Grit Pantheon
I got to thinking, we throw the term grit around a lot here, which is good. I like my nouns to be portable just like the next man. But what do we mean by grit? Does it mean that you have to be a 2-3 star grinder, who is usually white? Actually, I don't really care to define the term much. Defining it reduces it to less than awesome.
Instead, I thought of nominating players to join the Grit Pantheon and sit atop Mt. Schembechler and drink nectar, ambrosia, and buckeye tears.
I can't do an all time team, since 1991 is as far back as I really remember, and I only got MGoStatus in 2009. Here are my 2011 nominees for Grit Pantheon:
David Molk (Sugar Bowl Injury)
Van Bergen (Sugar Bowl Injury)
V. Smith (handguns, 5'6" of cut blocking cruise missle)
Odoms (injured, buried on depth chart, heart of a champion. see 2008 minnesota game)
Kovacs (you know the story)
D. Robinson (pats Gholston on the ass after Gholston tried to break his neck)
B. Mealer (you know the story)
2012 nominee: Dennis Norfleet. See the video from the 7on7 where he smacks concrete face first at full speed and bounces up for the next play.
Who do you nominate for grit?
February 11th, 2012 at 7:00 PM ^
Dammit, I was hoping this was the name of a 2013 recruit.
While I'm here, from the alumni group give me Jeff Backus.
February 11th, 2012 at 7:11 PM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 11:40 PM ^
I was hoping the exact same thing
February 12th, 2012 at 10:24 AM ^
Pos: S | Pos Rank: #124 | Pos Rating: |
Scout.com Player Evaluation: | ||||||||
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Smart, heady, confident player who consistently puts himself in position to make plays. Has good closing speed and takes good angles in pursuit. In coverage, he shows good awareness and solid ball skills. He does not yet have ideal size and strength but is an excellent form tackler. His enthusiasm for the game is contagious and he's a true leader to his team mates. - Allen Trieu |
February 11th, 2012 at 7:03 PM ^
Obviously you have to be white to be a gritty gym rat. (Zack Novak)
Old black coaches are class-acts. (Tony Dungy)
And latinos are 'firecrackers' or 'spark plugs.' (Ozzie Guillen)
February 11th, 2012 at 8:44 PM ^
Ever since this Grit term has been thrown around so much lately (& not just here), I've thought of that exact scene/episode. (I feel like they name like Wes Welker in the actual episode.)
February 11th, 2012 at 7:11 PM ^
Always, no matter what sport
February 11th, 2012 at 7:15 PM ^
Brandon Minor. Kinda on the fence on that one but guy was hurt alot and stuck it out.
Mike Hart, more of an underdog but proved alot of people wrong
Im hoping Blake Bars or Ben Braden break out this year and grind to a starting role
February 11th, 2012 at 10:56 PM ^
+1 ... when he was healthy he was a hell of a runner. Tough sumbitch.
This past year ... Molk, hands down. Not just for playing through the Sugar Bowl injury, but for just being ... hell, Molk.
February 12th, 2012 at 12:18 AM ^
Back when I was on campus, we were a couple of 100-yard games from making t-shirts.
February 11th, 2012 at 7:14 PM ^
The pride of Mio... The Jaw himself...
February 11th, 2012 at 8:09 PM ^
Actually his nickname was "Hambone," which is even grittier.
February 11th, 2012 at 8:22 PM ^
I forgot about that... Such memories.
February 11th, 2012 at 7:24 PM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 7:38 PM ^
For the record, a few minor corrections: his name was spelled Griffin; Griffin didn't start every game that year (31 out of 37); and Rob Pelinka may not have played that much that year, but he did start one game.
February 12th, 2012 at 12:00 AM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 7:41 PM ^
Not usually one to comment on spelling errors, but this one is kind of important in these parts:
Schembechler
February 12th, 2012 at 10:43 AM ^
Thanks -- fixed
February 11th, 2012 at 8:20 PM ^
On account of his low recruiting ranking, small stature, great performance and ability to drive rival fanbases nuts...
...I nominate Mike Hart.
Going back a decade further, the defensive captain of the '97 team is well-deserving:
To go from walking on to captaining a national champion, Eric Mayes was pretty darn gritty.
February 11th, 2012 at 9:22 PM ^
Not to mention the broken jaw.
February 12th, 2012 at 6:39 AM ^
Steve Everitt was true grit. Also from that era: Yale Van Dyne.
February 16th, 2012 at 1:57 AM ^
If we're gonna count Everitt, why not the vikings in general? Other than the sissy sagas, they were pretty gritty right?
February 11th, 2012 at 9:38 PM ^
February 11th, 2012 at 9:41 PM ^
i just relised "The Watchmen's" Rorschack's real name is Walter Kovacs.
Anyone else think we should start calling Kovacs "Rorschack?"
no im not drunk and watching The Watchmen.
February 11th, 2012 at 10:53 PM ^
There must be a hole in the ceiling of grit. Perhaps its floor and interior can withstand the elements as well as its real life metaphor.
February 12th, 2012 at 10:13 AM ^
23 total tackles and assists in one game against Illini
February 12th, 2012 at 10:15 AM ^
Zack Novak for hustling so damn hard all while playing without the existence of legs.
February 29th, 2012 at 5:24 PM ^
Thad Garner was the grittiest McGritterson I remember from the old days. He was caught between eras, post Mike McGee/Phil Hubbard, pre-Glen Rice days. Check out his profile here and replace "Thad Garner" with "Zack Novak". They had practically the same career stats.
http://isportsweb.com/2009/10/09/michigan-basketball-all-time-10-best-p…
Garner scored 1,039 points in his career and he hauled down 602 rebounds. He was also a hustling, hard working defensive player...In 1982 Michigan established the Thad Garner Leadership Award which is given each year to the Michigan player who provides outstanding leadership to his teammates.