The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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AUGUST 2017 THE WOLVERINE 13 INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS FIVE YEARS AGO, 2012: Michigan and Maurice Hurst Jr. were basking in the glow of a verbal commitment from the burly defensive lineman out of Westwood, Mass. Although Hurst held offers from Big Ten rivals Ohio State and Michigan State, among many others, he determined in his heart Ann Arbor was the place to be. His coach at Xaverian Brothers, Charlie Ste- venson, assured that Hurst would be all in as a Wolverine. "He was really excited about it," Stevenson said. "An offer from Michigan is a great thing for any high school football player. He wrote 'Go Blue' on my board in my office and left it for me." While noting it was great being able to put a 285-pound tailback into high school games, Ste- venson acknowledged Hurst's future centered on the U-M defensive line. "He's a good athlete for a big man," Stevenson said. "He's got a great first step, a very explosive first step. He gets into his blocker very quickly, and he brings good power with that first step and first contact." 10 YEARS AGO, 2007: Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr sized up a team that lost a lot of talent from an 11-2 Rose Bowl squad of a year earlier. He maintained confidence in a crew picked No. 1 in the Big Ten by the media covering the league. Senior tailback Mike Hart assured that even with the favorite's mantle, nothing much would change. "Nationally, there might be more eyes on us, but in the Big Ten Conference, everyone is going to give us their best game, no matter what," Hart said. "When we were 7-5, we were getting every team's best game. That's because we're Michigan. That's what we expect and that's what we want. Being No. 1 doesn't change anything." 25 YEARS AGO, 1992: Michigan football stood on the verge of making history. It had cap- tured Big Ten championships in each of the pre- vious four seasons, and a shot at No. 5 loomed directly ahead. U-M head coach Gary Moeller sounded keenly focused on the Wolverines' motivation as the season approached. "The thing that concerns me the most is the work ethic that we will have, the desire to be the champions for five straight years," Moeller said. "It is a feat we have never accomplished at Michigan, and that's a great challenge to this group. "Is the leadership, and the hunger, and the desire really there? We depend on our offensive line to give us a lot of that. They don't get their name on the PA. When those guys can sit there and work and give you that good work ethic, leadership, direction and toughness, I think it goes out to the rest of the guys. They can be the greatest silent lead- ers on the football team." — John Borton THIS MONTH IN MICHIGAN ATHLETICS HISTORY Gary Moeller's 1992 squad went 9-0-3 and won the Big Ten with a 6-0-2 mark. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN PACKAGES AS LOW AS $369 PER PERSON Special game packages include: • Two-nights hotel • Game ticket • Transportation to/from game • Access to Gridiron Trips Pre- game Tailgate Party (includes free BBQ and open bar) Call 303-359-5328 or visit GridironTrips.com and click on "Featured Games" BE THERE to see the Wolverines vs. Florida Gators on Sept. 2nd in Arlington, TX