Hagerup's Letter to Team
Will wrote a very moving letter that was posted on everyone's locker.
Team 135:
Think back to when you were ten years old. If someone had told you that you would get the opportunity to play six Big Ten games - three at The Big House - you'd be so excited you wouldn't know what to do with yourself. You'd call your friends and brag, you'd tell your teachers, your family, your girlfriend - you'd tell everybody. Somewhere along the way, we've gotten too complacent with the opportunity we are so fortunate to have. I have made some dumb and selfish decisions in my five years here, but, if nothing else, I have gained a new and deep and lasting appreciation for what it means to play FOR (not at) The University of Michigan. It is special for reasons bigger than football.
"I know some of you have probably thought, 'Wow, we could lose every Big Ten game.' I'll admit that that thought has crossed my mind, too. Well I'm done with that thought because we can also WIN every game for the rest of the season. And why not go out that way? Who says we can't. The fans? The media? They're frustrated just like we are; only they have no control over our next move. So stop paying attention to them.
"Only we - Team 135 - can control our pride and how we compete. We should all REFUSE to let any other team or player perform better than we will. Don't just play for the seniors. We've had our chance at this and we'll fight harder than ever the second half of the season. Play for the guys in your class who you texted the day you committed, and live in the dorms with. Play for the elementary kids back home whom you've never even met, but know who you are and where you play. Play for your high school coaches, the guys you've met at combines, your family, your friends. Finally, play for yourself. Pride in yourself means that, win or lose, you worked and competed as hard as you possibly could until the schedule provided no more games to play.
When you come back to Ann Arbor in 10 or 20 years for an alumni visit, inevitably you'll represent this team. Do you want to look down at your feet and mutter, 'I played for Team 135, the team that gave up half way through the season?' OR do you want to say with pride, 'I was on the team that had a rough six-game stretch, but we fought and clawed our way to win every game there on out?'
"I've heard so many guys who graduated a year, five years, or 20 years ago say, 'Man, I wish I could just get one more game. Even just one snap!' Well, we have an opportunity to play at least SIX games this fall.
Effort is between you and you. It can be faked. But why fake it? Let's make these next two months of Big Ten play the most memorable we can. That starts with practice today and it ends in Columbus when we'll take back our pride. Michigan is 2-0 under the lights. Let's put a complete game together on Saturday, let's remind people that we are MICHIGAN, and let's make Penn State's flight home miserable.
Win!
- Hagerup
http://www.mlive.com/wolverines/index.ssf/2014/10/will_hagerups_passion…
October 12th, 2014 at 11:43 AM ^
"It woke us up."
October 12th, 2014 at 11:49 AM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 12:17 PM ^
Sparty is overrated. We could get spanked, but we have a puncher's chance of pulling off the upset.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:21 PM ^
-Devin Gardner.
One foot and he's saying this in an interview. I am so proud of that kid. . . .
October 12th, 2014 at 6:21 PM ^
I thought all hope went out the window when Bellomy came in. Somehow DG once again managed to gut it out and help the team win the game.
October 12th, 2014 at 6:55 PM ^
If that had been Morris out there limping around, we'd have had another scandal. But it's okay for Devin. Things that make you go hmm.
October 12th, 2014 at 10:22 PM ^
Can you post more? I get more points from upvotes for disagreeing with your stupidity than I can spend downvoting you.
October 12th, 2014 at 7:47 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
Admirable of Hagerup. This is leadership. I cannot, however, help but think that another coach, who didnt model the "This is Michigan forgodsakes" sense of entitlement himself, would not have allowed complacency to develop.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:07 PM ^
You don't think there's complacency at Alabama? At Oregon? At Oklahoma? Everyone only realizes it when the team stops being good
October 12th, 2014 at 1:21 PM ^
Yes, but I dont think their coaches model it like Hoke does. Its always there - everywhere - but the question is the extent to which it develops. Do you think Saban is a model of complacency? I think he embodies the evil stepfather who lights a fire under his players (as opposed to "sons") every day.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
Yeah, that's the kinda guy I want representing my team.
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October 12th, 2014 at 1:42 PM ^
I agree - I dont want either extreme. Extremes, however, can be useful for expressing a point. The problem is that we appear to have one of the extremes for our coach.
October 12th, 2014 at 2:28 PM ^
"What the fuck are you doing?" and "fuck you" are quite different.
October 12th, 2014 at 11:01 PM ^
Um, there might be some complacency at Alabama because they've been dominating college football until very recently. Are you arguing we're complacent because we won a BCS bowl a couple years ago? The team is tired of winning all those B1G championships I guess...
October 12th, 2014 at 11:58 AM ^
This is the kind of stuff I remember hearing about years ago, when players called on, not out each other to pull together for a common goal. They will go nowhere while all pulling their own direction. They need to all pull in one direction for Michigan and for the guy next to him.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:00 PM ^
man, i cant wait to win enough games this season to make sure we go 8-4 or 9-3 for the next decade or so, thats obviously the outcome everybody wants
October 12th, 2014 at 12:02 PM ^
I thought this part was pretty telling of the attitude of some players? Why put it otherwise? The last part especially.
"Effort is between you and you. It can be faked. But why fake it?"
October 12th, 2014 at 12:03 PM ^
"He was basically saying, you came to Michigan for a reason," Michigan senior defensive end Frank Clark. "We didn't come to Michigan to lose. We didn't come to Michigan to get booed by our fans. We came here to play hard, play hard every down.
...points out exactly why I never boo for any reason (other than displeasure over an obvious and blatant error by the refs) inside Michigan Stadium, regardless of how deserving the coaching staff and Brandon might be.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:08 PM ^
As much as I've voiced my disgust of a lot of the happenings of this season, I have NEVER and WILL NEVER boo the fucking players. I have had a raging desire to punch someone in the face sitting next to me for doing it.... but I am not going to boo kids out there who are putting thier bodies on the line, taking injuries, playing hurt, and still giving it their all.
The flip side of this is when the team has nailed nice plays in the past, the same people who were able to BOOOOOO loudly at displeasure seemingly can barely manage a brady hoke-esque *clap-clap-clap* If you can BOOOOO LOUD you can fucking SCREAM AND CHEER for these fucking kids when they do something RIGHT.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 12:56 PM ^
I'm not sure its been debated that much.
October 12th, 2014 at 3:40 PM ^
I agree that some of the booing has been directed at poor play on the field, and I agree that some of the fans in the stands and on the internet yell mean things about specific players.
However, most of the booing - and the internet ire on this site - has been aimed at the coaching staff, for mismanagement issues with play calling, time management, and not deciding to pull an injured player when he clearly should have been (and then sending him back onto the field - for which we should have been booing the medical staff I guess).
Hagerup is right though - at the end of the day, the only way to stop all the negativity is for the players to pick themselves up off the mat and fight as hard as they can. That is what they did in the Ohio State game last year, and even though they lost - they were cheered on until the end.
To Will and team I say "Go Blue!"
October 12th, 2014 at 11:05 PM ^
I'd agree most, but not all. People have been booing just because the team has played poorly, which I don't agree with because that absolutely is booing the players. You can't just argue you're booing poor play because they're poorly coached. I only boo Michigan if it's obviously because of some coaching error or decision, like not going for it on 4th down or not trying to score before the half.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 12:52 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 1:24 PM ^
It seems like you just debated it with yourself.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:04 PM ^
The defense is looking like an improving defense... I think so, at least.
Let DG do what DG wants to do. That's my advice for offense until next season. (being the professional sports analyst i am) Just give him some guidance and let him play how he sees fit. It only seems fair, feel like we've watched a few seasons of stifiled talent.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:05 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 12:06 PM ^
Enjoy the feel good win for the next 13 days. Sparty gonna murder us.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:11 PM ^
On that note
I'm really sick of losing michigan kids to marijuana...
....Ann Arbor, the home of Hash Bash in a country that is on the verge of major marijuana reform, losing how many good players in how many sports to minor MJ issues?
Using a substance that's not addictive to possibly help with the chronic injury pain and inflammation, avoiding alcohol, not being hungover.... yeah, it's time to come up with a new policy on that shit... Really hit us hard in basketball and football over the past few years. Rules are rules, but it's time to admit that they are wrong.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:13 PM ^
You have no idea what else is going on. This just happened to make it to the public. And who the hell cares that he's a punter and a guy who's been in trouble? He shouldn't have done this? And you weren't satisfied with our 5th-year senior QB's leadership last night? And shit, if anything, this shows that the leadership of this team is holding them together and they aren't giving up, which would be incredibly understandable right now, when the national media, local media, fans, and everyone else are (also understandably) shitting all over Michigan football.
Boo this post.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:32 PM ^
I think you misinterpreted my post. No harm, no foul. Go ahead and read what I had to say about DG in any of the top threads on this board right now.... They were all made in the last 20 minutes or so.
*edit* just realized i wasn't the one being replied to, still on my morning multi-task freak-out.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:44 PM ^
Definitely wasn't replying to you. I agree with you that the marijuana rules are absurd, though I think that's an NCAA rules issue and not something that could be fixed by the university, city, or state.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:19 PM ^
NOT FROM TITLES OR A SENSE of ENTITLEMENT AND MOST OF ALL IT COMES FROM THE HEART AND IS TRUTH.
Hagerup is as key a component TO THE LEADERSHIP of this team as the other 114 players.
Why is "Rudy" such a great story? He demonstrated leadership and he was a practice player only.
COME ON!!!
October 12th, 2014 at 1:49 PM ^
October 13th, 2014 at 12:45 PM ^
Why is "Rudy" such a great story?
It isn't.
Horrible movie.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:21 PM ^
I hate to say this but I think this is something of a poor attitude to take towards this letter really. Personally, I think it is because it is Will Hagerup - the punter who has had his own issues - that it has rather a lot of weight. Here's someone who has fought through adversity - granted, adversity he created - and had his time away and regained a role on the team and has had the opportunity to live the words "you came to Michigan for a reason" in a very interesting way.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:25 PM ^
has a unique point of view here, from a year of introspection. So what is wrong with him showing leadership in this way?
And I think the 5th year QB has been saying (yelling) the same thing.
This team's leaders are emerging. Albeit late, but I am glad to see them.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:33 PM ^
You could always end your serious existential pain by sucking on a tailpipe in a closed garage for about an hour. That should do the trick.
October 12th, 2014 at 2:35 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 5:41 PM ^
Wut? I don't think we're going to win up in East Lansing, but there's a difference between believing that and coming onto a thread and derisively trashing an honest bit of heartfelt communication from one player to his teammates.
October 12th, 2014 at 2:38 PM ^
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October 12th, 2014 at 11:07 PM ^
It's true. If your mouth is actually on the tailpipe it doesn't take long at all. I died in a couple minutes.
October 12th, 2014 at 1:38 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 5:29 PM ^
Yep, thing suck. We shouldn't take the chance to celebrate one of the players showing leadership and personal growth. Hoke and Brandon suck and that's all we should care about.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:09 PM ^
October 12th, 2014 at 12:11 PM ^
Proof this young man will have a life after football. Of course he's the perfect person to write this letter to his teammates, having been a public disappointment (and laughingstock, as the King of the GIF of "Oops"), he learned, matured, and was capable of coming back and showing it. He's been there, the metaphor of what the team feels it's become.
Last night they showed they can fight that image of themselves, and learned how good it feels to keep fighting to show what they can be, not drown in what they think they've become.
October 12th, 2014 at 12:12 PM ^