The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK PASSED AWAY • Former Michigan golf coach Tom Simon passed away July 28 at the age of 83. Simon was the first women's golf coach in program history, directing the Wolverines from 1975-82, and also served as the men's golf coach from 1979-82. Under his watch, the women's team placed ninth, Sitting Down With Secondary Coach Curt Mallory Michigan secondary coach Curt Mallory, who was a Wolverine from 1988-91 and a graduate assistant in 1992, spoke about his return. The Wolverine: You've been back in Ann Arbor for a year and a half now. How has that been? Mallory: "Well, I went to school here, so it has been awesome. It seventh and 10th in the MAIAW (the precursor to women's recognition within the NCAA) during the first three years of the program's existence, and finished fourth at the inaugural Big Ten Champion- ships in 1980. On the men's side, he led the Wolverines to a runner-up finish in conference play in 1980 — a feat that had not been achieved since 1968 and has not been accomplished in the 32 seasons since. PRIME TIME • The Big Ten Network will televise three Michigan soccer games this fall, including two in prime time. The network will feature the men's home game with Ohio State Sept. 30 (at 6 p.m.) and its home game with Penn State Oct. 6 (TBD). The women will be showcased in an 8 p.m. affair at Ohio State Oct. 18. The volleyball team, meanwhile, will have its Oct. 3 contest at Minnesota, its Oct. 10 match against Illinois and an Oct. 26 bout at Purdue (all at 8 p.m.) air on Big Ten Network. U-M's field hockey team will not play at night, but will have two of its contests aired live on Big Ten Network — the Wolverines' 3 p.m. home game against Michigan State Oct. 12 and their 3 p.m. road trip to Iowa Oct. 26. SHORTHANDED • Michigan's women's soccer team will be missing three of its best players for potentially seven games this season with juniors Nkem Ezurike and Shelina Zadorsky, and sophomore Christina Murillo, par- ticipating in the FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup Aug. 19-Sept. 8 in Japan. Ezurike and Zadorsky will both suit up for Canada and Murillo for Mexico. Both squads will compete in pool play through Aug. 27, with quarterfinals set for Aug. 30-31, semi- finals Sept. 4, and the championship and third- place matches Sept. 8. It's unlikely if any of them advance to the finals they would make it home in time for U-M's Sept. 9 contest at Oakland. Big Ten play starts Sept. 15. The Wolverines' top forward, Ezurike has led Mich- igan in scoring each of the past two seasons, with nine goals as a rookie in 2010 and 11 in her sopho- more campaign. She has contributed 20 markers overall with seven assists, good for 47 points. A defender, Zadorsky has started 38 consecutive games and has one goal and three assists. Murillo, a midfielder, started all 19 games last season and had five helpers. 14 THE WOLVERINE SEPTEMBER 2012 starts with your family, and it's such a great place to raise a family. My kids go to a great school, and my wife is happy. And if you have a happy wife, you've got a happy life. They love it here and, for me, it's just a dream come true to be able to be back here in Ann Arbor and coaching at Michigan. " Mallory said of being on the staff at U-M, "I love coming to work every day, because I genuinely enjoy being around these coaches." PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL ented. What's it like working with these guys, and how is it helping you become a better coach? Mallory: "I've known [defensive coordinator] Greg Mattison forever. The Wolverine: This defensive coaching staff is obviously very tal- I played when he was here the first time, and he's the best. To be able to learn from the best every day is something I cherish. It's a tremen- dous atmosphere to be around, and it has been a great experience for me. "Along with Mattison, you've got [linebackers coach] Mark Smith and [defensive line coach] Jerry Montgomery, and they are also great to work with. You spend so much time with guys, you want to be able to just enjoy being around them. "If you're with someone for 18 hours a day or whatever you have to was here before, could you have ever imagined working alongside him? Mallory: "No, it' s been very humbling to be back and to work with him. It's a dream come true, and it's all I could ask for." The Wolverine: Having been a graduate assistant when Mattison " get along, and that part of it I love. I love coming to work every day, because I genuinely enjoy being around these coaches. We hang out outside of work, too. We get together with our families. secondary. How are things shaping up? Mallory: "We have a lot of guys that have played a lot of football, and you can't put a price on experience. But we have to be more con- sistent; we can be a lot better. And that's the demand. We have guys that have played — and now they have to play like seniors. "We'll have three seniors back there: safety Jordan Kovacs, cor- nerback J.T. Floyd and [redshirt junior] safety Thomas Gordon. Even though Tom still has another year left, I consider him a senior be- cause he's been here four years. " The Wolverine: This season, you have a lot of veteran talent in the