Who would be in a Michigan Football Ring of Honor?

Lloyd Brady

Part of it has to be how they were perceived in their own time.

I know this would be very difficult for the old-timers.

But think, say, of Ron Johnson who isn't anyhere to be found in this data set, but was considered to be a great back at the time.

pants, taco

I think Hart deserves a nod. He's Michigan's all-time leading rusher, was a Heisman and Doak Walker finalist, and coined the nickname "Little Brother".

Oosterbaan was a coach too...  I think the coaches should be in any ring of honor.

btw: Kipke was a nine time letter winner, 3 each in football, basketball, baseball.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_G._Kipke

John Cooper

Wistert, Harmon, Ford, Woodson, Howard, Carter, Erick Anderson, Rick Leach, Fielding Yost, Fritz Crisler, and Bo Schembechler. Done

It depends on how "elite" you want it. I think it'd be great to have a Ring of Honor for the greats, aka the guys on your list plus other worthy candidates (and coaches).

But there has to be a more elite pedestal, which is where statues would be great IMO. Harmon, Woodson, Howard, Bo, Yost, and Crisler. So it'd be kind of two tiers, one of "Michigan Greats" and one of "College Football Legends"

Best pre-Woodson defensive player in Michigan history

And also, I'm almost positive Carter was All American in 1980, 1981, and 1982. I've checked a couple sources that confirm it, so I'm not sure where the discrepancy is.

I would hate to be on the commitee making this decision.  Who gets left out would be terribly difficult given the huge number of players who will be deserving but not included.

he has a hockey arena named after him, and despite being a coach... I wouldn't mind seeing Fielding Yost in the ring.  6 of the 11 NCs... 4 in a row.

But Chris Perry is not on this list.

He is in the Top 10 of almost every rushing record, and sits atop the single-game record list to this day.

http://stadiumandmain.blogspot.com/2006/12/ron-johnson-where-is-he-now.html

Also, fwiw, another set of player rankings.

http://motownsportsrevival.blogspot.com/2005/08/100-greatest-michigan-football-players.html

Players only:

Harmon, Woodson, Howard, Carter, Heston, Oosterbaan, Leach, Freidman, Chappius, Kramer, Hutchinson,

My non-player additions: Bo, Lloyd, and Bob Ufer.

Rick Leach, Charles Woodson, Barry Pierson, Yost, Crisler, and Bo to name a few.

I think Harry Newman definitely deserves to make the cut -- he's basically another Heisman winner.

Michigan only lost one game (and tied 2) when Newman was on the team (1930-'32). He won the Fairbanks Trophy, which is basically the Heisman before there was a Heisman. Newman almost never came off the field, and was to those offenses what Denard was to 2010, but if 2010 Denard was also the Big Ten's best placekicker, and Michigan's defensive MVP.

Newman wasn't just any College Football Hall of Famer, but was one of 21 guys from all of college football history before 1975 elected to the College Football Hall of Fame in its first year. 

http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/HarryNewman.htm

i've never felt perfectly comfortable with the Heisman trophy for the same reason - I feel that football is the ultimate team game, and that the accomplishments of the individual are indistinguishable from the team. Yes, there's an offense and defense divide - but in hockey, baseball, and basketball it's easy to tell who your best offensive players are - and those are the guys most often rewarded. In football, every play takes eleven guys to work - just like defense takes eleven guys, or five in basketball - distinguishing between the team and the individual isn't impossible, but it's tricky, and rather than a ring of honor, I'd rather just have tributes to (with apologies to Bo)  "The Teams, The Teams, The Teams."

Let's do something a bit different. Either etch every single varsity letter winners name onto some sort Of wall or something (would be huge, but amaZing) or just build a Michigan sports hall of fame where every sport has a section and can recognize more players than just the "gods." could have changing exhibits honoring various players or seasons of a team. People would pay to get in - can you hear me Dave "points of sale" brandon?

I know Brian doesn't like the idea of statues so much, but I can just picture walking up to the Big House and seeing a statue of Charles making the interception against state or with the rose in between his teeth, and Desmond striking the pose.  Throw in some Ufer near the press box, and I think they'd look awesome.

My only question is: how do you convey "Meeeeeechigan" in a statue?  Any ideas?

What about Tom Brady? I know that his in-college accolades were limited in comparison to the majority of the names tossed around right now (2 full seasons starting that resulted in bowl wins over SEC opponents and All-Big Ten Honorable mentions), but I'm curious what the MGoConsensus is on how much a spectacular NFL career can help lift and otherwise average-in-the-course-of-history Michigan player up to our hypothetical Ring of Honor.

Off the top of my head, I can't think of any other former Michigan players who fit into this category of good-not-great college careers and then turning into a franchise player in the league, but I think that Brady is our most marquee name for younger fans, and a reminder of that in the ring certainly wouldn't hurt. But would his presence undermine the kind of collegiate success all the other names had to demonstrate to make their way onto the Ring of Honor?

When you were looking at the All-Americans, perhaps the reason why you didn't find everything is because you didn't use other lists (2nd Team, Freshman Team). Perhaps this is why you thought people had more AA noms than your list indicated...

I just think the school has been playing far too long for a Ring of Honor or Hall of fame. Even if you were to make a list of "Gods of the Game" it would still be several names long. I definitely don't agree with retiring numbers either. I love watching guys wearing the numbers of former greats. Retiring numbers would mean playing without the #1 jersey. I'm totally, 100%, against that. Instead why not just have a wall that lists every single National Championship claimed by the Maize and Blue. It would be simple, straightforward, classy, team oriented, and yet powerful, while at the same time keeping within the tradition of UM football. If you absolutely have to have a statue, then build one of Yost; without him none of the rest would have been possible. He is the Godfather.

Here's a full list of Michigans football All-Americans from the Bentey Historical Library.

http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fballam/fballam.htm