Loading ...Top 15 of the Last 15: #5
For the next indeterminate amount of time, I will be counting down my top 15 offensive and defensive players from the last 15 years. Today, I unveil my picks at #5 for each side of the ball:
The countdown gets serious today as we hit the top five, featuring one of the most popular players in Michigan history and one of the anchors of the national title team.
Offense: Mike Hart, RB, 2004-2007
Single-handedly taking on Little Brother. And winning.
I honestly don’t even know how to start this. My wall is adorned with a two-of-a-kind giant poster of the Sports Illustrated cover with Mike Hart on it, signed by the man himself, “To Ace, Go Blue, Mike Hart 20″ (bit of a long story behind that). I own a “Hart for Heisman” shirt bought from a vendor outside the Union, and I still wear it with pride. I have witnessed a grown man cry with joy after a Mike Hart run (another long story). I’ve met the man personally more than a couple times. This is not bragging — I’m simply explaining why I will never be able to talk about the man in an unbiased, non-effusive fashion.
Mike Hart goes way beyond the numbers. Yes, he’s the all-time leading rusher at Michigan by a nearly-600-yard margin. Yes, he averaged 117.2 yards per game during his career, another school record. He had five career 200-yard games, 12 career 150-yard games and 28 career 100-yard games. He went 1005 touches without losing a fumble. Read that last sentence again. One-thousand-and-five consecutive times, a 5-7 running back playing in one of the toughest conferences in college football took the ball in his hands and made sure his team kept possession. So yes, the numbers are incredible. However, Mike Hart’s legacy is that he inspired this kind of reverence from Michigan fans:
Hart will go down as a legend at Michigan despite never being an All-American (a travesty, in my opinion). He came to the rescue of the Michigan offense more times than I can count: saving us from a season of David Underwood as a freshman, rushing for over 200 yards against Michigan State in 2004 (yes, the Braylon Game, so people forget how well he played), being simply unstoppable against Ohio State in 2006, picking up that Ryan Mallett fumble against State in 2007 and turning a potentially game-ending blunder into a first down. Oh, and he ran for 110 yards in that State game while hurt. That’s Mike Hart. That’s why he’s fifth on this list, despite being “too small” to succeed at the I-A level, “too slow” to be a starting running back, just some three-star from a terrible high school league in upstate New York. Just ask any Michigan fan about Mike Hart, and you’ll know why he’s placed here.
Defense: Glen Steele, DE, 1994-1997
Steele making another huge play in the 1997 season.
Charles Woodson spearheaded the 1997 Michigan defense. We all know this. But Glen Steele was nearly as important, the anchor of the front seven, a terror coming off the edge with the strength and quickness to be a force against the run and the pass. He showed this right from the beginning of his senior campaign, recording four tackles for loss against Colorado, including two sacks, and basically living in the Buffalo backfield as U-M started their title season with a 27-3 dominant victory.
Steele was consistent, tallying a tackle for loss in all but one game during that 1997 season. He finished with seven sacks, and he came through in big games, recording a sack against Penn State and two more against Ohio State on top of a fumble recovery (pictured above). He finished his career as an All-American, and sits fifth of the career tackles for loss list, tied for third in career sacks, and seventh in fumble recoveries. He had a nose for the big play, and due to the exploits of Woodson and the lack of an impactful pro career, he gets overlooked. Not here, however. The most ferocious man up front on a team with one of the greatest defenses of our generation gets the five slot on this list.
Agree? Disagree? Want to share your favorite Hart and Steele moments? Be sure to drop a comment, and remember that I’ll be taking submissions for your top 15 offensive and defensive players (and top five special teamers) until I’m done with the list. Post your lists in the comments, or shoot me an email at ace@thewolverineblog.com, and I’ll compile the lists for the final post alongside the lists of members of The Wolverine staff. Make sure to check back every weekday: next I post the #4 players for offense and defense.
Link to all Top 15 of the Last 15 posts
The list so far:
Offense:
15. Marquise Walker
14. Chris Perry
13. Chad Henne
12. Jerame Tuman
11. Brian Griese
10. Anthony Thomas
9. Tom Brady
8. Mario Manningham
7. Steve Hutchinson
6. Jake Long
5. Mike Hart
Defense:
15. William Carr
14. Leon Hall
13. Ian Gold
12. James Hall
11. Rob Renes
10. Alan Branch
9. Marcus Ray
8. Dhani Jones
7. Jarrett Irons
6. Marlin Jackson
5. Glen Steele
Special Teams:
5. Zoltan Mesko
4. Marquise Walker
3. Garrett Rivas
2. Steve Breaston
1. Remy Hamilton
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