The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/152358
said. "They want to go out and win a Big Ten championship. I think this group is as hungry as I've ever seen." He sated his own competitive hunger through four conference titles, in years that included two Rose Bowls and a trip to the Orange Bowl in Miami. Beyond that success, Stephenson knew the camaraderie shared by teammates, whether in misery or ecstasy. Those stories lend themselves well to print, and that's what inspired Stephenson to add "author" to his résumé. "There are a ton of stories that are true to life and uplifting," he said. "What I tried to do with the book was to make it so that if you and I were sitting at a bar, and you asked me to tell you a story about Michigan football, Stephenson, who is a real estate developer in Southern California, wrote a book about his time that's what you'd get." at U-M. It may sound corny, he cauphoto courtesy Curt Stephenson tioned, but the football environment has few equals as a testing I had to give back. Everything I do grounds. today, I can probably point to some "Through those four years, the statement Bo made or something that achievement of those goals, and the happened to me during those four camaraderie you build up, all of years, either on the football field or those things put together, they just at Michigan, that relates directly to make for a solid person," Stephenson how to live your life, how to attack stressed. "It builds character and in- problems, how to build character in tegrity and all of those things. That's people and how to motivate people. what the school gave me. "Going through that, I can honestly "Then if you layer on top of that tell you, I don't know that there is the ability to do that at Michigan, anything I wouldn't do for the school with the education and the univer- and for the football program, because sity surrounding you, and Ann Ar- I have that experience. It was so upbor, all of those things? That experi- lifting and so fulfilling. I feel a need, ence becomes so great that I just felt daily, to support them." ❑