The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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michigan in the pros Backus was a first-round draft pick for the Detroit Lions in 2001, and he went on to set a franchise record with 187 consecutive starts. Photo courtesy detroit lions been talking with him for a while since the season ended. It was tough decision for Jeff, but one he's at peace with. On behalf of the entire organi‑ zation, Ford family, myself, Jeff was a great Lion for a dozen years, and had a tremendous career." In 2011, Backus became the first player in team history to play in ev‑ ery game in his first 11 NFL seasons. "It's a bittersweet moment, but I'm content knowing I gave everything I had, played as hard as I could and tried my best to live up to the stan‑ dards I believe in," Backus said in a statement. "I want to thank the Ford family and the Detroit Lions for allowing me the privilege to represent the city of Detroit and play in the National Football League for the last 12 years. I also want to thank all of my coaches and teammates for all their support over the years. "I also want to express my sincere appreciation to Coach [Lloyd] Carr and everyone at the University of Michigan, who all played such an