The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1178918
NOVEMBER 2019 THE WOLVERINE 21 Jordan already earned his degree in the School of Hard Knocks and stood well prepared for the challenge at Michigan. When some questioned yet another Glasgow trying to make the im- probable walk-on-to-prime-time-player jump, they were in for a surprise. "The two older boys have an ab- solutely fabulous work ethic," Ste- ven assured. "When Jordy was com- ing to Michigan, the trainers and the strength-and-conditioning guys said [to the older brothers], 'So, your brother is coming. What's he like? There's no way he'll work as hard as you guys. It just doesn't usually work that way.' "They said, 'Oh, no. He's the hard worker in the family.' He's always been the kind of guy who will do whatever it takes to get the job done, with an extraordinary amount of fo- cus. Ever since he was small, he has been that way." Steven cites as an example his youngest son's reaction to the book Outliers: The Story Of Success, by Mal- colm Gladwell. "When Outliers came out, I had Gra- ham and Ryan read the portions about the 10,000 hours of deliberate practice, and how you become outstanding and considered to be gifted in an area," Steven explained. "At the same time as they were reading that, I read that to Jordan. He said, 'Okay, let's go to Office Max.' I asked why, and he said, 'I need to get two notebooks. I un- derstand how I get to 10,000 hours of practice in basketball. I just can't figure out how I get the 10,000 hours of prac- tice in football.' "That was his approach to this — let's map it out. Let's do it. Let's climb the mountain. Let's get it done." Jordan got it done. The team voted him Special Teams Player of the Year in 2017, and he's become an integral part of the defense these past two sea- sons. Meanwhile, the Glasgow family has melded with the Michigan football family for nearly a decade. Graham initially eschewed his par- ents' Ivy League background and leaning, coming to Ann Arbor and in- sisting he wanted to play major college football, regardless of initial status. Ryan and Jordan followed suit, with Jordan now a graduate student after graduating from the prestigious Ross School of Business "As far as I was concerned, walk-on circumstances were absolutely perfect for them," Steven said. "You've got to go earn it. There's no sense of entitle- ment. You've got to earn it every day. You've got to work harder, and it's more difficult. "There's nothing wrong with that kind of a path for your kids. "It's been quite a journey and an amazing ride for us. We thank God every day. There aren't a lot of fami- lies that get to spend nine years at Michigan doing this. That's pretty special." ❏ The 6-1, 226-pound Glasgow posted U-M's top tackling grade (with a near-elite 84.5 mark) according to Pro Football Focus after the team's first seven games. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Jim Harbaugh Glows Over The Glasgows Jim Harbaugh's time at Michigan has seen all three Glasgow brothers — Gra- ham, Ryan and now Jordan — in a Michigan uniform. Ask the head coach about that crew, and he doesn't hold back. When Harbaugh first arrived, Graham was a fifth-year senior and Ryan a redshirt junior. He coached the former for a year before the eldest Glasgow moved on to the Detroit Lions of the NFL, and Ryan for two before the NFL and the Cincinnati Bengals beckoned. Jordan arrived for Harbaugh's first season as head coach, and the man with the whistle probably wishes there were more coming. All three brothers went from one-time walk-ons to starters. "They have two great parents, both doctors," Harbaugh noted. "That's one really strong, powerful football family. "It's really neat to know the stories. Jordan's personality growing up was always watching the older brothers do things. They were old enough to play a sport and he wanted to, but maybe wasn't old enough. … He was inconsolable until they made the exception to let him play." When they did, he never stopped, the coach assessed. "He's a jackhammer," Harbaugh said. "He's one of the hardest-working football players I've ever been associated with. That's hard working on the field, in prac- tice, in games, on special teams. He'll do anything — no job is too big; no is job too small. "He does it with a great team attitude, at all times. He is one of the most unself- ish players I've ever had the pleasure to coach. He's a stud in the weight room and in every workout we organize. He's always giving it his God-given best, which is a lot." He's not only always on time, he never seems to get sick, the boss declared. "He's also in the Ross School of Business, where he attacks that with an enthusi- asm unknown to mankind," Harbaugh continued. "Never an excuse or complaint … flu, cold, sickness, nothing. He's an amazing guy." — John Borton