The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/230001
coincided with a past team that failed to meet expectations. But that was not the case, and everyone in attendance was fully aware of the contrast between the two. Instead, it shaped up to be a night where the irony cast a pall over the evening's festivities, diminishing the seniors' contributions while leaving all dreaming of successes in the past and (hopefully) future. Emceeing the night, the quarterback of that 1997 team, Brian Griese would not allow for the evening to disintegrate, though. Taking charge like he did so often during that special season, he strode to the dais with a message for the gathered Maize and Blue, a missive he commanded them to follow because its simplicity, challenge and guidance could lead them to a championship in 2014. "Everyone remembers that 1997 season, but what they don't necessarily remember are the four seasons before — four seasons of four losses," Griese started, drawing parallels to what he hopes will be a renaissance of U-M football next season. "I came to school in 1993 after Michigan had won five Big Ten championships in a row, had been to the Rose Bowl five straight times and my thought was, 'This is always going to happen. Show up, and they'll bow down and we'll go to Pasadena.' "For four years we didn't go. There were some in my class that graduated without having gone. It was painful. The 1996 season was bitter. We had a win over Ohio State, but we lost too many games. "Sometimes there is division and adversity, and this season could be looked at that way. But in adversity you find leaders, and you find resolve, and for us, it was ownership. "For these young men sitting before me, if you don't hear anything else I say tonight, hear this, 'Take ownership of your team because it's the decisions you make on a daily basis that matter. This team doesn't belong to Brady Hoke — it belongs to you. "You're privileged to play at Michigan. It doesn't last for long. Take ownership of it every day and play for nothing other than each other. Check your ego at the door and play for the guy next to you." Griese continued on, citing teammates that sacrificed personal glory — even Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson — for team success. "Charles Woodson was the best player in college football, you could argue the best defensive player to ever play, and all Charles cared about was winning," Griese said. "He was selfless. Driven. Didn't care about stats. "Zach Adami was an All-Big Ten guard, but we didn't have a center so we asked Zach to move positions, which is a very difficult thing to do, and Zach never complained about it. He did it for the team. "Glen Steele came to Michigan as a tight end and would play defensive end. He was one of the toughest players to ever play at Michigan. Rob Swett was a linebacker, and before our senior year he had a concussion in practice and missed a significant portion of that season, and had to split