The Wolverine

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Former 1980s Lineman Mike Husar Was A Workhorse Force game was initially scheduled; a chance to lead the Falcons into Michi- gan Stadium Sept. 8 and, on the field where his father and namesake ex- celled as an All-Big Ten lineman in the late 1980s, try to slay a Big Ten giant. Destiny, however, forced a change of plans. The 6-0, 260-pound Hu- sar Jr., a junior offensive lineman for the Falcons, never made it out of Colorado Springs, suffering a torn ACL in a season-opening win over Idaho State Sept. 1. Instead of joining several family members and friends in Ann Arbor to watch his son, Mike Husar Sr. flew to Colorado Springs to be with his son when he had his sur- gery. Two days later, they watched Air Force fight valiantly before fall- ing 31-25 in The Big House. The pride outweighed the heart- ache, Husar noted. Though his son won't get another shot at the Wol- verines, he is almost on the road to recovery. I t was a day Mike Husar Jr. had been anticipating since the Michigan-Air "Everything was put back together the way the doctors wanted," he said. "He's in for months of rehab, but hopefully he can come back and play next year." BY CHRIS BALAS Husar, a versatile performer who saw action at every line position but center in his four-year career, was a two-time All-Big Ten selection. Husar — like most Michigan dads — had hopes that his son might fol- low in his footsteps on a path to Ann Arbor. He also had his concerns about his son's military affiliation in a time of turmoil. different tune. "You always hope for it, but I'm kind of glad he got to go to his own place and do his own thing. He loves it," Husar said. "They do things dif- ferently with their workout regimen. Those guys are constantly doing their armed forces duty, plus football, plus school. They're pretty intense with all their training, the schoolwork, lifting and practice. Four years later, though, he sings a "I give them kudos. It's pretty hec- tic. I don't think I could do it. It takes a special human being." Husar, though, did plenty in his 84 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2012 own career in not only balancing school and football, but also becom- ing one of the Big Ten's best linemen over his four-year career. A "typical Chicago Catholic lineman" in the words of legendary Michigan line coach Jerry Hanlon, Husar wasn't one of the most sought-after in his class. He was smaller than some of the other Midwest targets, in what was an out- standing season for line prospects in 1994, at "only" 6-3, 285 pounds, but he was as tough as they came. A stalwart on some of the Wol- verines' top lines of the decade and versatile enough to play a number of positions, Husar saw action at every position on the line but center in his four-year career. He started six games each at left tackle and right guard in earning All-Big Ten honors in 1987, as well as 10 games at left guard and two at left tackle in 1988 to repeat the honor in a Big Ten and Rose Bowl championship season. The faces changed on either side of him, from standouts Clay Miller and John Vitale to Greg Skrepenak, but Husar was as vital as any of them. PHOTO COURTESY BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY conference rivalry games with Ohio State and Michigan State, rising to the occasion. He saved his best, though, for Notre Dame. Irish football was anything and everything to most south-side Chicago kids in the 1980s — "It was all I saw," Husar said — but he put away his Notre Dame gear the minute he committed to U-M, and after the Notre Dame coaches ques- tioned his measureables. He didn't take it back out when they came call- ing late in the recruiting process. The 1985 game in Ann Arbor was his first opportunity to show them what they'd missed. "John Vitale and I were switching Husar enjoyed great success in the up playing guard that whole camp, even that whole week," Husar re- called. "Bo wouldn't tell us who was going to start. Friday night when he came in our hotel — we roomed to- gether all the time — he said, 'It's not like one of you is any better than the other.' But the guy who was captain

• Cover