short ESPN video on sportsmanship and Devin Gardner
For those who haven't seen it yet, it's a nice little video on ESPN lauding Gardner and sportsmanship in general.
http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:11967563
And here's a Freep appreciation article on Gardner as well:
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:10 PM ^
He's a good human.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:12 PM ^
I love that kid. He may not have been a very good quarterback, but he is the ideal human off the field.
December 2nd, 2014 at 3:01 PM ^
What really sucks is that people will think he "hasn't been a very good QB." He played for three different OC's and two of them coached systems that didn't really match his skillset. Devin Gardner sacrificed a lot of personal glory and accolades to play at the University of Michigan. May his degree serve him well.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:13 PM ^
The adversity he faced as a Michigan football player will benefit him somewhere down the road.
I just wish he played here under more stable cirumstances.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:15 PM ^
Contrast this image with the image last year of Marcus Hall.
We may have lost the past two years (and more than we should have recently), but these pictures will live on as a testament to the differences between the schools for many years.
HAIL!
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:41 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
...but not even he can make me read the Freep.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:22 PM ^
I wasn't watching the game at that point but would love to see a longer clip showing Gardner's moment with Barrett? Anyone know where to find one?
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:25 PM ^
Still, please do not reply to this just in case something goes wrong. ESPN.com has a habit of annoying autoplay videos when you embed and I want to delete in case I did something wrong.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:27 PM ^
This doesn't mention Hoke, Hackett, Harbaugh, Hire, Head Coach, or even use the letter H. This should be off-topic.
Edit: The letter H is used once. That's not enough.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:28 PM ^
yay sportsmanship....looking forward to the next Hello: softball commit for more things to celebrate...
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:34 PM ^
Although it has been sad to see Devin Gardner misued and underutilized as an athlete over the past few years, that image of him going out to comfort Barrett was pretty much his character in a nutshell. He really is the sort of person you want reperesnting your university both on and off the field.
Henschke (from Maize-N-Brew, where this originally was posted, as I recall) did a pretty good job with this piece, I think, and this part towards the end was a nice touch because it showed in his play and personality:
Gardner won't leave a lasting impact on U-M lore, but he'll always be known as a person who gave everything he possibly could to the football program and never gave up.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:56 PM ^
Gardner took a beating every Saturday for 3+ seasons and kept coming back for more.
I have a feeling that he'll do well in life, no matter what his chosen path is. When he goes into the office every day he can think "well this job kinda sucks, but at least I'm not getting beat into the ground by a 300 pound monster"
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:34 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:50 PM ^
To bad he will never get the credit for being such a great michigan man.
December 2nd, 2014 at 2:51 PM ^
To bad he will never get the credit for being such a great michigan man.
December 2nd, 2014 at 4:17 PM ^
Nobody thought Tom Brady was going to be one of the most elite NFL QB's of all time
Most people never thought Denard would score an NFL TD.
I hope Devin gets a shot. If anyone deserves it, he does.
December 2nd, 2014 at 3:25 PM ^
knows what it means to play in the Game on one foot, and how hard you try to hang in there. Bravo, DG.
December 2nd, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^
I hope he gets a shot in the NFL. I know he's nowhere close to being a high draft pick, but with his high ceiling, I'm hoping he can get behind a Manning, Brees, or Brady, learn the ropes, and get his shot one day.
Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad
December 2nd, 2014 at 3:56 PM ^
I don't care, DG is the man, he represented the school with integrity and stuck with a program when he could have bailed with RR and likely had a lot more success and a lot less injuries.
Thank you, Devin.
You never know, he could still make it. People thought Denard wouldn't. Either way, he will find success in life outside of football even if life takes him in a different direction. He is an academic and an athlete.
Respect.
December 2nd, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^
Success for sure. Less likely to be injured in a spread offense maybe.
December 2nd, 2014 at 3:58 PM ^
A testimony to what sports should be and rarely is. And a testimony to what coaching malpractice can do to talent. He was not a perfect quarterback, but I would bet my left nut that a competent spread OC would have gotten a whole helluva lot more out of him. I believe the Gardner experience will be the new (low) standard for the mis-use and ultimate destruction of ability. I cannot think of a more glaring example in my 45 years of following the team.
Yet what an awesome kid, nonetheless.
December 2nd, 2014 at 4:13 PM ^
For people who will point out that DG wasn't a good QB.....
.... Yes, this is a lot of copy/paste, but let's be real. This was about lack of coaching development, lack of quarterback protection, and a kid playing most of his career injured due to inept coaching, not about his actual ability.
Ranks 6th on U-M's career passing touchdowns list (44) ... ranks 4th on U-M's career passing yards list (6,336) ... ranks 4th on U-M's career total offense list (7,252) ... ranks 4th on U-M's career completions list (475).
On October 19, 2013 against Indiana, Gardner broke John Navarre's Michigan single-game record with 503 passing yards. He also broke Denard Robinson's Michigan single-game record with 584 yards of total offense.
Gardner led Michigan to a 41-30 victory over Notre Dame. Gardner completed 21 of 33 passes for 294 yards and four touchdowns while throwing one interception. Gardner contributed 376 yards of total offense against Notre Dame, eleventh best in Michigan history.
Through the first seven games of the 2013 season, Gardner had 1,779 passing yards, 660 rushing yards, and 22 touchdowns (13 passing, 9 rushing)
In the final home game of the 2012 season, Gardner accounted for a career high six touchdowns in a 42-17 victory over Iowa. Gardner completed 18 of 23 passes for 314 yards and three touchdowns. He also rushed for 37 yards and scored three touchdowns. Gardner became the second quarterback in Michigan history to account for six touchdowns in a game, Steve Smith having accomplished the feat in 1981 and again in 1983
In his second start at quarterback, Gardner led Michigan to a fourth-quarter comeback and a 38-31 overtime victory against Northwestern. He ran for 47 yards and two touchdowns and completed 16 of 29 passes for 286 yards and two touchdowns. With two seconds remaining in the game, Roy Roundtree caught a 53-yard pass from Gardner to set up a game-tying field goal. Gardner scored the winning touchdown in overtime on a one-yard run.
He received his first start as Michigan's quarterback against Minnesota on November 3, 2012. Gardner ran for a touchdown and completed 12 of 18 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns as Michigan defeated the Golden Gophers, 35-13. Four of the touchdown drives were longer than 75 yards.
Gardner played in two games during his freshman season. He completed seven of ten passes for a total of 85 yards and one touchdown. Gardner also rushed for a total of 21 yards on seven rushing attempts, and finished with one rushing touchdown.
Gardner received offers from more than 15 colleges, including Notre Dame, Nebraska, Oregon, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Wisconsin, Iowa, Florida and LSU
In September 2009, Gardner was ranked at the top quarterback prospect in the United States by Rivals.com.[ He was ranked as the No. 4 quarterback nationally by Scout.com and the No. 5 quarterback in the ESPNU 150
Yeah, he really sucks. Even with the disaster his senior year was, even after being with three different systems, he still holds those records. Don't be surprised if his name comes up somewhere. Denard's did.
December 2nd, 2014 at 8:36 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 4:20 PM ^
Well if he cannot recover from poor coaching to work in the NFL, then I wish him luck as a coach, teacher, and/or parents passing on his personal values.
December 2nd, 2014 at 4:49 PM ^
Mr. Garner. I wish you well, and hope all the best for you. During your years at Michigan you were a class act and will be missed.
December 2nd, 2014 at 4:56 PM ^
thinking Devin would have been an All-American/high NFL draft type QB with better coaching and a functional OL.
December 2nd, 2014 at 5:21 PM ^
You are not alone!
December 2nd, 2014 at 7:19 PM ^
December 2nd, 2014 at 9:44 PM ^
I know it's a big news day and all with the new HC excitement, but really...
This post deserves A LOT MORE FUCKING ATTENTION.
This right here is something that every Michigan fan should be proud of. They should be PROUD to have players with this much fucking class. They should be glad that they still have a group of kids, some not even old enough to drink yet, that have committed faithfully to this instution. They should be proud of people like Devin Gardner, who is the highlight of the biggest "sportsmanship" highlight I have personally seen in a long fucking time. A kid who stayed with the team through all the changes and adversity, who sacrificed himself for your entertainment (for better or worse), who could have left and probably been a star somewhere else, in his FINAL FUCKING GAME, being the classiest display of a college athelete that I can remember, and he is all maize and blue.
Yeah, it's great that we will likely see the big house energized again next year, but this right here is what being a "michigan man" should be all about. Class and integrity.