The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/178977
where are they now? where are they Now? Jarrett Irons, U-M's Tackling Surgeon, Remains On The Cutting Edge J By John Borton arrett Irons used to slice through opposing offenses like a wellsculpted scalpel. These days, he's still operating at a high level, albeit far removed from the football field. In his playing days, Irons racked up 453 tackles from 1993‑96, the second-most stops in Michigan football history. Now he's helping stop even more pain than he inflicted while wearing a winged helmet. The Chicago-based former U‑M linebacker works as a general contractor in the medical supplies business. He deals specifically in total knee and hip replacement, and works with a partner overseeing seven employees. Together, they control roughly $15 million worth of business. "I'm in surgery every day," noted Irons, who guides surgeons in the proper usage of the replacement parts. "That's where the kinesiology really helps, from my background. I've built it up." He's also building a family as he approaches 40 years of age, marrying wife Jazelle last Oct. 20. Irons finds himself far removed from the lonely fall of 1992, when he ventured out of The Woodlands, Texas, and cast his lot with the Wolverines. Getting adjusted wasn't at all easy. In fact, he remembers conversations with then and current U-M running backs coach Fred Jackson about whether to even remain at Michigan. But he stayed, and built a championship-level foundation. "It was really my first time away from home," Irons recalled. "Growing up in Texas, and being away from my parents, coming to a different family and having to learn to adjust … and at first, not really being comfortable. I worked through it, fought through it, had to be tough." That toughness paid off. He eventually became an All-American linebacker, a two-time All-Big Ten performer who averaged more than 100 tackles per season. More than all that, though, he recognizes how he grew as a person over those years. When he was only a redshirt junior, his teammates elected him a captain, and he served two seasons in that role. "That's something that, even today, I'm in awe about," he insisted. "I know my peers elected me that. I came a long way, because I struggled a lot when I first got to Michigan. Being away from home, and I never had to work as hard as I worked. To get to the point where I was a junior and elected captain? "When I look back and think about those years, playing football and the things I did on the field were great, but being elected captain twice in a row is something that's very special