The Story of Jack Kennedy

I suddenly want him to start, shoot, I wanna go tryout now! You really told that story well.

Great post. I never knew his background until this; he now has a fan in me. It's easy to cheer for those that are given nothing but work their tails off to make something.

he also hung out after practice going through routes with joe reynolds and zac baker. 

when senior day comes for him, i hope the crowd gives him a loud, genuine cheer. 

Real Nice fellow. I was able to meet Jack and his parents at the Eastern Michigan game from '09 and they told me that entire story. He hasn't done anything wrong in his one play as QB so far us. 

Nice.  I hope all the other players look at guys like this and remember how special it is to be a part of Michigan football.

Every time I see someone say something nasty about any kid, no matter what their skill level is or what life has dealt them, (whether they play for Michigan or not), it ticks me off.

People of poor character should just shut the hell up if they can't be respectful.

We all have our issues.

Great story that makes you realize that this is a dream that most kids will never live out.  He worked so hard and even if he doesn't play another down for the Maize and Blue, he has fulfilled his dream.

Ask not what your, er, ah, Jack Kennedy can do for you, but, er ah, what you can do for Jack Kennedy.

And don't forget his music career with the tune Lost Love.  I'm not skilled enough to link it but if you search Jack Kennedy on You Tube, you'll find it. 

Usually aaamichfan comes through for me with a link within the next few minutes.

i want dedication like this, and i believe this is the reason bo's teams had such success, because he preached dedication to the program. I look up to jack, and i hope all the players do too.

and he's a great guy.  He's also pretty good at music...

EDIT: Yessman, you beat me to the vid

don't bring a Justin Boren to a Jack Kennedy fight.

His contributions may never see the light of day as he might be the scoutnteam guy, but that role is of course important as well. Let's hope he gets a ring

Oh snap, my bad  Thought you wrote Dead Kennedys.

That's a nice tale.  Props to Jack.

I had a friend who did something similar (not at Michigan) but he didn't make the team.  He ended up playing D2, but it's so cool to hear of a player who has such a love for Michigan that he'd go through all that and work that hard just to even suit up.  I have gained a lot of respect for him.  Go Blue Jack!

you put in the work...you will be rewarded. "Those Who Stay Will Be Champions." i give mad props to the kid...hope to see him do some work on the field at some position, whether thats at quarterback if someone goes down, or at a slot wide out, just something. Good job Jack...GO BLUE!!!!!

Men like Jordan Kovacs and Jack Kennedy would never sell their championship rings.

You are definitely one of my favorite posters, man! Great story about Kennedy, I had no idea.  Hopefully Hoke realizes what he's got in Kennedy, just like Rodriguez did.

My girlfriend is a teacher at WLC so I've gone to alot of games, the coach has been at WLC for like 6 years. Jack was hurt during practice before the start of the season although it wasn't a serious injury he sat out a week or so and lost his job during that time. This is still a great story of hard work and perseverance.

I'll admit that I know next to nothing about him, but this was a great story! I love the idea of sneaking into the Big House to practice.

I had no clue about who Jack Kennedy was when he came out for the dying seconds of the game against Delaware State. Now after this story (that is really well told) I appreciate his perseverance and I agree completely that he is a true "Michigan Man" and he now has one more fan among the wolverine fanbase.

Jack Kennedy threw me my first and third pass during walk-on tryouts in 2008. The first pass travelled at approximately three hundred miles an hour and was an exceptional completion to Tacopants.

Awesome article and, evidently, awesome kid!

I had the pleasure of coaching Jack for a couple years in baseball. He's a great kid from a great family. He was always respectable with "yes sir." He was very quiet but a hell of leader through his play on the field. A great 1st baseman.

My two cents on JMFK:

I was back in Ann Arbor tailgating on Division just north of Hill St before one of the September games in 2009. This particular spot happens to have a lot of the team walking down the block between Central campus and the stadium in the hours before the game.

We're out by the street and I spotted an obvious player walking by judging by his warmup and bag, but I didn't recognize him. After shouting out to him what position he played and getting the response "Quarterback", I said back to him you must be Jack Kennedy. I don't think I've ever seen any athlete at any level as happy to be recognized as he was that day. (Though still not happy enough to accept our offer of beer...)

The end. Go Blue.

I would really like for michigan to keep this tradition even though RR is gone.

but from what I have seen of Kennedy in Spring Practice, I would feel much more comfortable with him playing qb than those two. Obviously Denard and Devin are amazing talents that he won't be able to beat out, but if we have injuries, I would expect Kennedy to go in and do as well or better than McGloin did this year.

These are the people that make great coaches.  They know the hard work and effort it takes, they know the playbook inside and out.  They know these things because they're a little short on talent compared to others.  Their only shot, at making the team, is hard work and superior knowledge.  Fortunately, for them, it sometimes pays off.  Jason Garrett (currently the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys) comes to mind.  Good for you, Jack.  Nicely done.

At the spring game of 2009 is when I first saw Jack. No one knew who he was. But he came in and looked good. He drove the team down the field and made some really nice throws. I thought he played better that Tate.

"Working Hard beats great talent, when great talent fails to work hard"

1st thought of him upon seeing him in the spring game was that the kid could really be a nice serviceable back up, more power to him and his dreams. 

Great story DG.

I bet thousands of kids across the country tried doing what Jack did and failed, but all the stars lined up.  His work ethic and maybe Rich Rod’s willingness to put walk-ons on the roster because he was a walk-on himself got Kennedy on the roster.

Uncool, bitch.

negative comments about a player in comment sections.Their words speak volumes, most often about the poster.

In all seriousness, thanks for the story. I'm sure there is a similar story for almost all walk-on and scout team players and we should appreciate their hard work and dedication to the team, not for glory, but for love of the school and the sport.

That answers that question.  Gingers DO have souls.

This is a story I would never have heard if it weren't for MGoBlog and I am thankful for you taking the time.  I'm always amazed at the amount of time these kids put in to play football in college.  I had a guy tell me once that he played D-I ball but transferred to a different school where he could not play and, without football, he found that he had an exorbitant amount of free time.  These athletes make me feel like I was a slacker, especially the ones that get better grades than I got.  Very impressive.

I'm Jack's uncle and I can tell you he is a wonderful young man and a dedicated Michigan Wolverine.  He's a hard worker on and off the field (you may not know that he is a physics major)!  Best of luck to all of the Wolverines during this time of transition.  Much success and Go Blue!

good job