The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 93 "This is something I've wanted to do for many, many years," he said. "I was adopted when I was 5 years old, but all my family is still there in Uganda. For me, it's an obligation and a responsibility to myself to take care of those back home. It's something I've really been thinking about, as far as how to help. God pre- sented an opportunity for me to go back there and help. I took advantage of that opportunity." Hausmann enters his third season at Michigan after transferring from Ne- braska. He immediately experienced a 15-0 national championship season in 2023 and became a full-time starter last year. He's gained plenty of atten- tion playing football and almost from the beginning was determined to use it beyond collecting championship rings and NIL cash. "Once I saw the game and the sort of platform that I had, I immediately knew that I wanted to use this, and with God's blessings, to be able to help back home," he said. Mike Owens, Hausmann's godfather, played a key role in helping Robert and Theresa Hausmann adopt their son. Ow- ens remained as a mentor, and his role as secretary/treasurer of the One Mil- lion Wells mission — committed to using its well-drilling mechanism to provide clean water for poorer areas across the globe — drew Hausmann into something bigger than himself or football. According to its website, onemillion- wells.org, the organization remains ded- icated to the effort, noting, "The tools have to be simple, the technology fail- proof and the equipment and supplies available anywhere in the world." Manpower also must be implemented, and in this case, Owens helped guide the right man. "I've been blessed," Hausmann said. "He's always remained a key compo- nent in my life. Whether it's helping me through life, guiding me through my faith, trying to be there whenever I needed him. He presented an oppor- tunity for me many years back, with a demonstration for a foundation he de- cided to be on the board with and the device they used to drill water for impov- erished communities in Africa and many other parts of the world. "Once I saw that, it's what planted the seed for me. In January it hit me — it was time. I went home and said, 'I want to make this a reality.' We worked on that for about three months, all the way until spring break hit. We made that my first trip out there, and he went with me as well. It was very special, that experience, with him there to guide me through the whole process — how to go about living life there, how to communicate there, how to navigate your way there." In the meantime, Hausmann found himself getting a better feel for his Ugandan roots. One of his brothers from his native nation began commu- nicating with him on social media. The contacts have progressively increased, Hausmann speaking with more and more family members, including his mother via a translator. The conversations were impactful enough to spur Hausmann to make another trip back to Uganda, to spend time with those back home. "When I went back there the second time, in April, it was just a very special moment," he said. "I was able to spend the whole week with my family. I could take the time and get to know my family roots." But the March trip, in terms of mis- sion, proved a revelation. "The first thing that really hit me was, it was home," he said. "That's something I believe will never leave you. It's so true. I got off that plane at the airport, and I was outside, waiting for that next ride. It was just home — the smell, the feel, the people. It was such a surreal moment. I just thought how blessed I am to be able to see the people back home. There's nothing like home, to be in a place like that." Hausmann worked with a group drill- ing for water by hand, via One Million Wells equipment. Owens notes the gear can reach drinking water as deep as 110 feet underground — a miracle for those in impoverished areas. Hausmann didn't remember much at all from his early years spent in Uganda, but experiencing the country began to break through some memory barriers. "The more time I spent there, the more things started to come back," he said. "You spend a lot of time around the people, and you see the way they think. I was able to make a lot of connections in terms of how they think to how I think. That was cool to see, in terms of the way I go about my thinking." And the work? Fulfilling almost be- yond words. "It was just the access to clean drink- ing water," Hausmann stressed. "You see the mileage they go to get clean drinking water, and the amount of time it takes. Taking a trip like that changes your per- spective on so many things. It's one thing to talk about it, know about it, read about needs, but it's a whole different situ- ation when you get to see the need. To really see the amount of time they take just to take care of the little kids and let them drink water. You subtract that and there's so much more time for other de- velopment in the communities. "That's something I really wanted to do — take that need off them, so they can focus on the other problems they want to work on. It's an ongoing process. I want to continue being the help and support in any way I can." Leadership In A Winged Helmet It's more than 7,500 miles from Co- lumbus, Ohio, to the place where Haus- mann helped others in dire need. But in Columbus, he pushed back against a much different sort of adversity last November. Michigan had just thrown a goal-line interception against a team that everyone expected to steamroll the Wol- verines, and the sudden change could have become the impetus for an Ohio State surge past a 10-10 tie at the time. Hausmann wasn't having it. "He gathered the whole defense up, and he was like, 'This is our moment right here. We don't care about anything. "Whatever you do, it needs to be for the good of the team. I actually believe if everybody buys into that motto, we will do everything we set out to accomplish this season." HAUSMANN