The Wolverine

February 2018

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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FEBRUARY 2018 THE WOLVERINE 15   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS CHARLES WOODSON INDUCTED INTO COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME During the Jan. 7 episode of ESPN's Sunday NFL Count- down, network analyst and former Michigan defensive back Charles Woodson was met with a surprise announcement. He was told by the show's host, Samantha Ponder, that he had been selected for the College Football Hall of Fame, becoming the 31st Wolverine in school history to receive the honor. He was then presented with a commemorative football by fellow U-M alum and ESPN commentator Adam Schefter, which was provided by the National Football Foundation. Woodson played cornerback at Michigan from 1995-97, and helped lead the Wolver- ines to the 1997 national championship. He also became the first and only primarily de- fensive player (he also played some receiver and returned punts) to ever win the Heisman Trophy during his final year in Ann Arbor. Along with the college foot- ball's most famous trophy, Woodson also claimed the Wal- ter Camp Award (college player of the year), Bronko Nagurski Trophy (top defender nation- ally), Chuck Bednarik Award (top defender nationally) and Jim Thorpe Award (best defen- sive back), as well as the team's MVP during that magical run. The two-time All-American's 18 career interceptions are the second most in school history, while his 30 career passes bro- ken up rank fifth but were a school record at the time of his departure. The U-M star left after his junior season (1997) and was selected fourth overall by the Oakland Raiders in the 1998 NFL Draft, where he played until 2005. He then spent seven seasons (2006-12) with the Green Bay Packers, before return- ing to Oakland to wrap up his professional career (2013-15). The accolades continued to roll in during his professional days, and he is still the only player in league history to record at least 50 interceptions and 20 sacks. TWO FORMER WOLVERINES TABBED AS PRO FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME FINALISTS On Jan. 2, it was announced that former Michigan stars Steve Hutchinson and Ty Law were two of 15 finalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Hutchinson played offensive line at Michigan from 1996- 2000, and was a starting guard on the 1997 national champi- onship team. He wound up being a four-year starter at U-M, was named a two-time team captain, earned All-Big Ten recognition all four years and was a two-time All-American. The lineman was then selected in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks, where he spent the first five years of his career. He played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2006-11, before wrapping up his career with the Tennessee Titans in 2012. Hutchinson, a guard, made seven straight Pro Bowls from 2003-09, and was a five-time first-team All-Pro selection and made the second team two other seasons. In 2006 and 2009, he was named the NFL Alumni Offensive Lineman of the Year. Law, meanwhile, played cornerback at Michigan from 1992-94, where he earned first-team All-America honors as a junior in 1994. He left U-M after that season and was taken 23rd overall by the New England Patriots in the 1995 NFL Draft. Law helped lead the Patriots to three Super Bowls during his 10-year stint in New England, before making two stops with the New York Jets (2005 and 2008), along with stints on the Kansas City Chiefs (2006-07) and Denver Broncos (2009). Law finished his NFL career with 53 interceptions, and was a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time All-Pro choice. He led the NFL in interceptions in 1998 (nine) and 2005 (10), and like Hutchinson was included on the league's 2000s All-De- cade squad. The inductees will be an- nounced Feb. 3. MICHIGAN'S BASEBALL TEAM RELEASES 2018 SCHEDULE Michigan came out with its 2018 baseball schedule Jan. 8, and revealed it will begin the season with a four-game series against Army Feb. 16-18 in Port St. Lucie, Fla. The series will mark the third straight year that U-M will open its season at Tradition Field (home of the New York Mets' Class-A ad- vanced affiliate). After its season-opening trip to Florida, the Wolverines will then head out to California Feb. 23 and participate in the Tony Gwynn Classic in San Diego, before taking on Stanford for a four-game affair in Palo Alto, Calif. Once a three-game trip to Lipscomb (Nashville, Tenn.) con- cludes, U-M will finally play its home opener against Bowling Green March 16. Big Ten play will kick off when the Wolverines take on Michigan State in a home-and-home series March 23-25, with the first and third games being played in Ann Arbor. The Maize and Blue's first league road series, meanwhile, will occur April 6 when they head to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern. The Wolverines will concluded the regular season at Purdue May 17-19. The regular season will be followed by the Big Ten Tourna- ment May 23-27 in Omaha, Neb. — Austin Fox Charles Woodson and the rest of the College Football Hall of Fame's 2018 class will officially be inducted Dec. 4, 2018. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK

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