Troy Woolfolk's tweet

Submitted by gpsimms not to… on

http://www.annarbor.com/sports/um-football/michigan-cornerback-troy-woolfolk-injured-during-tuesdays-football-practice/

 "I just want to let everybody out there that has shown concern for me know that I greatly appreciate it, and I love all y'all. ... Even though T-Woolf will be absent, Troy will be on the sidelines coaching and cheering for Michigan till all the air has vacated my lungs."

Gotta love T-Wolf.  He will be missed on the field this year, but he will still be a big part of the team.  Best to you kid, go blue!

MFDoom_

August 18th, 2010 at 1:30 AM ^

man this guy doesn't get his due.a good firend of mine in high school wa part of th family that lived with eric mayes after his father took him under his wing. he graduatedd from portage norhter way before me but has yet to truly gain his "moment of fame", hiding behind the spotlight of guys like kely baraka, derek jeter, greg jennings and the like.

he was the CAPTAIN of th 97 team is desreves a lot of credit. go mayes. go blue.

big sister

August 18th, 2010 at 11:03 AM ^

Yay drunken posts! I'll try: "Man! This guy doesn't get the credit he is due. He lived with a high school friend of mine after my friend's father took him in. He graduated from Portage Northern way before I did but hasn't achieved fame around the area, seemingly hidden behind guys like Kelly Baraka, Derek Jeter, Greg Jennings, and others. Since he was the captain of the '97 team, he should deserve credit. Go Mayes. Go Blue." Kinda OT, but I guess he is right in that Mayes isn't really mentioned around here (the area). There is an OMG half shirtless picture plaque of him and a banner of his jersey in the high school gym, but not really any mention of his legacy.

Clarence Beeks

August 18th, 2010 at 6:44 PM ^

He got his due at the time, but this is really a very interesting conversation piece, actually.  I was in high school at PN when Michigan won that National Championship and there was all kinds of press about him and what he did.  There was even a really big rally/assembly at the school in the spring after they won the championship.  The guy was just a great story.  Maybe it's the type of thing were people don't talk about him in casual conversation anymore, but he was certainly recognized at the time, almost exclusively because of things not having to do with actually playing football.  I actually wonder how many people who read this post and recognize the name (or go to PN now and see the plaque and banner) actually know all that much about Eric Mayes.  There isn't a whole lot to know about him as a player because he was never really all that great of a player at PN or at Michigan, for that matter.  He was a transfer walk-on who never really had a defined position until his senior year, at which point he earned a starting position at LB and then only played three games and four plays before his career was ended by injury.  The most important thing to take away from the Eric Mayes story, and really what everyone should remember about him, is that he was a great person and a great leader, which is exactly why he was a captain; not because he a great player.  Really, really a great story.  Here's more, about where he is now in life, for those who are interested (also a really, really great story):  http://aceofsports.blogspot.com/2008/07/where-you-at-dr-eric-mayes-edition.html

big sister

August 19th, 2010 at 1:09 AM ^

Hmm. This is literally all new to me. I didn't know one thing about his story, admittedly. The stuff they did at Northern sounds really cool. I can only comment because I used to have practice in the Igloo all the time, so I'd look at the plaques on the wall basically everyday. I always wondered who "Mayes" was and why he was the only person who had his own prominent banner. I consider myself attentive, so I'm pretty sure that other students haven't really noticed this. So yeah, he isn't really talked about anymore, which is actually really sad because I just read that article, and he does have an amazing story and it SHOULD be told.

FGB

August 18th, 2010 at 12:40 AM ^

The team gets the benefit of his leadership an extra year.

.........

.........

Flipping silver linings, why can't we just get the whole thing in silver.

 

DenverRob

August 18th, 2010 at 1:07 AM ^

appreciate his attitude and leadership to this football team, but damn there is just not enough swear words in the world right now.

He was the one thing that made me comfortable back there.

I know its been posted everywhere but forget our depth, we will be starting a player who has been practcing at the college level for less than 2 weeks.

jmblue

August 18th, 2010 at 1:12 AM ^

I think we already know who one of our 2011 captains will be.  Hell, he'll probably be voted one of the 2010 captains in the end-of-the-year vote, too.

Snidely Doo Rash

August 18th, 2010 at 1:36 AM ^

I hope this wakes up the coaches emotionally too, especially RR who is fighting his own demons to some extent.  I think the players are a given to be motivated by this.   I like the vertical component that Troy is connected to Butch and Butch to Bo, moe, llyod.  

Appears to be a crossroad--Go blue, find somebody and hit em hard.

MMB 82

August 18th, 2010 at 1:13 AM ^

most important thing is that Troy recovers well, and quickly. Purely for his own sake. Everything else is secondary (oh geez- definitely no pun intended!). (I MEAN REALLY!)

strafe

August 18th, 2010 at 1:18 AM ^

Troy has quickly become my favorite football player this summer. Also he's kind of a good looking guy.

/i'm still drunk

Kennyvr1

August 18th, 2010 at 1:35 AM ^

Hope he uses that redshirt and we get to have him as a mentor/cheerleader this year and a player next year...at least he'll get to play in that night game....This obviously hurts...wonder how much alcohol sales went up in the state of Michigan today??

FGB

August 18th, 2010 at 1:57 AM ^

because I know sports aren't everything, but for these kids whose lives center on a sport, I can't imagine the feeling when you learn that your season is done. 

That scene in Friday Night Lights when Boobie and his grandpa are in the hospital, or in Hoop Dreams when William blows his knee out.  It's tough to imagine when the focus of your world goes to sh!t because you planted your foot in the wrong square inch.

Siiiiingler

August 18th, 2010 at 6:08 PM ^

I broke my collarbone in an early-season game my senior year of high school.  It was only high school but believe me, football (sports in general) was the center of my world.  Hell, I'm majoring in sport mangement.  When I was told I was done for the season, for my life, I just cried.  You're helpless; you can't do anything to change the fact that what you busted your ass for as long as you can remember is gone.

desmondintherough

August 18th, 2010 at 9:59 AM ^

Again, Damn it.  Sigh.

That said, only silver linings I see in this are Woolfolk maybe coming back, as mentioned above, and all this bad news just before the season lowering everyone outside the program's expectations for the season.  I am one of those people who think that a coach deserves 5 years unless he kills someone, so I will be glad if the lowered exterior expectations will make it more likely that RR is retained after a middling year.  Given the absurd and obvious attrition at this position group, most of which he had no control over, any rational observer is going to expect a poor season, and will therefore not be as angry if that's what happens.  For an extreme example, look at Oklahoma last year.

Obviously the most important thing is for Woolfolk to get healthy for the long-term, as in the rest of his life.  I hope the reports are exaggerated and we find out he'll be fine in a month or two.  17 days would be even better, but I'd take a month at this point, for sure.

Aequitas

August 18th, 2010 at 11:14 AM ^

I know he's hurting.  He's busted his ass, kept a great attitude, and deserved better than this.  I hope it all works out for him.  If they can string enough wins together to keep this thing going another year, maybe he can put together that same great senior season he was going to have, but on an even better team.

I loved watching his dad, and I loved how Troy was trying to be a leader on this team.  High character Michigan Men.  Sometimes it doesn't, but here's hoping and praying that it all does work out for the better.

Troy, our thoughts and prayers go out to you (and the rest of the team) this year.