Here’s a new video, in the same vein as the Bo Schembechlerones I posted last week, featuring every Michigan Team MVP (renamed the Bo Schembechler Award in 1995) since the award was first given to legendary quarterback Bennie Friedman in 1926. I did my best, using the Bentley Library, to use a snapshot of each player from the official team photo for the season they won (there’s no team photos in the library after 2004, and some of the more recent ones aren’t high-res):
A few things that struck me while putting this together:
Just six players have won the award twice: Brandon Graham (2008-09), Mike Hart (shared with David Harris in 2006, sole winner in 2007), Anthony Carter (1980, 1982), Ron Johnson (1967-68), Tom Harmon (1939-1940), and Ralph Heikkinen (1937-38). I didn’t know much about Heikkinen, a consensus All-American guard in 1938 and the first junior to win the team MVP award, but he has an incredibly thorough Wikipedia entry, which included some very high praise from local writers:
Detroit News sports editor H.G. Salsinger wrote: “He was Michigan’s outstanding player for the last two years. He was probably the best offensive guard Michigan ever had, and fitted perfectly into the new Michigan running attack. Fast and powerful, Heikkinen frequently blocked out two defense players. Heikkinen was the fastest charger in the Michigan line. He outmaneuvered opponents. On defense it was impossible to gain through his position, and he had a way of jamming opposing lines and making holes so that his secondary could break through and stop the ball carrier.”
Ann Arbor newspaper writer, Bud Benjamin, wrote about Heikkinen: “If ever a player deserved national recognition it is the brilliant Ralph Heikkinen, 180 pounds of inspired dynamite in a great Michigan line. . . . He came out of a small town in northern Michigan, Hike, did, a sandy haired, extremely reserved Finnish boy with an irrepressible urge to play football.”He played between 50 and 60 minutes of every game in 1937 and 1938 and not once was a timeout called on his account or a substitution made for him due to injury. “He was on his feet – active , explosive, dynamic –all the time.”
Gotta love seeing the President, Gerald Ford, who won the MVP in 1934.
Interesting that the MVP the 1948 national title team was not one of the three first-team All-Americans — Dick Rifenburg, Pete Elliott, and Alvin Wistert, the last of the three Wistert brothers and a College Football Hall of Fame member — but guard Dick Tomasi, the team captain and a first-team All-Big Ten selection.
Is it just a coincidence that the team photos went from black-and-white to color in 1969, Bo Schembechler’s first season at Michigan?
I think Rob Lytle’s blonde porn-stache could’ve made a run at the “Best Facial Hair” award from last summer’s Fun With Team Photos post — if it wasn’t for Tim Davis’ magnificent handlebars. Ditto for Butch Woolfolk and Mike Hammerstein.
If you really want to see Tim Biakabutuka in the 1995 team photo, he’s third from the left in the third row — the resolution just wasn’t close to high enough to put in the video, and I couldn’t find a big enough individual photo either. Besides, I doubt anyone will complain about the photo I used instead.
With every time I see his name mentioned or catch video of a game from the past two years, I get more and more sad that Brandon Graham won’t be a Wolverine next season. He’s in the discussion as my favorite Michigan player … ever.
After a nice, longer-than-expected winter vacation, I’m back to regular posting. I would have some wrap-ups on the hoops games against Indiana and Ohio State, but obligations outside my control made it so I couldn’t actually watch the games. As always, UMHoops and MGoBlogshould have you covered for basketball stuff.
With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the “aughts” now over, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. Now, your votes have been tallied, so it’s time for me to reveal the Michigan Team of the Decade. First up is the offense; I’ll post up the defense tomorrow.
For position groups with more than one winner, the players are listed in order of total votes received.
Chad Henne (2004-2007): The first true freshman to start for Michigan since the legendary Rick Leach, Henne made quick work of the lion’s share of Navarre’s school records. He was named to the freshman All-American team after throwing for 2743 yards and 25 touchdowns in his first collegiate season, leading the team to a conference title and Rose Bowl bid. Although he was criticized as a sophomore after a 3-3 start (it’s not really Henne’s fault that he no longer had Braylon Edwards to throw to), he still put up impressive numbers, throwing for 2526 yards and 23 touchdowns. His finest season came as a junior, when Henne completed 61.9% of his passes, threw for 2508 yards and 22 touchdowns (to only eight interceptions), and posted an efficiency rating of 143.4. Henne struggled with injuries as a senior in 2007, but still finished his career as Michigan’s all-time leader in attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns, and 150-yard passing games.
Mike Hart (2004-2007): Despite lacking the size or speed of a prototype collegiate running back, and being criticized for putting up incredible high school numbers against inferior competition, Mike Hart earned his way into the starting lineup as a true freshman and never relinquished his spot, breaking record after record along the way. Besides an injury-plagued sophomore campaign, Hart had a magnificent year every season he played for the Wolverines: 1455 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman, 1562 and 14 as a junior, and 1361 and 14 as a senior. His 5040 career rushing yards surpassed Thomas’ mark as the best in school history, as did his 28 (!) career 100-yard games, which also included 12 150-yard games and five 200-yard games (both school records). His three straight 200-yard performances as a freshman may stand as his most impressive achievement, but it was his running style — a 5′8 bowling ball in cleats, never succumbing to first contact — that endeared him to Michigan fans.
B.J. Askew (1999-2002): Askew started his career as a tailback, splitting carries with Chris Perry in his junior season before Perry proved himself capable of being a feature back in 2002. With Perry getting the lion’s share of the carries, Askew moved to fullback, where he became a dangerous option as both a runner and receiver. Askew’s best season statistically was 2001, when he rushed for over 900 yards as a tailback, but as a fullback in 2002 still managed to rush for 568 yards and six touchdowns while adding 36 catches for 280 yards and a touchdown through the air.
Braylon Edwards (2001-2004): There’s very little left to say about this man’s collegiate career that hasn’t already been said: the man now reserves the right to choose which Wolverine receiver (if any) is deserving of the #1 jersey. That should say it all. If not, here are a few moving pictures to jog your memory:
Edwards is first all-time at Michigan in every career receiving category worth mentioning.
Mario Manningham (2005-2007): Manningham earned a place in Wolverine lore early, as his game-winning touchdown reception with no time remaining in the 2005 Penn State game made him a household name (at least in Michigan) as a freshman. He finished with 27 catches for 433 yards and six touchdowns as a freshman; 38, 703, and nine as a sophomore, and capped off his career with 1174 yards and 12 touchdowns on 72 receptions as a junior. He also had one of the finest games in school history against Notre Dame in 2006, tally three scores and 137 yards on only four catches. And, since there appears to be no YouTube video of just his touchdowns in that game (a crime, if you ask me), I’ll have to settle for posting his 2007 game-winning TD against Michigan State, a play that is one of my personal favorites, since I was standing in the Spartan student section (dressed in maize, of course) when it happened:
Manningham is ninth in school history in career receptions, fifth in yards, and fourth in touchdowns.
David Terrell (1998-2000): After a quiet freshman season, Terrell earned the “1″ on his jersey in his sophomore and junior seasons before becoming one of the aforementioned top ten picks in the NFL draft. As a sophomore, Terrell hauled in 71 passes for 1038 yards and seven touchdowns, including a 10-catch, 150-yard, three-touchdown performance in the 2000 Orange Bowl against Alabama. Impressively, there was only one game in 1999 in which Terrell didn’t have a catch of at least 21 yards. The 6-3 big-play machine followed up with 67 catches for 1130 yards and 14 touchdowns as a junior before deciding to go pro early. Terrell is sixth all-time at Michigan in career receptions, fourth in receiving yards, fifth in touchdowns, and fourth in 100-yard games.
Bennie Joppru (1999-2002): Joppru broke out as a senior after three years of backup duty at tight end, setting the single-season school record for catches by a tight end in 2002 with 53, going for 579 yards and five touchdowns. The sure-handed option was a first down machine, and earned AP All-America third-team honors for his record-setting performance. Joppru is fourth in career receptions for a tight end at Michigan, and ninth in career receiving yards.
Jake Long (2004-2007): We’ll go chronologically here, since there’s so much to say about Jake Long:
After redshirting in 2003, Long was living in a house shared by several U-M players in the summer of 2004 when the house caught fire at 4 am. He escaped the fire by jumping from a second-story window onto the hood of a car, covered in soot. He initially declined medical attention, but was convinced to check into the hospital, where he was treated for smoke inhalation and released two days later. Thus begins the legend of Jake Long, Badass.
After sitting behind Mike Kolodziej for the first two games of 2004, Long took over as the starting right tackle, starting eight games on the season and earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the coaches.
Long suffered an ankle injury in August 2005 that forced him to undergo surgery and have two pins inserted into his left ankle. He returned a week earlier than expected, in the eighth game of the season against Iowa. He relieved Rueben Riley at right tackle in the third possession of the first quarter, and was the lead blocker for Jerome Jackson’s game-winning touchdown run in overtime. Long suffered another leg injury two weeks later, against Indiana, and was thought to be lost for the season when he reappeared wearing a protective boot in the second half. Instead, he started the next week against Ohio State, and also the bowl game against Nebraska.
In 2006, Long moved to left tackle, starting all 13 games at the position. He was also named co-captain of the team. Long was a consensus All-American, Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year, first-team All-Big Ten, and the Rader Award winner. Instead of leaving for the NFL, where he was a projected first-round draft pick, Long decided to return to Michigan. His decision was the reason Mike Hart decided to stay for his senior year.
As a senior, Long was even more dominant, again being named the Rader Award winner, Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and first-team all-conference, as well as earning the distinction of being the only unanimous 2007 All-American, and was a finalist for the Lombardi and Outland trophies.
In 2008, Long was taken with the first overall pick of the NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins.
So, yeah, not a bad career.
Jeff Backus (1997-2000): Backus, who started all 12 games as a redshirt freshman in 1997, was named All-Big Ten in all four years he played at Michigan, including consensus first-team honors in 2000. He finished his career with 49 consecutive starts, second all-time at Michigan, and was named a second-team All-American by the College Football News and ABC Sports as a senior. Backus earned the Hugh J. Rader Award as the team’s top offensive lineman in both his junior (sole winner) and senior (sharing with Steve Hutchinson and Maurice Williams) seasons. Backus was selected with the 18th pick of the first round by the Detroit Lions in the 2001 NFL Draft.
Steve Hutchinson (1997-2000): I’ll let the Bentley Historical Library take care of this one:
Steve Hutchinson capped an outstanding career with his selection as a consensus All-American in 2000 after earning first team accolades from CNN/Sports Illustrated during the 1999. Hutchinson, a two-time captain for the Wolverines, was a four-year starter and letterman at left guard. He made 45 career starts and did not allow a sack during his final two seasons. Hutchinson became the fourth player in Big Ten Conference history to be named to the All-Conference first-team all four years, joining Mark Messner as the only other Wolverine to achieve the honor. A native of Coral Springs, FL, Hutchinson was named the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and was a finalist for the Outland Trophy Award. He was the 17th player selected in the first round of the 2001 NFL draft by the Seattle Seahawks.
Yeah, he’s probably deserving of a spot on this team.
David Baas (2001-2004): Baas was a standout wherever he played on the line, starting 38 straight games to end his career at left guard and center. He earned first-team All-Big Ten in 2002 and 2003 at guard, then shifted over to center five games into the 2004 season. That move went well, as Baas once again was named first-team all-conference, as well as consensus All-American honors and the co-recipient of the Rimington Award, given to the nation’s top center. He is a two-time winner of the Rader Award, sharing it in 2003 and winning it outright as a senior. Baas was chosen by the San Francisco 49ers with the first pick of the second round in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Adam Kraus (2004-2007): Entering Michigan in 2003 as a tight end, Kraus took a redshirt year and bulked up to become a solid interior lineman. He started eight games at center as a redshirt sophomore, 13 games at left guard as a junior, and started all 13 games in 2007 (eight at LG, five at center). Kraus was a two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection, earning the honor in 2006 and 2007.
The Offense, Condensed Version (including special teams, which weren’t voted upon):
QB: Chad Henne
RB: Mike Hart
FB: B.J. Askew
WR: Braylon Edwards
WR: Mario Manningham
WR: David Terrell
TE: Bennie Joppru
T: Jake Long
T: Jeff Backus
G: Steve Hutchinson
G: Adam Kraus
C: David Baas
PK: Garrett Rivas
KR: Steve Breaston
The defense will be posted tomorrow. Thanks to everyone that voted.
With Michigan’s 2009 season wrapped up, and the decade coming to a close, I thought I would steal an idea from Dr. Saturday and have my readers vote on a Team of the Decade. So, I’ve come up with a list of nominees for every position, and I’ll be posting two position groups every day for the next week, leaving it up to you to vote for who should make the team. At the end of the month, I’ll tally up the votes and reveal the team of the decade. Next up are the running backs:
I’m not going to lie, I don’t envy you — you have to choose between a few of the best tailbacks to ever put on the winged helmet. The three nominees comprise half of the top six on Michigan’s all-time rushing yardage list, and are three of the top four all-time rushing touchdown leaders. All three won the Bo Schembechler Award as Team MVP. No, you will not have many decisions tougher than Thomas, Perry, or Hart.
Anthony Thomas (1997-2000): Thomas broke through as a freshman phenom in 1997, cracking the 500-yard mark while backing up Chris Howard on the national title team. He then posted rushing seasons of 893, 1297, and 1733 en route to becoming Michigan’s all-time leading rusher. His senior season, in 2000, was one of the finest individual seasons in school history: Thomas’ 1733 yards was the second-highest single season total in school history (and his 144.4 yards per game still stands as the school record), and he rushed for 18 touchdowns while averaging 5.4 punishing yards per carry. Thomas finished his career with 55 rushing touchdowns, still the school record, as well as 22 100-yard rushing games (second) and uncountable defenders left crushed in his wake.
Chris Perry (2000-2003): Perry does not have the career numbers that Thomas or Hart boast, but his 2003 season stands as one of the finest of all time, and he is the only player of the three to boast a Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the country, as well as a Big Ten MVP trophy. Perry spent his first two seasons either as a backup or splitting time with B.J. Askew, but by 2002, Askew had moved to fullback and Perry was left alone as the feature back for the Wolverines. He put up solid numbers as a junior, running for 1110 yards and 14 touchdowns, but it was his senior season that vaulted him into the pantheon of Wolverine tailbacks. Finishing fourth in the Heisman voting and winning the Walker and Big Ten MVP awards, Perry rushed for 1674 yards and 18 touchdowns on 338 carries. He also had one of the most memorable games a Michigan tailback has had, carrying the ball a school-record 51 times for 219 yards and a touchdown in a 27-20 victory over Michigan State. Perry is now sixth on Michigan’s career rushing yards list, fourth in touchdowns, and had 12 career 100-yard games.
Mike Hart (2004-2007): Despite lacking the size or speed of a prototype collegiate running back, and being criticized for putting up incredible high school numbers against inferior competition, Mike Hart earned his way into the starting lineup as a true freshman and never relinquished his spot, breaking record after record along the way. Besides an injury-plagued sophomore campaign, Hart had a magnificent year every season he played for the Wolverines: 1455 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshman, 1562 and 14 as a junior, and 1361 and 14 as a senior. His 5040 career rushing yards surpassed Thomas’ mark as the best in school history, as did his 28 (!) career 100-yard games, which also included 12 150-yard games and five 200-yard games (both school records). His three straight 200-yard performances as a freshman may stand as his most impressive achievement, but it was his running style — a 5’8 bowling ball in cleats, never succumbing to first contact — that endeared him to Michigan fans.
Rich Rodriguez’s recruiting for the 2010 class has caused, to say the least, some consternation among Michigan faithful. Witness the cause and effect:
Do the panic-stricken stick figures have a point, or is this much o noes about nothing? Today I’ll take a look at the three-star and below recruits from previous Michigan recruiting classes, and tomorrow I’ll take a look at the same caliber recruits Rich Rodriguez pulled in during his time at West Virginia. Will this tell us much about what to expect from these 2010 recruits? I have no idea. However, it’s the peak of offseason boredom, so it’s time to leave no story stone unturned. I’m using data from Rivals, which extends back to 2002, with a big assist from Mike DeSimone’s recruiting page. First, a list of the three-star and below recruits at Michigan from 2002-2006 (a point at which we can somewhat reasonably project a player’s career), with players who started at least five career games listed in bold:
2002 (10 three-star and below recruits/20 total recruits): Willis Barringer, Rondell Biggs, Mark Bihl, David Harris, Rueben Riley, Brian Thompson, Tom Berishaj, Kevin Murphy (3*), Greg Cooper, Jacob Stewart (N.R.)
2003 (4/17): Anton Campbell, Garrett Rivas, Patrick Sharrow (3*), Brandent Englemon (2*)
2004 (9/22): Jamar Adams, Mike Hart, Charles Stewart, John Thompson, Roger Allison, Keston Cheathem, Jeremy Ciulla, Grant DeBenedictis (3*), Marques Walton (2*)
2005 (12/23): Brandon Logan, Tim McAvoy, Zoltan Mesko, Mark Ortmann, LaTerryal Savoy, Carson Butler, Jason Forcier, Chris McLaurin, Chris Richards, Johnny Sears, Mister Simpson (3*), Andre Criswell (2*)
2006 (7/19): Greg Banks, Obi Ezeh, John Ferrera, Quintin Patella, Quintin Woods (3*), David Cone, Bryan Wright (2*)
Totals here: 42 three-star or below players, 16 starters. Two of those 16 starters are kickers/punters, and those guys never get above three-stars anyway, so 14/39 (striking Rivas, Zoltan, and Bryan Wright from the list) is probably a more telling figure. It seems a pretty safe bet at this point that none of the 2006 class besides Ezeh will see significant starting time (again, barring Wright), so I can say with a fair amount of confidence that for the 2002-2006 recruiting classes, 36% of three-star or below recruits ended up starting. Let’s look a little closer now.
Position Breakdown of three-star and below recruits:
One thing I notice immediately is the amount of offensive linemen, which isn’t a surprise considering how many you need and the fact that they tend to be the toughest recruits to scout. Unless you’re USC, you usually are filling out every class with a couple three-star o-linemen. The other glaring point, to me, is that the safety position is heavily represented here, which seems strange for a position with only two starting spots. Then I began to think about our safety play over the last several years. This begins to make sense.
The third thing to notice is that Michigan has never recruited three-star players heavily at the skill position, something that Rodriguez is doing quite a bit of right now. The 2010 class alone already has three times as many three-star and below wideouts as Lloyd pulled in during a five-year period (four times if you count Tony Drake as a slot). A large part of this, obviously, is Michigan’s need for more receivers under Rodriguez’s system. The fact that we have two four-star wideouts committed really makes this an area of little concern for me: we need receivers, and we need a lot of them — it’s hard to pull in five four-star wideouts per year. Rich Rod is also trying to fill out an area of the roster that needed fewer players under the old system. Hence, all the three-star receivers. We’re clearly doing fine at quarterback, what with Forcier, Robsinson, and Gardner. Running back is not at panic level need yet, with Shaw already looking good, Vincent Smith impressing early, and Fitzgerald Toussaint coming in as a highly-regarded four-star. Hopkins isn’t a bad pickup, either, and could still reach four-star status upon further evaluation. Chill out, stick figures.
The big concern, however, is defense. Marvin Robinson, despite the coaching staff and Robinson both saying he’s coming in as a safety, seems destined for linebacker (or spinner/deathbacker/whatever the hell Stevie Brown is playing). There is still a glaring need at safety, as well as defensive tackle. Unless Ken Wilkins eats Drew Dileo, I don’t see a DT in that class, and right now Michigan is thin even on offers at the position. In this case, the stick figures may have a point. Commence freaking out.
It’s tough to draw conclusions out of this right now, especially with the recruiting process still ongoing (and with Pace and Wilkins, among others, still candidates for a fourth star). At the moment, I have no problem with Rodriguez’s recruiting strategy on offense. On defense, however, he needs to fill a lot of holes, especially along the line. At this point, a three-star DT may not do the job for Michigan, who has Mike Martin, Will Campbell, a Canadian guy and a converted fullback as the entirety of their depth at the position. Yes, we’re implementing a three-man front of sorts under Greg Robinson, but that’s still mighty thin.
More on this will come tomorrow, as I look at the success of Rodriguez in developing three-star and below talent at West Virginia.
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
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
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.
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
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 #8 for each side of the ball:
Back in Ann Arbor now, so no worries about crappy connections or draining batteries. On with the show…
Offense: Mario Manningham, WR, 2005-2007
It speaks to Manningham’s big play ability that I had a very hard time deciding what picture/YouTube video combination to put up with this post. Between Penn State 2005, Notre Dame 2006, and Michigan State 2007, Super Mario has created three seminal moments (or in the case of ND 2006, three individual seminal moments inside one larger seminal moment) for me as a Wolverine fan. Then I decided, why choose when you have photo editing software and there’s no limit to the number of YouTube videos I can embed in a post?
With one critical slant route, Mario Manningham introduced himself to the Wolverine faithful in the midst of an otherwise dreadful 2005 season.
With three torchings of the Notre Dame secondary, Mario Manningham introduced himself to the sporting world at large in a much less dreadful 2006 season.
With a spectacular leaping grab in the end zone against Michigan State, Mario Manningham shut up a whole bunch of obnoxious Spartan fans and capped another glorious comeback against Little Brother in 2007.
I was in the State student section (aka the seventh circle of Hell) for that one, and I have never heard a more beautiful silence in my 21 years on Earth.
The man had the most ferocious double move that I’ve ever seen at the college level, adjusted to the deep ball as well as any receiver not named Braylon Edwards, and had that Riceian ability to never get caught from behind despite not having elite-level speed. He had a flair for the dramatic. He was the rock that held together the Michigan offense in 2007 when Henne and Hart couldn’t stay healthy. Seriously, look it up. 72 receptions (6th on the Michigan single-season list), 1,174 yards (2nd), 12 touchdowns (6th), had six consecutive 100-yard games (a school record) and six consecutive games with a touchdown (5th). No wonder he came out early. And no wonder he’s No. 8 on this list.
Defense: Dhani Jones, LB, 1996-1999
Back before Dhani Jones was known more for tackling the globe (he hosts a show on the Travel Channel) than tackling running backs, he was a damn good linebacker for Michigan. He was thrown into the fire as a sophomore, taking over for injured captain Eric Mayes just three games into the season.
He responded well. Despite playing sparingly in the first three games, he had his best season statistically, finishing with 90 tackles, nine tackles for loss, and six sacks. On that defense, you had to work to find 90 tackles to make, and Dhani found a way to make a huge impact.
To me, Jones got screwed out of all-conference honors in his final three years at Michigan. From the inside linebacker position, he put up 90, 72 and 81 tackles with 9, 11, and 13 tackles for loss in his sophomore-senior years on defenses with very good linebackers (I won’t comment on the 1998-1999 secondary). Jones was put into a tough situation, forced to hold it down in the middle after a beloved and skilled captain went down with a career-ending injury, and it’s tough to think of anyone handling the pressure as well as he did. For that, he comes in at No. 8 for me.
Agree? Disagree? Want to share your favorite Manningham and Jones 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 #7 players for offense and defense.
…and you thought I had forgotten about this list. Today’s edition is going to be a little short, as I am writing from an Asheville, NC hotel with a crappy ethernet connection. If you’re on the road and need blazing fast internet, I would not recommend the Baymont Inn. Anyways…
Offense: Anthony Thomas, RB, 1997-2000
Before Mike Hart, Anthony Thomas held nearly every meaningful career rushing record at Michigan: carries, yards, touchdowns (still holds that one, with 55) and 100+ yard games. Like Hart, he saw playing time right away, rushing for 583 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman in 1997 while splitting time with Chris Howard and Clarence Williams. What sticks out for me from Thomas was his ability to hit the hole and GO — he was certainly a big back, but he had home run speed and great backfield vision. His 2000 season was ridiculous: 319 carries, 1,733 yards, 18 rushing touchdowns, nine 100-yard games — all four of those figures are second in school history for a single season. His career is worthy of a ten-minute YouTube video (compiled by WolverineHistorian, whose channel you really should be subscribed to by now):
So, you ask, why is he not higher on this list? To me, it’s simple. A lot of those holes he burst through were GIANT. Jeff Backus and Steve Hutchinson manned the left side of the line all four years of his career. I’m not saying the A-Train isn’t among the best Michigan backs of all time. I’m just saying that a lot of Michigan’s great backs would kill to be running behind the offensive lines Michigan had from 1997-2000, and their numbers would probably reflect that. Imagine Wheatley, Biakabutuka, or Hart taking the ball off-tackle behind those two road-graters. The career rushing lists might look a little different, no?
I love the A-Train. He was a great college back. And I’m putting him at #10. You can probably guess what backs are above him (hint: look up).
Defense: Alan Branch, DT, 2004-2006
Honestly, I would probably have placed Branch in the top 10 simply for providing me with this picture. I feel warm and fuzzy inside just looking at it. That is a cold-blooded killer casually leaving the scene of the crime. Awesome.
It helps that he was actually a really good player. The numbers aren’t spectacular, so I won’t even list them, but Branch had the uncanny ability to make plays beyond what any normal DT could. He could bull his way into the backfield, chase a running back down the line, or even take off and chase down a play ten yards downfield. Hell, he even had an interception against Ohio State in 2006. He’s probably the best athlete I’ve ever seen play tackle at Michigan, and unlike his linemate Gabe Watson, he seemed to utilize the bulk of his talent.
That’s all for today. Leave your thoughts in the comments.
Agree? Disagree? Want to share your favorite Thomas and Branch 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 #9 players for offense and defense.
For the next three weeks, I will be counting down my top 15 offensive and defensive players from the last 15 years. This afternoon, I unveil my picks at #13 for each side of the ball:
Offense: Chad Henne, QB, 2004-2007
There have been few players who have sparked more internal debate among Michigan fans than Chad Henne. Some think he was a truly great quarterback whose only downfall was injuries. Others think he was obnoxiously inconsistent and his success was more a product of great receivers than good quarterbacking. I have always been a staunch Henne supporter, although fair points are made for either side.
Perhaps the angriest I’ve ever been at other fans in the student section (and this is saying something, believe me) was during the Oregon debacle in 2007. After a Henne pick, some idiots started chanting “We Want Mallett.” I’m going to go ahead and assume these kids had just stepped stepped off the plane from LaGuardia (their BMWs would be arriving by truck … god forbid they would actually have to drive those things), didn’t know Desmond Howard from Dan Dierdorf, and couldn’t spell Schembechler if you spotted them the first 11 letters. The fans got their wish when Henne went down with a leg injury, and Mallett rewarded them by going 6-17 for 49 yards and an interception. Fickle fans were already giving up on their senior quarterback, the four-year starter who was coming off an 11-2 season in which he had posted the fifth-most passing touchdowns in school history (behind himself, Elvis Grbac, John Navarre, and … himself) for a hotshot true freshman who had already had run-ins with the coaching staff and players on the team (he would later add the police to that list).
Here’s the issue: Mallett was a cocky, personable gunslinger from Texas who seemed to make it to every hot-spot on campus within his first couple weeks in Ann Arbor. Henne was a quiet, reserved passer from Pennsylvania who gave up partying to focus on school and work towards making the NFL. If you wanted to find Henne, you would try to figure out his class schedule. If you wanted to find Mallett, all you had to do was go to Scorekeepers on a Saturday night. (If you can’t tell by now, I’m not a big Mallett fan, and I have very solid reasons not to be that go far beyond his on-field play). The students. and many of the alumni, were drawn to Mallett as the future of Michigan football, and forgot that Chad Henne was the present.
I’m not even going to spend time going down the numbers. We all know Henne rewrote the record book for quarterbacks at Michigan. I will say this: when Michigan needed a big drive, whether Henne was healthy or not, I was confident that he would come through. He made sound decisions, fought through injuries (please refer to Illinois, 2007), and knew how to get the ball to his playmakers (see: Edwards, Braylon and Manningham, Mario). Last season especially made me appreciate him even more, as I had become accustomed to not worrying about the quarterback position for the previous four years (in non-Mallett games, anyway).
Fans often point to the 2004 Michigan State game as Henne’s shining moment, but I think his performance at Spartan Stadium in 2007 was even more impressive. Henne had sat out the previous game with a shoulder injury, and was not close to 100% when he took the field. However, none of that affected his performance in a game that Michigan desparately wanted to win. He threw two first-half strikes for touchdowns, and Michigan went into halftime up 14-3.
However, Michigan’s offense went stagnant in the second half, and State scored 21 unanswered points. Down 24-14 midway through the fourth, Henne turned his ankle, but only sat for one play (a play in which Mallett fumbled and had to be bailed out by Mike Hart). Henne came back in, swiftly moved Michigan down to the Spartan 14, and then threw the prettiest pass I’ve ever seen. Standing with a friend in the State student section (it’s as bad as you think), we had the perfect view and Henne dropped back and tossed a perfect floater that appeared to drop from the sky right into the hands of Greg Mathews for a touchdown. 24-21. Despite needing a stop and another score, victory seemed inevitable. The defense stuffed MSU, Henne marched the team down to the Spartan 31, and on third-and-12, he lofted another beauty to Mario Manningham, who leaped and came down with the winning score. Highlights? Yes, please.
That game, to me, defined Chad Henne. The numbers weren’t necessarily gaudy, apart from the four touchdowns (18-33, 211 yards, four TDs and one interception), but anyone who saw that game watched a senior leader taking control in a bad situation. The quotes after the game say it all:
Mike Hart: “Chad won the game for us. It should quiet the naysayers because no other quarterback could’ve led a comeback like that.”
Lloyd Carr: “If you want to define courage, one way to do it is mention Chad Henne.”
MSU head coach Mike Dantonio: “I give credit to Henne. He went up top and hit it.”
Hart: “Sometimes, you get your little brother excited when you’re playing basketball — let them get the lead. And then you come back.” (Oops, how did that get in there?)
There’s not much to add there, and I’ve gone on far too long. Chad Henne, #13. I’m sure this one will spark some healthy debate.
Defense: Ian Gold, LB, 1996-1999
The third of the Michigan linebackers with cool metallic names (after Jarrett Irons and Sam Sword), Ian Gold started as a decent in-state running back prospect before turning into an All-Big Ten inside linebacker. Teaming up with the likes of Sword, Dhani Jones, Victor Hobson and James Hall, Gold helped Michigan field one of the most impressive linebacking corps in the country.
The local prospect came into Michigan as a running back, having rushed for 934 yards and 21 touchdowns on only 108 carries as a senior at Belleville High School. However, he carried the ball only three times as a freshman, while making a greater impact as a special teams player. Gold earned a spot on the field as a linebacker as a sophomore during the 1997 season, playing in all 12 games while making 34 tackles (24 solo), including the flipping of The Notorious Ryan Leaf pictured above.
Despite missing four of the first five games in his junior season, Gold moved into the starting lineup and made a big impact, leading the team in tackles in his first two games back from injury. Even with the missed time, he finished with 68 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks in 1998, and was named second-team All-Big Ten by the media. Gold even moved into the Michigan record books, taking his first career interception back 46 yards for a touchdown against Arkansas in the Citrus Bowl, the longest interception return in Michigan bowl history.
Gold really stepped up as a senior, teaming up with Jones to form a frightening duo of senior inside linebackers. Gold stuffed the stat sheet, amassing a career-high 98 tackles, 10 TFLs, four sacks, two pass breakups, one interception and one fumble recovery en route to being named first-team All-Big Ten by the coaches. Gold was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Penn State after he tallied 11 tackles, three TFLs and two sacks and sealed the game by recovering his own forced fumble in the final minutes. He also set up the game-tying score in Michigan’s 24-17 win over Ohio State by picking off Joe Germaine.
Despite starting only 21 career games, Gold is worthy of a spot on this list for his emergence in his final two years and his consistent playmaking ability. He wasn’t the flashiest linebacker, but Gold was as solid as they come.
Agree? Disagree? Want to share your favorite Henne and Gold 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) for the next three weeks. 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: tomorrow I post the #12 players for offense and defense.
Ferentz tops Rodriguez for top spot in Big Ten coaching rankings — SI — Rivals analyst Tom Deinhart, writing for SI.com, ranks Michigan’s coach one spot ahead of Jim Tressel. Personally (and I know this is blasphemy) I’d flip Tressel and Ferentz in his rankings. Something Wolverine fans can all agree on: Dantonio is too high at #5. Just because. Jerk.
Michigan Announces Alumni Football Game Roster — MGoBlue — The whole list is out now, courtesy of Michigan’s official site. Also, some notable non-participants will be in attendance: Steve Breaston, Mike Hart, Jon Jansen, and Super Bowl Champs LaMarr Woodley, Ryan Mundy and Larry Foote, who will be honored for their accomplishment on Saturday.
Five Big Ten players on Lott Trophy watch list — ESPN — Brandon Graham heads the list of nominees for the Big Ten. The award recognizes the impact defensive player of the year, “who reflects integrity, maturity, performance, academics, community and tenacity.” I’m pretty sure “Tenacity” is BG’s middle name.
National Notebook: Clay coming into his own — Rivals — Rivals recruiting editor Jeremy Crabtree takes a look at 2010 four-star running back prospect Brennan Clay of San Diego Scripps Ranch, a former teammate of Tate Forcier and a current target of Michigan. He is trying to make it up to campus for the spring game, and states that Michigan sits in his top five.
Two major hurdles for Edwards-to-Giants trade — Pro Football Talk — PFT addresses the rumors that Braylon Edwards will be shipped to the New York Giants. Right now, the major issues are the Browns asking price and Braylon’s contract demands, both of which are too high for the Giants as it stands right now.
Basketball:
Rivals.com early preseason top 25 — Rivals — Michigan comes in at No. 18, and looks to only move up from there, as the poll assumes all undeclared underclassmen (say that three times fast) will not enter the NBA draft. I’m having a tough time weathering my expectations, but the Big Ten looks to be really tough next year, with Purdue coming in at No. 4, MSU at No. 5, and Ohio State No. 15. Minnesota and Illinois also make the top 25, at No. 21 and No. 25, respectively.
Report Card: Laval Lucas-Perry — UM Hoops — Another report card from Dylan, another link from me. Michigan hoops fans should really be following the guy’s site. LLP struggled with high expectations after a blazing-hot start this season, but I expect to at the very least become a solid role player if (when?) he finds the consistent shooting stroke that practice observers rave about.
Hockey:
Rogers named AHL Man of the Year — aeroes.com — Former Michigan defenseman and current Houston Aeroes player Brandon Rogers earned the AHL Man of the Year award for his outstanding service to the Houston community. It’s always great to see a former Wolverine making such a great impact on his community and representing his school in the best way possible. [HT: The Blog That Yost Built]
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