The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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8 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2021 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS CHARLES WOODSON BECOMES 11TH WOLVERINE NAMED TO PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME While legendary former Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson, the winner of the 1997 Heisman Trophy and a national champion, was sitting down in his backyard being interviewed by a television station Feb. 6, Pro Football Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker showed up, sur‑ prising the former Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers defensive back with some good news. Woodson learned he had been selected for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, becoming just the 10th Heis‑ man Trophy winner to be chosen for such an honor. Woodson, whose pro career spanned from 1998‑2015, played in Super Bowl 37 with the Raiders and finally got a ring in Super Bowl 45 with the Packers. He was selected to nine Pro Bowls and earned All‑Pro honors in eight seasons (four as a first‑team member and four as a second‑team honoree). He was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 1998 and the league's Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. Woodson started 251 of 254 career games, totaling 1,105 tackles, 20 sacks, 22 forced fumbles, 155 passes defended, 65 interceptions (fifth in the league all time) and 13 defen‑ sive touchdowns (tied for most in NFL history). Woodson is now the 11th Wolverine to be selected to the Hall of Fame, joining George Allen (2002), Dan Dierdorf (1996), Len Ford (1976), Benny Friedman (2005), Bill Hewitt (1971), Elroy Hirsch (1968), Steve Hutchinson (2020), Ty Law (2019), Tom Mack (1999) and Ralph Wilson Jr. (2009). MICHAEL ONWENU 'MIGHT END UP AS THE BIGGEST STEAL' OF THE 2020 NFL DRAFT Now that the 2020 NFL season is in the books, Pro Football Focus (PFF) revisited last year's draft, ranking each team's haul and how productive their incoming talent was during their rookie seasons. The New England Patriots' group checked in at No. 13 out of 32, with former Michigan offensive lineman Mike Onwenu, who was selected to the Pro Football Writers of America All‑Rookie team, being lauded for his debut season in which he exceeded expectations mightily. Onwenu was selected in the sixth round with the 182nd overall pick last April, but ended up starting all 16 games for the Patriots. "[New England head coach] Bill Belichick found another gem in the sixth round with Michigan offensive lineman Mike Onwenu, who produced the sixth‑most PFF WAR [wins above replacement] of any non‑first‑round pick this season," the article read. Onwenu was tabbed as the Patriots' "best value pick" of the 2020 draft. While he played almost exclusively at guard in college, he showed off his versatility in his first pro season, appearing at right tackle (12 starts), left guard (two) and right guard (two). He was in on every offensive snap during his squad's final 14 contests. "Onwenu might just end up as the biggest steal in the entire 2020 draft when we look back on this class," the story continued. "Onwenu logged over 80 snaps at each of left guard, right guard and right tackle this season, and he per‑ formed well at all of them. "The sixth‑round pick posted a 79.0‑plus grade at each of those three alignments. Onwenu excelled at right tackle in particular, despite not logging a snap at tackle in his four years at Michigan. He spent most of his rookie campaign there (616 snaps) and ranked 10th of 39 qualifying right tackles in PFF grade." Onwenu allowed 14 quarterback pressures, 10 hurries, three sacks and one quarterback hit on the season. The Patriots finished the year third in the AFC East with a 7‑9 record. MICHIGAN UNVEILS PLAN FOR 2021 FOOTBALL SEASON TICKETS After no fans other than family members of players and coaches were allowed inside Michigan Stadium this past fall, the University of Michigan athletics department an‑ nounced Feb. 4 its season ticket renewal and preferred seat contribution plan for the upcoming 2021 football campaign. The department did note that the plan is subject to change "based on health and safety guidelines." The ticket price for the seven‑game 2021 home schedule is $527 per ticket. In addition, the Preferred Seat Contribu‑ tion (PSC) associated with each seat at Michigan Stadium remains unchanged for the third consecutive season. U‑M is altering its previous process of separating the pay‑ ment periods for the PSC and season ticket renewal, and will be combining them for the upcoming season. U‑M will also allow payments for season tickets and PSC to be spread out over three installments. "We are taking a methodical approach to 2021 ticketing due to the unknown future of crowds at sporting events," director of athletics Warde Manuel said. "With that in mind, we felt this was the right time to begin the renewal process for the upcoming season. "We appreciate the patience and continued support of our fans as we navigate the current climate surrounding atten‑ dance at sporting events." — Clayton Sayfie Woodson, who earned All-Pro honors eight times, became just the 10th Heisman Trophy winner to earn a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. PHOTO COURTESY GREEN BAY PACKERS MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK