Military

The Most American Moment of Pearl Harbor: Sailor Took On Japanese in Full Football Pads

December 7, 2021Mac Caltrider
football

Michael “Mickey” Ganitch spotted Japanese planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor while wearing full football pads. Composite by Coffee or Die Magazine.

On the morning of Dec. 7, 1941, Michael “Mickey” Ganitch was preparing for what he called the “Super Bowl of the Navy.” The Fleet Football Championship was set to pit the crew of the USS Pennsylvania against that of the USS Oklahoma that afternoon. Ganitch was serving as the USS Pennsylvania’s quartermaster and was gearing up for the big game when the first Japanese planes flew into Pearl Harbor.  


With no time to change out of his football gear and into his Navy uniform, Ganitch scrambled 70 feet up to his battle station in the crow’s nest of the USS Pennsylvania. 


“I had all my padding on. They couldn’t hurt me there! I was well protected with all my padding on except my helmet and spikes,” Ganitch recalls in a video shared by American Veterans Center.



From his vantage point above the super-dreadnought battleship and dressed in full football pads, Ganitch served as a lookout, spotting Japanese bombers and Zeros in what might have been the most American moment of the Pearl Harbor attacks. 


In the brief period between attack waves, Ganitch managed to ditch his pads and don his sailor uniform. 


“So I wasn’t well protected during that second attack,” he jokes in the video. 


Luckily for Ganitch, the USS Pennsylvania happened to be in a dry dock on the morning of Dec. 7 and went unnoticed by the first wave of attackers. It wasn’t until the second wave that his battleship was attacked.


football, Pearl Harbor
The USS Arizona burns after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1941. The ship is resting on the harbor bottom. The supporting structure of the forward tripod mast has collapsed after the forward magazine exploded. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

Ganitch watched as a Japanese Nakajima B5N torpedo bomber dropped a 500-pound bomb onto the ship’s deck, missing him by a mere 45 feet. Because the deadly device was armor-piercing, it didn’t explode until after it had penetrated two decks below the ship’s top deck. The bomb killed 15 of his shipmates and caused 14 more to be listed as missing in action.


“If it had exploded on contact, I wouldn’t be here talking to you,” Ganitch says in the video. 


Ganitch went on to serve in the Philippines and on Okinawa before the war’s end. At 102 years old, the Pearl Harbor survivor continues to share his remarkable story through speaking engagements. Watch his incredible account of surviving the Pearl Harbor attack above.


Read Next: 7 Facts Every American Should Know About Dorie Miller, the Black Sailor Whose Heroics Changed a Nation



Mac Caltrider
Mac Caltrider

Mac Caltrider is a senior staff writer for Coffee or Die Magazine. He served in the US Marine Corps and is a former police officer. Caltrider earned his bachelor’s degree in history and now reads anything he can get his hands on. He is also the creator of Pipes & Pages, a site intended to increase readership among enlisted troops. Caltrider spends most of his time reading, writing, and waging a one-man war against premature hair loss.

More from Coffee or Die Magazine
dear jack mandaville
Dear Jack: Which Historic Battle Would You Want To Witness?

Ever wonder how much Jack Mandaville would f*ck sh*t up if he went back in time? The American Revolution didn't even see him coming.

west point time capsule
West Point Time Capsule Yields Centuries-Old Coins

A nearly 200-year-old West Point time capsule that at first appeared to yield little more than dust contains hidden treasure, the US Military Academy said.

Ouija Board aircraft carrier
Low-Tech ‘Ouija Boards’ Have Helped Aircraft Carriers Operate for Decades

Since the 1920s, a low-tech tabletop replica of an aircraft carrier’s flight deck has been an essential tool in coordinating air operations.

Army vs. Navy mascot
The Navy Goat vs. the Army Mule: Mascot Origin Stories

For nearly as long as the Army-Navy football rivalry, the academies’ hoofed mascots have stared each other down from the sidelines. Here are their stories.

ukraine long-range weapon
Zelenskyy Says Ukraine Has Developed a Long-Range Weapon, a Day After Strike Deep Inside Russia

Zelenskyy said on his Telegram channel the weapon was produced by Ukraine’s Ministry of Strategic Industries but gave no other details.

ambush
7 of the Best Movie Ambush Scenes of All Time

Ambushes make for great action scenes. Here are seven of the best to ever grace the big screen.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, with his daughter, center right, reportedly named Ju Ae, review the honor guard during their visit to the navy headquarter in North Korea
North Korea Launches Missile Toward Sea After US Flies Bomber During Drills

South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that the launch occurred Wednesday but gave no further details, such as how far the missile flew.

  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Careers
Contact Us
Contact Us
© 2023 Coffee or Die Magazine. All Rights Reserved