The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/703389
INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Player of the Year award in 2009 and won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers. "One of the premier guards of his era, Hutchinson was a seven-time Pro Bowl pick and named to the NFL's 2000s all-decade team. "Dierdorf played 13 seasons as an offensive tackle, guard and center for the St. Louis Cardinals. He was a six- time Pro Bowl pick and was named to the NFL's 1970s all-decade team." The NFL.com version also con- sidered several others who experi- enced hugely successful pro careers after playing in a winged helmet: Jim Harbaugh, Mike Kenn, Ty Law, Tom Mack and Trevor Pryce. TheWolverine.com Mount Rush- more is the more Wolverines-centric look of the two. It features Woodson, the lone crossover performer of the lists. It also names Michigan's only pair of three-time All-Americans — all- time great wideouts Anthony Carter and Bennie Oosterbaan — along with the indomitable Tom Harmon. Harmon's greatness is encapsulated in the 1940 contest in Columbus, at the end of which he received a stand- ing ovation from Buckeye fans. In 59 minutes of play, Harmon scored three touchdowns, passed for a pair of touchdowns, rushed for 139 yards, passed for 151 yards, kicked four con- versions, averaged 50.0 yards on three punts, scored 22 points, intercepted three passes, returned three punts for a combined 81 yards and piled up 371 total yards. "When Tom Harmon left the field after his third touchdown dash of the day, the whole crowd, friend and foe alike, stood up and cheered," wrote John Sabo of The Detroit Free Press. "As Harmon left, the Michigan section of the stands emptied. Ten thousand Michigan rooters mobbed Harmon and formed a guard of honor to escort him to the locker room." Oosterbaan represented the receiv- ing half of the famed "Benny to Ben- nie" passing combination with quar- terback Benny Friedman. In 1925, they powered what Fielding H. Yost described as the best team he'd ever coached or witnessed, one that out- scored opponents 227-3 and finished 7-1, with a Big Ten championship and No. 2 national ranking. Oosterbaan not only earned All- America honors in each of the three seasons he played, he later coached the Wolverines to a national champi- onship in 1948. Woodson was the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy, capturing it in the 1997 na- tional championship season — his last in a Michigan uniform before leaving for the NFL with a year of eligibil- ity remaining — in addition to be- ing named a two-time first-team All- American. His impact in all phases of the game — as a defensive back, wide receiver and return man — led to his Heisman conquest, and all three were on dis- play in a 20-14 win over Ohio State in 1997 that secured U-M's undefeated season. Carter became the first second-year player to be voted team MVP a year later and became a three-time All-