The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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came and just wiped me out. "I was about to cry. They looked at me, and told me not to cry. They picked me up, dusted the dirt off me, and told me to keep playing. I had to learn to be tough." He also had to learn about this strange, fluffy, white material drop- ping out of the sky, once he made the move 1,148 miles north from Apopka to Ann Arbor. Gallon recalled visiting in Febru- ary, a shock to the system for most Floridians. But he enjoyed every- thing he saw and felt. "On my visit, they showed me the place and I fell in love with it," Gal- lon said. "It was my only visit. I went to the academic center and fell in love with it. The coaches were open, the teammates were welcoming — that's what I loved about this place. "I just know it was snowing. It was snowing real bad. I had this little windbreaker on, and I was freez- ing. Roy Roundtree gave me this big jacket. It was hanging down to my knees, and I was walking around with it. It was cool." Cold, in fact. Gallon quickly warmed up to the surroundings, in- cluding teammates like Roundtree and others who helped him feel at home almost immediately. Gallon cites the camaraderie among U-M players as one of the aspects he loves most about this team. It shouldn't be overlooked in what they have been able to accomplish, he insists. "The way we have each others' back, the way we push each other, and the way we're willing to pick each other up when one falls makes a difference," he said. "It's just the love we have for each other." From the biggest offensive lineman to, well, Gallon and others of similar dimensions, the Wolverines vowed this season would be different. While Gallon remains all about the team effort, he made his presence felt in a way that was anything but small. "I'm the type of guy that is going to let you know that I'm here," Gal- lon said. "This small guy is going to come at you. It's the game of foot- ball. You're not out there to be scared. No matter how tall or small you are, you've got to play." When the bright lights went on this year, for Notre Dame and beyond, that's precisely what Gallon did. ❏ Desmond Howard made a huge impact for the Wolverines, pulling in 134 receptions for 2,146 yards and 32 touchdowns in his U-M career. PHOTO BY BOB KALMBACH Some Of The Best Weren't The Biggest Michigan has featured a number of receivers over the years who fit the tall, lanky, reach-to-the sky mode, such as Braylon Edwards, David Terrell, etc. But the Wolverines have also demonstrated that smaller performers — like 5-8 redshirt sophomore Jeremy Gallon — can get the job done. Here are a few Michigan performers from 1991-2011 who fill the bill as far as compact overachievers. 1. Desmond Howard, 5-9 (1989-91) — Howard leads any such list, obviously, as the only U-M wideout ever to capture the Heisman Trophy. Howard caught 134 passes for 2,146 yards and 32 touchdowns over the course of his career, culminating in the 1991 campaign in which he made 62 catches for 985 yards and 19 scores. He also proved an explosive punt returner and one of the most memorable Heisman posers in history. 2. Mercury Hayes, 5-10 (1992-95) — Hayes used all of his under-six-feet size to contribute in four Michigan seasons, catching 124 passes for 2,144 yards and 12 touchdowns. He experienced his best year as a senior, snagging 48 passes for 923 yards and four scores. Hayes also delivered 999 kickoff return yards over the course of his career, and averaged 7.3 yards per punt return. 3. Martavious Odoms, 5-9 (2008-11) — Michigan's best wideout in the past 15 years who hasn't measured in at 6-0 or better, Odoms started slowly due to injury this season but came on at the end. He has made 94 career receptions for 1,087 yards and five touchdowns. He's also averaged 22.0 yards per kickoff re- turn, with 1,123 yards on 51 attempts over the course of his career, and averaged 11.4 yards per return on 17 punt runbacks. 4. Walter Smith, 5-11 (1991-94) — One of the toughest Wolverines ever to pull on a winged helmet, Smith did a lot of blocking dirty work to go along with his pass-catching efforts. In four seasons with the Wolverines, he made 72 receptions for 754 yards and three touchdowns. He experienced his best year as a junior, hauling in 31 passes for 325 yards and one score before suffering a knee injury that limited him to one brief, on-field appearance as a senior in 1994. 5. Tyrone Butterfield, 5-8 (1995-96) — Butterfield caught four passes for 68 yards as a receiver on the well-stocked mid-1990s Michigan squads. He also returned 16 career kickoffs an average of 20.3 yards. — John Borton DECEMBER 2011 THE WOLVERINE 43