The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/418536
BY CHRIS BALAS T here are two ways you can go when you're born with a surname that's also popular slang to describe some- one's … ahem … more personal anatomy — either run from it, or embrace it. Actor Tim Allen, who grew up in southeast Michigan, wasn't always Tim Allen (those of you who don't know his birth name will have to research it), making his middle name his new last name, but he credited his comedic genius to years of putting up with snickers and finger pointing. Michigan sophomore tight end Jake Butt has no similar plans, having embraced it as part of who he is despite being — you guessed it — a constant butt of jokes. "I've been getting it my whole life," Butt said, with a laugh, earlier this season. "I love my last name. I always tell people, 'You can't forget a man with the last name of Butt.' You always remember that one. And being a tight end, you know … butt … tight end. It comes with it." WORK IN PROGRESS Tight End Jake Butt Is Still Learning, But Is Inching Toward Greatness So he welcomes it, maybe even encourages it. His twitter handle is @JBooty_88. On game days, his support group wears his No. 88 jer- sey with "Papa Butt" and "Head- butt" on the back, eliciting plenty of laughter and an occasional quizzical look. "He gets teased," head coach Brady Hoke said with a grin. "Yeah … he gets teased." When it comes time to suit up on