Jim Mandich Honored at High School Alma Mater

I attended the Solon (Ohio) high school football game last night against rival Mentor.  It was a big game against two very good Northeast Ohio teams -- big enough to be televised.  So, there are TV timeouts in high school as well, apparently.

At the end of the first quarter, and during an extended TV timeout, the PA announcer made a presentation honoring one of Solon's favorite sons, the great and unfortunately late Jim Mandich.  He apparently was involved in the planning for this event many months ago, but as most of you know, he died of cancer before he could attend. 

It was a very nice honor.  As a Michigan guy living in Ohio, I listened carefully to how they addressed Mandich's role as a player at Michigan and in winning the 1969 game against Ohio State (okay, "Ohio").  They discussed his high school career first, then sort of skipped to his years with the Dolphins, but finally circled back to his decision to play in Ann Arbor and being part of the team that beat the Ohio team that everyone thought was unbeatable.  "Michigan" and "Ann Arbor" got some grumbling in the stands, but I applauded.  Mandich was a great man and I am sure he would have been pleased if he could have attended.  Members of his family were on hand for the honor.

Meanwhile, Mentor is an incredibly good team full of huge guys.  Michigan commit Tom Stroebel was in on a ton of plays and his name was announced frequently as the tackler.  (I'm not a scout, so others will have to comment on the merits of his performance.)  Solon has a great team, but can't hang on against teams like Mentor with Stroebel and (last year) St. Eds and Kyle Kalis. 

It was great watching a future Michigan star (hopefully) while honoring a past great.