The Wolverine

December 2011

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 1980s Safety Tony Gant Quarterbacked Outstanding Michigan Secondaries "They didn't meet my father, but he was in the next room and could overhear the conversations," Gant re- called. "When he had about a week to go in his life, he was in a hospital in Sandusky and called me in. He said, 'Tony, I'll never, ever tell you where to go. But if it means anything, I'd love to see you at Michigan.'" That was enough to swing the pen- dulum in the Wolverines' favor. Gant arrived on campus the following year as one of the gems of the 1982 recruit- ing class, gifted with great football IQ and fast enough to have excelled at just about any position on the field, but a natural at free safety. He was a candidate for early playing time de- spite having barely broken a sweat in the weight room in high school, rely- ing on his natural ability. He didn't have to wait long to hear Schembechler's often-used threat, "You'll never play a down at Michi- gan!" Strength coach Mike Gittleson, though, beat the coach to it. "I weighed 185 pounds, but I Gant finished his U-M career with 150 tackles (96 solo), three interceptions, 11 pass breakups and three fumble recoveries. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN BY CHRIS BALAS B orn in Sandusky, Ohio, and raised not far away in Fremont, former Michigan All-Big Ten safety Tony Gant seemed destined to be a Buck- eye. Ohio State greats Archie Griffin and Tim Spencer, whom Gant played against when he was a freshman in high school, were his idols, and as one of Ohio's best himself — he won the Governor's Trophy as the state's best back over future NFL talents in quar- terback Bernie Kosar (Miami) and run- ning back Keith Byars (Ohio State) — Gant seemed a natural for the Scarlet and Gray. For a time, Gant thought so, too. He listened to iconic head coach Woody Hayes' pitch, hosting him in his fam- ily's living room. He took unofficial visits to Columbus, and he even wore the colors in support of the Buckeyes. "Coach [Earle] Bruce would even make the statement I was his No. 1 recruit," Gant recalled with a laugh. There was, however, always one seed of doubt. The late Arthur Gant, 92 THE WOLVERINE DECEMBER 2011 Tony's father, was best friends with former U-M All-American Thom Darden's grandfather, and Arthur al- ways kept an eye on that school up north. The seed started to blossom when assistant coach Gary Moeller started recruiting Gant to Michigan. "I liked him as a person first, then as a football coach," Gant acknowledged. "I was won over by Mo the first time I met him. He was like my high school coach, the late Pete Moore out of Fremont. They had similar qualities where they cared about you more as a person than as a football player. Those qualities really stood out to me." Head coach Bo Schembechler was much the same, giving the Wolverines a shot. Arthur Gant was able to hear all of the coaches' recruiting pitches on in-home visits, but with one huge caveat … it was from a bed in the next room. Though Gant's parents were divorced, his father had traveled from Sandusky to spend his last days with the family, his body failing in its battle with cancer. couldn't bench 185," Gant recalled. "Gittleson told me that I would never play a down at Michigan until I could bench press 300, so I had two goals that first year: No. 1, to play in spite of Gittleson's challenge, and then to eventually lift 300, which I did my fifth year. I think Mike was embar- rassed for me." He didn't have to wait four years to reach goal No. 1, though, seeing the field in the 1982 Michigan State game as a true freshman. "I could understand all the football schemes the coaches were throwing at me, but at free safety, you're the quarterback of the defense," Gant said. "You can't think — you've just got to react out there. Coach Moeller and Coach [Lloyd] Carr did a great job preparing me, and they kept [veteran strong safety] Keith Bostic out there with me." Part of the reason he earned his time, he quipped, was because he was able to help contain All-American re- ceiver Anthony Carter 50 percent of the time, maybe one of the better suc- cess rates in the Big Ten. His introduction to Big Ten football, though, didn't go as well as hoped. The Wolverines built a 31-3 lead over the Spartans but gave up two late touchdowns to win by 14. "You're not worried about the 100,000 people; you're worried about

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