The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2019 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 111 Those qualities are developed in the off- season, and Metellus insists he'll be pre- pared. A few players will likely be thrown into the fire like he was in the 2016 Orange Bowl when All-American viper Jabrill Pep- pers was a last-second injury scratch, and Metellus wants them to know he'll be there for them. "Personally, I want to be one of those guys when adversity hits, something hits the fan, the team looks to me," Metellus said. "Then lead them through that. I want to be that guy who plays every play 100 percent and the team knows they can count on me when stuff happens. "… I just want to keep that mindset that whatever I'm doing now is for the team." That's the mentality he'll ask from his team- mates, as well, and they seemed to respond in the spring. There's no Devin Bush, Rashan Gary or Chase Winovich, but defensive co- ordinator Don Brown insisted the "leftovers" were playing even faster together this fall. Chances are Metellus will earn even more accolades when the season is over. If it doesn't, you won't hear him complain. "The way our defense works, we don't have any real stars," he said. "Everybody plays their role for our defense to work. You rarely see a guy get 15 tackles like you see on other defenses. Everybody has a part to play; everybody has a role. It's just next man up. "We don't need a star to play our defense. We've been a top-three defense since I've been here. We just need to play how we play." And follow Metellus' example, perhaps all the way to a Big Ten title. ❏ Josh Metellus will have an opportunity this year to secure his place among the Michigan greats at the safety position. If he does, he'll join the company of these outstanding players at the position, our top five at the position in the last 50 years: 1. Tripp Welborne (1988-90) Welborne, a converted wide receiver, was a unanimous All- American in 1989 after notching 80 tackles, four passes broken up and three picks for a team that finished No. 4 nationally. He started the first 10 games of the 1990 season at strong safety and notched 74 tackles, seven passes broken up and an interception before a knee injury on a punt return (he averaged 11.5 yards on 67 runbacks) ended his Michigan career. Welborne was honored as the MVP of the 1990 squad and was also selected for the second consecutive year as a unanimous first- team All-American. He finished his career with 227 tackles, nine interceptions, 15 passes broken up and three forced fumbles. 2. Dave Brown (1972-74) The 1974 team captain was a two-time consensus All-American (1973-74) and three-time All-Big Ten selection (1972-74) for head coach Bo Schembechler. He notched 212 tackles (147 solo), picked off nine passes and returned one for a touchdown in 33 games in his three years as a starter. The Wolverines went 30-2-1 in those seasons. He went on to become an outstanding pro, playing from 1975-89 and earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors with Seattle, and winning Super Bowl X with Pittsburgh. Brown was selected to the Michigan All-Century team at the conclusion of the 1999 season and was posthumously voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007, a year after he passed away. 3. Tom Curtis (1967-69) Curtis, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2005, was selected as a consensus All-American in 1969. He broke Michi- gan's records for interceptions in a game (three), season (10) and ca- reer (25) — none of which have been eclipsed. He also set the NCAA career record with 431 return yards off interceptions He intercepted eight passes for 156 yards alone in 1969, two of them in Michigan's monumental 24-12 upset of Ohio State in Schembechler's first year. Curtis played two seasons with the Baltimore Colts (1970-71). 4. Thom Darden (1969-71) A two-time All-Big Ten selection and 1971 All-American, Darden played every position in the Michigan defensive backfield and shined at all of them. He was known as an elite tackler with a nose for the ball and notched 11 career interceptions in his three seasons, including one that secured a 7-3 victory over Ohio State in 1971. Darden spent 10 years in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns, earning All-Pro honors in three seasons (1976-79). He still holds most of the franchise's career interceptions records and was in- ducted into the team's "Legends" circle in 2016. 5. Don Dufek (1973-75) Dufek played safety and the "wolfman" position as a field rover from 1973-75 and was named a team co-captain and an All-Amer- ican in 1975. He was a Football Writer's Association of America and Walter Camp first-team selection that season and a second-team choice by UPI. The two-time first-team All-Big Ten selection finished his career with 249 tackles, nine fumble recoveries and four interceptions, and would play nine seasons for the Seattle Seahawks, where he was a two-time captain and special teams star. — Chris Balas Tripp Welborne, a two-time unanimous All-American (1989 and 1990), concluded his U-M career with 227 tackles, nine intercep- tions, 15 passes broken up and two fumble recoveries. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY Michigan's Top Five Safeties Of The Last 50 Years