I Ran In To Tate Today

Braylon Edwards used to come in to Best Buy and Target when I worked there.

So...did you do him?

About 15 years ago I was bartending at Gratzi, when Bo Schembechler sits down and orders a stinger. Gratzi is owned by Main Street Ventures (read a bunch of suits with money who count said money, dont work in their own establishments, and treat employees poorly) which had some stupid rules, such as all bartenders are required to offer a receipt for drinks. I asked Bo if he wanted a receipt. He replied "for drinks? I don't even admit to drinking." I moved to Madison about 10 years ago. Around 2002 I was at a local restaurant, waiting at the bar for a friend to get off work. Before I had gone inside I had purchased a pound of coffee beans, which I carried into the bar. Sitting next to me was Barry Alvarez. He was sucking down margaritas like water, and when he would finish one he would tap one of his Rose Bowl ring covered sausage fingers against the glass to let the bartender know he wanted another. The bartender was obviously quite familiar with Barry's system for ordering. At one point Barry turned around and noticed me sitting there. He seemed a little flabbergasted that I had been there for half an hour and didn't seem the least bit interested in him. To show off his genious, he asked me "So, do you like coffee?". I left the place feeling quite happy that our legendary coach could act classy and witty, even when he was drinking.

Freshman year I lived on 2nd Adams in west quad. My dorm was second from the end of the hall. The dorm in the end belonged to David Terrell and Todd Howard. Larry Foote used to be there a lot. After the MSU loss that year (1999) he threw a brick through the window. One day I was sleeping late and was woken up by Drew Henson knocking on my door, thinking it was their room. That was pretty cool. DT typed a paper for one of his classes on my computer...it was about komodo dragons. We actually got him to agree to "coach" our dorm hall IM football team, which basically just meant he came to our games. He bet me 5 bucks I couldn't throw a ball from 20 yards away and hit the upright on the goal post. I nailed it, he never paid.

Ran into Lloyd at the Dexter Bakery. We were the only two families there. Had nothing to say to him so I didn't.

UM Hospital saved my life when I was born premature in 1986; one of the reasons I love the school so much and chose to go there. It's a veritable love affair, and always will be. I owe everything to UM. Anyway, I have an old Polaroid photograph somewhere of football players visiting me for yet another surgery in the UM Hospital in fall 1998. Tom Brady was among them. Also, as an undergrad, I had both Moosman and Schilling in a few classes, as well as Turnbull and Miller. At the end of the semester, Turnbull messaged me on Facebook asking for a reminder when the Final Paper was due. :)

Ben Cronin goes to my church. He is a really nice guy. Also, he was 6'4" at twelve years old. True story.

but Todd Collins was in my economics class. Was it ECON 201? Whatever the first level econ class was. Anyway I didn't know who he was and assumed he was a linebacker, he's a big dude (I'm only 5 ft 6). I remember checking the roster later that year and was surprised to find out he was a QB. I also recall walking past Tyrone Wheatley in the Union and overhearing him talking to a friend, lamenting about his shoulder which was so messed up at the time it would "pop out of joint" if all he did was lie down to sleep. Yikes. Ricky Leach comes through my gate at the stadium, so does Brandstatter.

Hmmm, let's see... I was in freshman English with Mike Massey, we talked a few times, and though he dropped the class, we would stop and chat whenever we ran into each other on campus throughout the four years we were both there...nice guy... I had a class with Brent Petway, seemed nice, but dumb as a rock...had a class with Chad Henne, only time I saw him there was for the final exam... I drank with Jake Long, Mike Hart and Will Johnson at the Heidelberg during the '07-'08 winter... One of my favorite encounters though, was coming out of the Gandy Dancer this past summer...Jim Brandstatter, Cathy Schembechler and Robbie Timmons (ABC Detroit anchor) were on their way in, and they stopped to talk to me, congratulating me on my recent graduation...really nice people!

I played IM hockey with a backup punter. Great guy and great athlete. He wore a long-haired wig all most of the season until he got booted for the playoffs on a bogus call. Best part is that he took the wig off, changed jerseys and played in the championship game. We won. He started the next year, probably no more time for IM sports.

and Rick Willis (UM hockey team) occupied the dorm room next to mine in West Quad, Adams house, 1991-1992.

I met Mark Messner at a party. At the time I worked with his girlfriend. A former coworker of mine had the best story (from my POV). She had a class with Tom Brady. She also waited tables at Cottage Inn. One time she sees him in there, goes over to say hello, and asks, "What are you doing here with the football team?" LOL.

I was taking a leak in CCRB before class and Denard used the urinal next to me. I didn't really know what to do.

I worked at the alumni association my junior year and a few times ended up having to go deliver footballs to be signed by Coach Carr (which would then be raffled off at alumni events around the country) and then pick them up a few days later. Needless to say they were almost never ready when I returned (turns out the head coach at Michigan has bigger things on his plate). The people at the door (usually just another student with a power trip in charge of buzzing people in) always acted like I was trying to sneak into Fort Knox but Coach Carr was always a great sport about it (when I finally got up to his office). If he was in the office he would sign whatever balls were left and was always super polite and funny. I remember wishing him "good luck on Saturday" before a game (can't remember who they were playing but it was some level of cupcake) and he responded with, "Son, if we need luck this week I'm gonna be in a lot of trouble." Pretty cool guy.

Fun thread. I stood behind Henson in line to get my Mcard when we were both freshmen. He was wearing a long leather jacket and looked absolutely massive. I'm 6'0" and I could have used that leather jacket as a comforter. That was when Henson-hype was at its pinnacle. Too bad it didn't work out for him. Little did I know at the time that saying I went to school with Tom Brady would be the much, much cooler point ten years later.