Who will the next Michigan Football Legend be?

Submitted by DISCUSS Man on

Besides Harmon which we already know is happening, who will be the next Legend after him?

A.C.? Ricky Leach? Woodson? 

I'm going to say Charles Woodson because I think he will be retiring from the pros soon. 

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Prince Lover

August 17th, 2013 at 3:00 AM ^

He did nothing but win here. He was never given the freedom here at UM that he has in the pros so no, he was never elite. Carr and UM never produced elite qbs. Just qbs who got to the nfl. But once he got there, he was able to win in a conservative offense, much like at UM and then he has shown he can win where he has to open it up. Yes the argument is out there that Matt Cassell won too so its the system not Brady, but Scott Mitchell was good for half a season too when Marino went out. It happens that bad qbs in good situations can succeed for a small amount of time. However Cassell and Mitchell never won anything but reg season games. It is Brady who does nothing but wins when it matters. Here and in the pros. He was never an elite qb here, I'll give you that. His legend was built in the pros, I'll give you that too. But when did you ever walk away from a game he started and said; "damn, I wish we had a better qb!" Never! I loved him starting and thought Lloyd Carr was too soft for allowing Henson to be considered in the same breath as Brady. In sum, Brady should be honored for no other reason than it looks good on the recruiting trail that the best nfl qb went to UM under the coach who worked with the current coach.

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James Burrill Angell

August 16th, 2013 at 9:16 PM ^

Woodson as soon as he's done playing in the League. No freaking question. The real question is who is after Woodson. A) Brady despite the bigger NFL than college career? B) Griese? the guy did lead us to a National Championship? C) Hutch? D) Does someone else get it before Jake Long? E) What about Dierdorf? College HOF'er and our only living NFL HOF'er?

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Rhino77

August 16th, 2013 at 6:05 PM ^

Well, it's Friday and I have been drinking for the last hour so what the hell, I'll play ball...

Woodson and ONLY Woodson for now.

Then, in a few years a Long/Lewan dual jersey for each being 2 time All Americans.

Also, it's a Founders Centennial IPA for the Friday drinking thread.

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jethro34

August 16th, 2013 at 6:07 PM ^

Woodson's #2 could be a nice jersey for Peppers. As for AC, I wonder if he'll get a patch since #1 is endowed by Braylon. What about Dierdorf's #72 or Huntchinson's #76? I could see Lewan being approached about #72, though #77 certainly has significance as well.

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Wolverine Devotee

August 16th, 2013 at 6:15 PM ^

The whole point of the Legends program was to bring the jerseys out of retirement and out so the average and younger fans could learn about the Legends. 

So I think older guys would be a good idea. Like #49 Bob Chappuis who finished #2 in the Heisman voting, served during WWII (like Harmon) and was probably the best player on the 1947 team. 

Or maybe #27 for Benny Friedman. Football's first great passer. Rick Leach is a good one. #7 has had some great QBs so I kind of think of that as the QB version of #1. 

I like what the Tigers do on the outfield wall at Comerica. Guys who played in the pre-jersey # era like Hughie Jennings just have their name on the wall. Michigan could do smaller patches with just the last name of the Legend on it and give it to deserving member of the team.

Two definite Legends right there. Willie Heston was the Denard of the Yost Era. He was a machine. He holds the unofficial record of most touchdowns at Michigan with 72 TDs. And Adolph "Germany" Schulz. Guy was a machine and the definition of a hard worker out there. Schulz invented the spiral snap. Go read the account from the 1908 Penn game. He was basically double-teamed the whole game and still was making plays. 

The cool thing about that is that there are no restrictions like there are with jersey numbers. 

 

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Come On Down

August 16th, 2013 at 6:13 PM ^

And after that honestly I think they should take a break from issuing new legends patches. I thought it was a cool idea at first but I'm starting to get concerned that we're going to be changing half the team's numbers every year.

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Cali Wolverine

August 16th, 2013 at 7:32 PM ^

...but I am not a huge fan of this legends jersey biz. There are plenty of cooler ways to honor Michigan Legends other than this jersey thing...which has lost it's appeal to me. This is probably the first time that I have been happy there are no down votes on the site.

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Bando Calrissian

August 16th, 2013 at 8:37 PM ^

It's not that I don't like the concept, but I'd like it more if the patch wasn't so ostentatious and tacky-looking. To think someone got paid for that design work... It's a cool idea, even if I would be more happy with them leaving the jerseys retired and just simply publicizing the fact they were retired just a little more.

Also, there really needs to be a white version for the away jersey. The huge blue patch just looks strange.

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Rage

August 16th, 2013 at 8:51 PM ^

The patches are huge AND ugly and the with the B1G logo and Addidas logo, the jerseys are way too busy.  

Also, why wouldn't you want Jake Ryan make his own number a legend?  If I was a player, I wouldn't want to wear someone else's number.  If I was a player, I'd wear my own number and be my own player.  

I love the idea of the #1 jersey.  It means you are THE receiver in a long line of great receivers and there is no gaudy patch to ruin the uniform.  

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James Burrill Angell

August 16th, 2013 at 9:25 PM ^

A.C. Completely worthy! How do you deal with the political crap of Braylon endowing a scholarship for players wearing the 1 jersey? Split Legend? Is Braylon independently worthy? Is Braylon equal to A.C. Such that they both get presented at the same time? I see this as much more complicated only because of Braylon.

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Bando Calrissian

August 16th, 2013 at 9:41 PM ^

Do you have any idea how many named or position-specific endowed scholarships there are for the Michigan football team? If it's not 85, it's pretty damn close. The full list is in the media guide. 

I feel like I've posted this a million times, but it's just as true now as it has been the rest of the time: Braylon has NO SAY in who wears #1. The scholarship gets allotted each and every year to a WR, whether or not he's wearing #1.

And lest we forget, Braylon endowed the scholarship not to honor himself, but to honor his dad's teammate and his childhood hero, Anthony Carter. The event they threw when Braylon made the announcement wasn't about Braylon. It was about AC. And everyone loved it.

Why do we have to keep piling on Braylon about the #1 scholarship? He didn't have to do it. How many other former Michigan players who made a fortune in the NFL have made a similar endowment? It was a cool thing to do, and it's something that will be carried on in perpetuity to honor a pretty great player and the legacy he made for future guys who wore his number.

EDIT: can't find a full story, but here's the old MSC's short snippet about the 2006 announcement event, "1 to 1":

http://michigansportscenter.com/2006/03/1-to-1-braylon-edwards-to-pay-t…

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Wolverine Devotee

August 16th, 2013 at 11:48 PM ^

Link for the scholarships in the media guide please? Would be interested to see the list.

And I don't think people bag on Braylon for the scholarship nearly as much as they do his post-Michigan antics.

Whether it was the whole "Lloyd Carr's Michigan Wolverines" thing that caused an uprorar in the divided fan base, the DUI, pestering the coaching staff to offer his little brother and then talking trash about his alma mater after his brother signed with minnesota-

Oh well Minnesota just got one hell of a talent and hard worker, don't be surprised if he tears the maze and blue a new a$$hole soon.

— Braylon Edwards (@OfficialBraylon) November 30, 2012

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