The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Former Linebacker Matt Dyson Has Become A College Coach with the nation's winningest program, they go forth with a wealth of knowl- edge, having learned from some of the coaching fraternity's best. Some keep it stored in their brains like Big Ten championship rings in a top drawer, while others find a way to pass on what they've absorbed to others. Former Michigan linebacker Matt W hen most Michigan football players leave after four years Dyson (1991-94) didn't immediately put his to use, moving on with his life after a two-year NFL career cut short by a catastrophic knee injury. When the opportunity finally presented it- self, in fact, it was almost by accident. Dyson was at work when approached by someone who knew of his foot- ball accolades, which began at LaPlata (Md.) High School and then continued at Michigan. There was a coaching op- portunity at Falls Church (Va.) High School, one that could provide a step- ping stone to a new career. Dyson ran with the opportunity in 2000. He parlayed that into the head coaching job at George Mason Uni- versity three years later, where he's since built on the team's success and recently capped the 2011 squad's ac- complishments with a NCFA Mid-At- lantic championship 31-0 blowout win over Virginia Commonwealth. "I realized there's such a wealth of BY CHRIS BALAS Dyson earned first-team All-Big Ten honors in 1992, his first season as a full-time starter, and second-team accolades in 1993 despite playing through a knee injury. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN football knowledge I have, it's kind of idiotic not to share it," Dyson said with a laugh. "I use what I learned at Michigan pretty much all the way across the board. I learned a lot of dif- ferent things when I was at Michigan, and all that stuff I utilize pretty much every day." George Mason is best known for its within the decade. Regardless of if or when it does, Dyson — still the head track coach at Falls Church — is proud of his program's accomplishments. "We are just a small club team right now, but we're trying to build it into something," he said. "These kids have done some great things. This year we won our conference championship, and that was a new thing." League titles were an old thing for 2006 Final Four appearance in bas- ketball, when the team made waves as a No. 11 seed in shocking the col- lege hoops world. It's still a basketball school, Dyson acknowledged, and there hasn't been the support needed to take it to the next level — recog- nized NCAA status. Mason currently plays a competitive schedule against Division II and III 108 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2012 teams and junior colleges, a higher level of competition than the standard club team, but the opportunity exists for more. There's room on campus for a sizable stadium, and the school's Board of Visitors will reportedly meet next year to vote on the possibility of an NCAA-recognized team. Some anticipate it could happen started against Ohio State and in the Rose Bowl against Washington — a task made tougher for the U-M of- fense when All-American center Steve Everitt went down with an injury days before the game. U-M dropped a 34-14 decision to the Huskies, and Dyson — stung by the result — returned for spring ball in great shape, determined not to let it happen again. The 1992 season, his first as a full- good as a redshirt frosh to keep off the field. He cracked the starting lineup by the end of the year, and Dyson when he first arrived on the Michigan campus in 1990. The Wol- verines had won consecutive Big Ten championships and captured a third in Dyson's redshirt year, returning plenty of talent on both sides of the ball in 1991. Dyson, though, would prove too time starter, proved memorable. The Wolverines tied three games but still won the Big Ten, capping the sea- son with a 38-31 Rose Bowl win in a rematch with the Huskies. Dyson earned All-Big Ten honors after notch- ing 75 total stops, 12 tackles for loss and seven sacks for 72 yards in losses. The win over Washington was sweet revenge, he recalled. "Our big target in that game was [running back] Napoleon Kaufman," Dyson recalled. "He has been rush- ing for like 180 yards a game. Coach [Lloyd] Carr was our defensive coor- dinator and said, 'We're going to shut this down. Nobody runs on us like that. We just swarmed him, and he finished with 26 yards. "We had a chip on our shoulder