The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1083898
94 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2019 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? one that took them all the way to the national championship game against an all-too-familiar opponent. The Wolverines went 25-7, again finishing second in the Big Ten. They couldn't get past Bob Knight and In- diana, but neither could anyone else. The Hoosiers finished 32-0 and won the national championship. Michigan pushed the Hoosiers as hard as anyone, including — in Grote's mind — putting a stain on that undefeated record. "They did not win the game at In- diana that year," Grote flatly stated. At the time, a tipped ball had to go through the rim before the buzzer sounded to count as a basket. The Wolverines had seen a basket waved off at Illinois two weeks before, after a tip involving big man Phil Hubbard. "The ball is on the rim, and it goes through," Grote said. "They wave it off, because an uncontrolled shot had to be through the basket before the buzzer went off. "I would have loved to be in the room where somebody raised their hand and said, 'Hey, here's a great idea! Let's make those tips have to be through the basket!' Wow! Are you kidding me?" At Indiana that year, a similar tip opened the door for an overtime that resulted in a 72-67 victory for the Hoosiers. "The officials on that tip-in came back and their ruling was it was a con- trolled tip, admitting the ball was not through the basket when the buzzer went off," Grote said. "But that's ri- diculous. That's the legal definition of a tip — it's an uncontrolled shot." The Wolverines kept on pushing, be- hind the double-figure scoring of Grote (10.5 points per game), the lightning- quick efforts of point guard Rickey Green and Hubbard's power inside. "It was the type of team that could compete, I don't care what decade," Grote said. "You can take that team and insert them in any year. We would compete very favorably. We played the basics — great defense, ran the fast break. Every player on that team could score. "No one ever out-competed us. We played hard from the opening tip until the end of the game. For me, three basics were, you played harder than your opponent, you played bet- ter defense than your opponent, and you out-rebounded your opponent. If you did those three things, you could win every game you played. "That's what that team did. That team was so much fun to play on. Wayman Britt and I set the tone that if you did not play hard and play great defense, you didn't get in. That rubs off on the younger players." They all competed to and through the final game, Indiana's 86-68 vic- tory in the national title game at The Spectrum in Philadelphia. Michigan led 35-29 at the half, but could not hold off Knight's undefeated squad down the stretch. "They were just great matchups," Grote said. "I play a lot of golf now, so for that championship game, I just tell everybody we won the front side, and they won the back side." The Wolverines continued winning Grote's senior season, capturing the Big Ten championship in a 26-4 cam- paign. They became Michigan's first group to compete in four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, beating Holy Cross and Detroit before losing in the regional final against UNC Charlotte. "My freshman year, we played with great emotion. Our wins were upsets," Grote explained. "When I was a senior, we had a great team. Our challenge was to play to the best of our ability in every game. Every- one was giving us their best shot. "It was just a fabulous four years." Grote remained in Ann Arbor after graduation, working in broadcasting, including Michigan basketball and Miami (Fla.) football. He eventually provided analysis on the Big Ten Game of the Week and on ESPN in that net- work's inaugural season. Eventually, he became a stockbroker, a profession he's pursued the past 32 years. "Had I started 10 years later, I would probably be broadcasting full- time, like so many people are doing now," he said. "I had to find another line of work and do the broadcasting on a part-time basis." No regrets, Grote insists. He's back in Cincinnati, with family and friends, along with memories of an amazing four-year stretch by Michi- gan basketball. ❑ The Steve Grote File Michigan Accomplishments: Averaged 11.5 points per game over 116 Michi- gan contests, including 108 starts … Shot 48.4 percent from the field and 72.7 percent from the line, and averaged 3.4 assists per game … Was part of the first Michigan crew ever to compete four straight years in the NCAA Tournament. Professional Accomplishments: Pursued broadcasting early, including doing analysis for ESPN in its first-ever season … Has worked 32 years as a stockbroker, starting with Kemper Securities and moving through four takeovers, including Wachovia Securities … Self-employed now, via Wachovia Securities Financial Network. Michigan Memory: "The very first game I played in at Michigan, there were probably 5,500 people there," Grote said. "I'd never played in front of anything but a sold-out crowd. It was just strange for me, and when they introduced the head coach, Johnny Orr, everybody booed. "We went from that to every game is sold out. That was the memory — to be able to step back and see what was accomplished. You have that experience of being picked worst, and you go to not just being first in the league, but first in the country." Education: Earned a Bachelor of Arts in Michigan's School of Education in 1977, majoring in TV and radio. Family: Grote and wife, Kit, have three children: son Dillon, 26, and daughters, Lauren, 24, and Shae Marie, 21. Grote played in 116 games with 108 starts at Michigan, and averaged 11.5 points and 3.4 assists per contest. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETICS