What athlete do you wish had played for Michigan?
This what I was kinda hoping the other thread would be about. Are there any athletes who went to other schools, that after their careers you wish had gone to Michigan? It probably helps if they were really considering Michigan, but I'm not setting any ground rules. (I mean, "I wish Michael Jordan had gone to Michigan" is nice, but seems there's not much there). I would say they should not only be good, but you think would have fit in for Michigan. Some great guy you hate might not work. Terrelle Pryor probably would have helped up, but we might have bigger problems than "stretching" now too. (But maybe you can make a case for him).
I immediately thought of daddy Glenm Robinson, who said after the fact if he knew all the Fab Five were going to Michigan he would have gone too. Put Ray Jackson as a sixth man, and add him, and I think those title games might have ended differently. (And a third year even without Webber). Kevin Garnett was considering us before he went straight to the NBA. I'm sure there are some football players who went elsewhere we didn't end up hating. Or go other sports if you like. Really miss that Jeter never got to actually play here? Or that Phelps had been eligible to compete?
And yes, I know we have one vote for Aaron Craft already.
January 25th, 2013 at 7:53 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 9:39 PM ^
January 26th, 2013 at 9:43 AM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 1:25 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 1:32 PM ^
Bo Jackson
January 25th, 2013 at 1:42 PM ^
we could have had him. Moeller offered the schollie to Ricky Powers instead.
January 25th, 2013 at 1:45 PM ^
I don't think so.. I remember that Bettis chose ND early on.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:12 PM ^
In his book he said something to the extent that he was pissed that Bo didn't tell him he was retiring but he told Ricky and that was a slap in the face for Bettis. Said that showed him that UM wanted Ricky more than him.
Again I recommend everyone to take a look at his book. It's very interesting to see how his life was from being little to growing up through football and in the NFL.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:26 PM ^
Bettis also talked about his signing day many years ago. He had multiple hats ready to go and couldn't decide between Michigan and Notre Dame. He was going to go to Michigan, but Bo Schembechler saw another running back the last night in Ohio, and that turned him off.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/danpatrick/blog/144921/index.html
January 25th, 2013 at 3:21 PM ^
...Bo said that he always regretted Rick Mirer getting away...he said he didn't even bother recruiting him because he just assumed he'd go to Ann Arbor, having been a Michigan fan since he was a little kid.
Not exactly as bad as Alabama taking Bo Jackson for granted (nothing in the history of recruiting could have been as big of a mistake as that), but proof that Bo could whiff with the best of them at times.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:29 PM ^
I believe it was Mirer who was the QB Bo was visiting when the game where Dierdorf went off how Harbaugh was the first U-M QB to do this and that in the NFL was on and Bo had to turn red faced and tell the kid something like "you'll be the next one, son!" Didn't get him.
January 25th, 2013 at 4:52 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 7:18 PM ^
I read the account fron the "BO" autobiography written w/ Albom, but I admit that was over 20 years ago the last time I cracked that book.
Grbac had a much better NFL career than Mirer, anyway.
January 25th, 2013 at 1:44 PM ^
Tim Tebow, who had us and Florida.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:32 PM ^
It certainly would have been interesting to have had Tim Tebow as a junior in the first year of Rich Rod. Might have changed the trajectory of the entire era/program.
January 25th, 2013 at 1:58 PM ^
Joey Hudepohl. Let's see if anyone has the desire to Google him and figure out why he was supposed to be a Michigan Man. What a shame he went elsewhere.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:34 PM ^
Why should he have been a Michigan Man? Beacuse Urban Meyer coahed at his HS after he graduated (I know it isn't this, but I saw his name in the list of notable people associated with St. Xavier).
January 25th, 2013 at 4:24 PM ^
Joe Hudepohl was the only thing standing in the way of Michigan becoming the 1993 NCAA Men's Swimming Champions?
January 25th, 2013 at 6:03 PM ^
FUN FACT ALERT: I know him. Nice guy. He was my dad's neighbor in Tampa, and they'd always bet a bottle of wine per Steelers/Bengals game (him from Cincy, my dad from PGH).
/Cool story, bro.
January 25th, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^
I'd take Forrest Gump over Shane "Footsteps" Falco anyday.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:45 PM ^
Inigo Montoya. Man we would have ruled the fencing world with that one!
January 25th, 2013 at 3:46 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 3:55 PM ^
I can think of one guy that would have changed the course of history if he had decided to come to Michigan. He is one of the least respected athletes ever on this board, and I pretty much agree with the sentiment that he is an idiot, but Terrelle Pryor is that guy. He would have easily gotten us to a bowl game in 2008. He would have been a monster in RichRod's offense, and a significant upgrade over Sheridan and Threet would have easily won us the NW and Utah games. I don't have a problem saying that we would have beaten Toledo or Purdue with an upgrade to the QB position either. Even against MSU, we were leading 21-14 before the defense tanked in the fourth quarter. A remotely competent QB maybe wins us that one. That makes us 7-5 or 8-4 in RichRod's first year, with a good recruiting class coming in and a lot of positive vibes. The guys who don't buy in are marginalized, not validated. Recruits don't listen to the guys who are negatively recruiting against RichRod.
The next year, an upgrade at the QB spot in both experience and athleticism probably gives us wins over Iowa and MSU. Possibly an upset against OSU, since we lost that game because Tate turned it over five times.
I'm discounting the off-the-field issues, of course, because RichRod isn't a cheater like Tressel, and probably wouldn't be letting his guys drive "loaner" cars.
Other than Pryor, I can't think of a single big-time recruit who may have changed the course of history for us -- a guy who would have been such a hugely important upgrade at a postion of need that he would have changed the outcomes of multiple games within a season at a turning point in our history.
I don't miss the RichRod years in the slightest, and I generally think that he sucked at Michigan, but I have never stopped thinking about whether he could have succeeded if just one or two bounces had gone his way.
January 25th, 2013 at 4:02 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 9:49 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 8:03 PM ^
I might not agree with it all, but this is a terrific post.
January 25th, 2013 at 3:59 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 6:53 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 4:54 PM ^
Troll the World!
January 25th, 2013 at 5:24 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 5:46 PM ^
Probably would've come here if the timing had worked out but he ended up being a 1st rounder for Ohio. No good
January 25th, 2013 at 6:58 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 8:08 PM ^
Drew Henson in 2001. All the regular season losses that year were close, and mostly on the offense. If he had stuck around, we probably could have run the table and lost to Miami in the NC game.
January 25th, 2013 at 8:12 PM ^
Willie Wilson of the Kansas City Royals was a fabulous 3-sport athlete who was recruited very heavily by Bo Schembechler and would have come to Michigan if he hadn't decided to take advantage of his position as a first-round pick out of high school in the '74 baseball draft. Think Braylon Edwards, who could also throw a strike from left field.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:04 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 9:35 PM ^
I love Hoke, but would trade him for Harbaugh plus no RichRod fiasco six days a week, and twice on Sunday.
January 25th, 2013 at 9:51 PM ^
January 25th, 2013 at 11:22 PM ^
January 26th, 2013 at 1:54 AM ^
Derrick Green
January 26th, 2013 at 2:02 AM ^
January 27th, 2013 at 5:53 AM ^