobody had left the stands yet."
That it happened during a rivalry game makes it even more memorable.
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Where is the Michigan meme guy now?
Baldwin has stayed largely out of the spotlight since becoming a meme. He lives in South Lyon, Mich., which is about 30 miles north of Ann Arbor. He works as a software developer, and is a UM football season ticket holder. But still 10 years later, he still gets recognized from time to time.
"I think I look a little bit older, I have different glasses," Baldwin said of fans recognizing him. "I still look similar enough, I guess. I'm always impressed because at this point it's a lot of times just in a random spot, you know, going to a [Detroit] Tigers game, or wherever it might be. That somebody will somehow recognize me and have the confidence to actually approach me."
He adds that what fans say to him depends on what side they're on.
"Michigan fans, when they recognize me, it's always 'Hey, man, I was doing the exact same thing in my living room,'" Baldwin said. "Or 'I was at that game, and I felt the same way.' It's kind of a representation of their their sadness."
"Michigan State fans, it's, of course, kind of the opposite," he continued. "[They're] pretty much always, respectful about it—nobody's rubbing it in or anything. But they're obviously a lot happier to kind of meet a representation of one of their greater moments in the history of their program."
Baldwin got married in 2024, and a post on X claimed that his wife is a Michigan State fan:
— Justin Spiro (@DarkoStateNews) May 20, 2024But Baldwin says his wife, who went to Oakland University in Michigan, has come to see the light, and now roots for the Wolverines.
"It's debatable," Baldwin said of her being characterized as an MSU fan "She probably grew up more of a Michigan State fan, but I would say she didn't have super strong allegiances one way or another."
"I would say I've pretty confidently, fully converted her into a Michigan fan," Baldwin continued. "I still have season tickets, so she comes to every game with me. She wears the maize and blue—I have no doubts about her fandom at this point."
What is a 'surrender cobra'?
A surrender cobra has become synonymous with fans watching their team in danger of losing a game. From baseball to basketball and football—the fan's hands are clasped on top of their head, resembling a cobra. The gesture is thought to be an act of surrendering, as the fan is accepting their team's fate in the moment.
The signal has become synonymous with fans in distress:
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) September 8, 2024There's even an entire X account called "Surrender Cobra" filled with examples:
#SurrenderCobra pic.twitter.com/MTgppc3L4R
— Surrender Cobra (@SurrenderCobra) January 1, 2025surrender cobra @SurrenderCobra pic.twitter.com/FqZkbqi2qn
— megañ 🔪 (@3x5) January 11, 2025@SurrenderCobra pic.twitter.com/Kt0nZYjzLS
— . (@mailinvoter) October 12, 2025
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