The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1468055
8 THE WOLVERINE JUNE / JULY 2022 A l l -A m e r i c a n s. B i g Te n champions. Michigan team captains. All-Big Ten per- formers. Fearsome defensive play- ers. The parallels between Aidan Hutchinson and his dad, Chris, go on and on. But the kid took it a step farther when he became the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, scooped up by his home state Detroit Lions. Dr. Chris Hutchinson serves as an emergency room physician at Beaumont Hos- pital in Royal Oak, on the COVID-19 front lines the past two years. His son will soon be operating on opposing NFL quarterbacks. It's a dream come true for a tight-knit Michigan family and the comple- tion of a 30-year arc of success. Three decades ago, Dr. Hutchin- son and his teammates were post- ing an incredible fifth straight Big Ten championship. This past year, Aidan Hutchinson led the charge to snap an unthinkable 17-year conference title drought. The son now faces the real drought breaker. The Lions last won an NFL championship in 1957, a mere 65 years ago — before the Super Bowl even ex- isted. But hey, never let it be said the kid isn't up to a challenge. He certainly was in 2021. When this publication assembled its 2021 football preview issue, Aidan Hutchinson in- sisted to us he stood well aware of what folks on social media and beyond were saying about the Wolverines. He said none of it mattered. They'll see, he vowed. And they — right up to and including his dad — did see. "People asked me if we thought we were going to be here at the beginning of the year," the father mused. "You al- ways think it's a possibility, but it's been a magical ride. "No one expected much out of this team. I even told Aidan they were going to win seven games. I've always told him individual success comes with team suc- cess. The more success the team has, the more success you're going to have, and vice-versa." Dr. Hutchinson laughed and noted on the latter score, "Old dad sounded smart there." Still, Michigan going from 2-4 in CO- VID-ridden 2020 to 12-2 in 2021? Big Ten champions? Smashing Ohio State, and moving on to the College Football Playoff? Aidan getting invited to New York as a Heisman Trophy finalist, before becoming the NFL Draft's No. 2 overall pick? Yeah, right. Yet it all happened, in what truly be- came a magical ride. Chris and Melissa Hutchinson, and their daughters Mia and Aria, constitute Aidan's most un- flinching fan base. They all held tightly to one another in an incredibly tense green room in Las Vegas, prior to the selection. "The stress in that room and the dis- orientation," Dr. Hutchinson recalled. "This year, there were so many compet- ing sounds. The sound being piped into the room was live. The television right in front of you was TV delayed. "There was a monitor over to the right with a bank of cameras, which was dif- ferent than the television feed. You would hear something or see some- thing happen, and you couldn't tell at one point, relative to you, that all this was happening. You almost had to not pay attention to those stimuli." All of it led to the "Hutchinson Huddle," in which the family gath- ered as tightly as Michigan's pass rush around OSU quarterback C.J. Stroud. "We all sort of got freaked out," Aidan's dad admitted. "We'd heard Jacksonville wasn't taking Aidan, we'd heard some smoke screens about the Lions. The Texans were going to take a defensive back. It was much more realistic that he would end up at the Jets, which was fine from a scheme standpoint. "But it was really hard, given the fact that he would have to play for a team that is green and white [laughs]. That would be very challeng- ing. In the end, to Aidan's pleasure, the Lions not liking him was a smokescreen. He got the call he wanted." Just like that, some who'd wearied of the Lions' futility became fans again — including Aidan. "It sure would have been great to have been the No. 1 pick," his dad opined. "But to be the No. 2 pick and be close to home? That's really hard to beat. "He's said it publicly. He wasn't really a Lions fan growing up. He was more of a Tom Brady, by-default Patriots fan. But this is a special place, and he's excited. "I've met [Lions coach Dan] Campbell myself, and he puts goosebumps on your arms. That's what a head coach is sup- posed to do. We'll see if they can change the SOL [Same Old Lions] culture." If 2021 represented a football revival in Ann Arbor, then high-level Lions success would constitute a resurrection. Don't bet against it, the Hutchinsons caution. ❏ WOLVERINE WATCH JOHN BORTON Whirlwind Ride For The Hutchinsons Aidan Hutchinson has already faced — and overcome — significant challenges in his career, including helping Michigan win its first Big Ten championship in 17 years. He faces another stiff test with his new team, the Detroit Lions. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL Editor John Borton has been with The Wolverine since 1991. Contact him at jborton@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @JB_Wolverine.