The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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46 THE WOLVERINE JUNE/JULY 2019 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? starter at Michigan — the bar got a little higher. Hall insists he didn't see it coming. U-M had talent, but it brought talent to the field his first two seasons. The Wolverines featured a host of new starters on defense and an altered system on that side of the ball. Then the Wolverines crushed Colo- rado 27-3 in the opener. Two weeks later, that defense turned away several Notre Dame opportunities in Michi- gan Stadium and U-M won 21-14. But for Hall, the season's sixth game — the 28-24 comeback at home over Iowa — really propelled the Wolverines toward greatness. "I really think it was the Iowa game where guys started to see we might have something special here," he said. "We were down two scores at the half, and that was a really good football team. The way we came back after the half, guys started to realize this season might be different than the prior two seasons." Surviving and thriving on the ESPN-dubbed "Judgment Day" at Penn State (34-8) gets more atten- tion, but Hall recalls even more viv- idly winning the game that followed. Michigan beat Wisconsin 26-16 in a fistfight at Camp Randall Stadium. "We went into that Wisconsin game, and Wisconsin came out swinging," he said. "We got a little ahead of ourselves for the Ohio State game, and coming off the Penn State game. Wisconsin came out with a point to prove." Nobody proved it against the Wol- verines in '97. Not the Badgers, not the Buckeyes, not anyone. "It was a tremendous experience," Hall said. "It wasn't an easy season. We had to learn how to deal with success, and we had to learn how to finish." They did, holding off OSU at home 20-14, despite scoring just one touch- down on offense. They then capped off a 12-0, national championship- campaign with a 21-16 win over Washington State in the Rose Bowl, making every dream come true. "We've been here two, three, four years, and all we've heard about is playing in the Rose Bowl," Hall said. "Having an opportunity to make our mark in Michigan football history, by playing in a Rose Bowl and winning it — it cemented that team's legacy." When it was all over, Hall could barely believe it. "It was a very surreal feeling," he said. "We were an undefeated team. We didn't have any more obstacles to overcome. You start to reflect on what you did to get here." At the start of the season, some just wanted to get on the field. Others longed to become starters. "To go from that to, we just beat ev- erybody on our schedule," he mused. "I can't believe we just did this." It wasn't easy to believe starting 1998 0-2, either. "It was a reality check," Hall said. "You were probably still a little drunk from what happened [in '97]. Nobody expected us to do what we did. You've got people patting you on the back go- ing into the offseason. You're getting your national championship ring. It was new territory for everybody." The Wolverines bounced back to tie for a Big Ten championship, albeit without a win over Ohio State. That finish didn't have Carr in a jovial mood for a rare post-OSU contest in Hawai'i. "It wasn't pleasant," Hall said. "The old man wasn't happy, getting on that plane. It was damn near like going back to spring ball. It was not a vaca- tion. It was a don't even remotely look like you're happy to be here type of deal. "Now, we won the game, and he was great. He did a 360 on us. He said, 'Be on your best behavior, but go enjoy yourself.'" They enjoyed themselves in 1999 as well, except for back-to-back slips against Michigan State and Illinois, costing them the Big Ten (and maybe national) title. That could have been it for Hall, who went undrafted in 2000. Instead, he signed with Detroit and wound up playing a dozen years in the league for the Lions and St. Louis Rams. "I'm very thankful for it," he said. "I very much appreciate the founda- tion Michigan laid, as a person and as a football player, carrying that over into the NFL." He's also thankful Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh steered him to the San Francisco 49ers organization, where he's worked since 2013, in various capacities. There's one more nod — for a mom who sent him in a lift-changing direction. ❑ M ichigan Accomplishments: Started at defensive end on the undefeated national championship squad in 1997 … Recorded 182 tackles, including 25 sacks, over a four-year playing career … Earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 1998 and third-team Sporting News All-America notice in 1999. Professional Accomplishments: Played 12 years in the NFL, split between the Detroit Lions and St. Louis Rams … Works as a consul- tant for the San Francisco 49ers, af- ter climbing from scouting assistant to director of player engagement to his present position. Michigan Memor y: " The one thing that stood out over the five years is, I realized playing football at Michigan is not for everyone. It takes a certain type of individual to be able to handle the demands and everything that comes with it. The standards that have been set by players and coaches, and the expec- tations of it — it's not for everybody. It takes a certain type to be able to go through that program. "Even if you don't play, even if you never set foot on that field, it takes a certain individual to go through it. When we say what a Michigan Man is, you've just got to be cut a certain way." Education: Bachelor of Arts in sports management from Michi- gan, 1999; Masters in organizational leadership from Saint Mary's College of California, 2018. Family: Hall and his wife, Shani, have two boys, Akil, 9, and Micah, 7. The James Hall File Hall ranks third in program history with 25 sacks and 11th with 40 tackles for loss. PHOTO COURTESY JAMES HALL