The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1468055
JUNE / JULY 2022 THE WOLVERINE 61 BY ANTHONY BROOME F ormer Wolverine defensive back Courtney Avery (2010-13) was not always a Michigan Man, but he wound up passing through Ann Arbor during a fascinating time in program history. U-M was at the tail end of the Rich Rodriguez coaching era when Avery arrived on campus. He would wind up playing for Rodriguez's successor, Brady Hoke. But some may recall his link to Hoke's replacement, Jim Harbaugh. Avery was originally committed to Stanford and had built a relationship with Harbaugh, who coached the Car- dinal from 2007-10 before heading to the NFL's San Francisco 49ers. "I really loved the coaching staff [at Stanford]," Avery said. "Harbaugh had even come to my high school, did a few different visits and met some of my coaches and my family. That was a great experience. I was getting ready to have my bags packed to head out to Stanford." Avery's recruitment took a turn when he went to a prospect camp at Michigan and had a great showing. A lockdown performance against some talented re- ceivers earned him a scholarship offer and gave the Mansfield, Ohio, native something to think about. "It was tough because my family is pretty close-knit," Avery said. "It was already a tough decision to go out to the West Coast. My mom grew up in Detroit and had always been a Michigan fan. It became a little easier to stay closer to home and have my family be able to get out to the games. Then, there is the his- tory of football and the combination of that and academics. It just became the best choice for me. "I ended up committing there, and the rest is history." Avery's time at Michigan featured some tumultuous seasons, but there were plenty of highlights. During Mich- igan's surprise run to the Sugar Bowl in 2011 and an 11-2 season under Hoke, Avery tied a record in a game against Minnesota for the longest fumble re- turn for a touchdown in program history (83 yards). He also picked up a game- clinching interception against the Ohio State Buckeyes that same year, which would wind up being U-M's last victory in a decade in that rivalry. "I joke around and say that was my claim to fame, that game-sealing in- terception," Avery said. "Someone will ask me what year I played, and I say, 'Did you see that interception against Ohio?' That still kind of lives on, and I was ecstatic to see results this past year. "We had a really strong offensive at- tack and defensive schemes. We had tal- ent on the defensive side, played a lot of close games [that year] and found a way to finish them out. It really brought everything all together, so it was kind of the tip of the spear. It was supposed to snowball and get some additional mo- mentum after that. That was a really special year for us, though." Avery ended his time in Ann Arbor having played 50 games at defensive back with 19 starts in his career. He served as a co-captain in his senior year and maintains a relationship with many of his former teammates. "We've got a group chat," Avery said. "For a while, we had a Facebook page, but that started to fizzle out a bit. We have had that [connection] through over the years, a number of different ways. We all stay connected." The Harbaugh-to-Michigan rumors persisted during both the Rodriguez and Hoke hiring cycles long before his even- WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Courtney Avery Recalls Career Moments, Reflects On Links To Michigan History Avery, a native of Mansfield, Ohio, played in 50 games at Michigan and grabbed a game-seal- ing interception versus Ohio State in 2011. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY