This Week's Obsession: The Other 97s Comment Count

Seth

1997defense

the base play

The Question:

Ace: After the title game, it's time to wash the bad taste out of our mouths. Thinking back on the 1997 title team, who was your favorite player to watch other than Charles Woodson? Answer should be your choice at the time, so unless you've always been obsessed with line play I'm going to be a little skeptical if one of you answers Steve Hutchinson.

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The Answers:

Alex Cook: I was four-and-a-half years old at the time and have no recollection of this team whatsoever. I'm going to graduate this spring / summer, so, uh, yeah 1997 was a while ago.

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Seth: Dude don't forget people knew Hutchinson and Backus then. Freshman linemen were almost unheard of in recent memory, so Lloyd announcing two would start was a big part of why September expectations were for "another four-loss season."

hutchbackus
It's not like two freshman offensive linemen went totally unremarked, Ace.

(The contempt with which I used to say those four words embarrasses me now).

Through that season there were Daily stories and Replay mentions about Hutchinson and Backus: going to Blimpy's for the first time, having to buy Spots for the seniors, boilerplate "pick things quickly" stuff from coaches, yada yada. However I personally read those articles a few years later in the archives, and also developed my appreciation for Rob Renes only after hitting campus in 1998 and being exposed to frat brothers and editors who worshipped him.

As my high school notebooks will attest, I was a fan of Dhani Jones. He was so fast tracking down guys wherever on the field, and always appeared around the ball, and was only a sophomore. He really stuck out in the Penn State game, and I remembered him having a ton of sacks (a Bentley lookup reveals six). And his name was Dhani, and he had a fro, and they said he was a straight-A student, and back then I believed in the student-athlete hooey a lot more. If he had played in the time of YouTube he'd be an MGo-Favorite easily.

Dhani was only marginally ahead of a bunch of that front seven. The way Keith Jackson would say "Clint Copenhaver" you thought Copenhaver was some sort of defensive god. James Hall would chase quarterbacks into their nightmares. Sam Sword and Glenn Steele because it's not enough that we destroy your offense we have to literally send guys named for medieval weaponry at you. Either of those guys would be my pick after Jones (I loved sacks).

And I liked A-Train, a big-time recruit when that was just becoming a thing, and so damn fast. When I bought my jersey freshman year it was between 7 and 32; I went with the former because Henson was my grade.

[After the jump: we loved everybody]

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Dave Nasternak: So, due to odd circumstances in my personal life (and being 12...but that's only a small part of the reason), I think I only got to see about 3-4 of the games from 1997, live. But I followed in newspapers, re-watched on VHS, and had many conversations with anyone who would talk M football with me, so I was familiar with the goings-on.

1997_12
Streets was like the one guy other than Woodson making big catches downfield. So much of the rest of the passing game was Tuman or Shea getting rollouts.

I remember watching the Colorado, Baylor, ND, and Ohio State games...and standing outside of a Ruby Tuesday in the mall, looking through a window, watching some of the Rose Bowl...much to the annoyance of the couple trying to eat dinner.

There were so many fun guys to watch on defense: Tommy Hendricks, Jones, Renes, Ray, Steele, etc. But one of the things I remember watching about that unit was how so many different guys would make plays. Ok, other than the obvious guy, big plays also came from every position on that defense.  I remember as the lead in the OSU game was getting smaller and smaller, I knew somebody would make a play…and then the Steele sacks and Gold deflection, etc.

But probably the two guys who I was most intrigued by were Tai Streets and Anthony Thomas. I had only been closely following college football for a few years, at that point, but I was so blown away (and then ultimately excited) that a true freshman was playing the way A-Train was. I got a #32 jersey soon after and couldn't believe I had 3 more years of watching him.

Streets? First, his name is just awesome.Then, after M lost Hayes, Toomer, and Riemersma after '95, I was really rooting hard for him to do well because they needed a WR to step up.  I was probably as happy for him as I was for any Wolverine after that Rose Bowl.  While he didn't have the greatest or longest NFL career, catching two bombs for TDs in the National Championship-clinching game is tough to beat.
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Adam Schnepp: I grew up in a house with a dad who doesn't understand why anyone would spend three hours watching a football game when you could spend that time reading and a mom who's a Michigan State alum.

1997 was just about the time I was getting into football, albeit Michigan State football (you can imagine how happy she is that I went to Michigan and work for a Michigan blog). At the time it would have been way easier for me to name five of the aliens in the Mos Eisley Cantina than five football players, but I knew who Charles Woodson was. It was impossible to not know who he was that year; it seemed like every kid at school had a #2 jersey.

JERAME_TUMAN_MSU1998-thumb-300x282-78819
Somehow always open. [via Ann Arbor news]

But to pick a second favorite? I think I have to go with Greedo.

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Brian: Everyone who works for this blog is disgustingly young and I hate you.

My #2 (not that #2) was Jerame Tuman. Tuman was an actual downfield threat as a tight end and was more often than not the option on third and medium as well; other than Bennie Joppru's senior season I don't think there's been a more impactful tight end in the history of my Michigan fandom. I had not yet been exposed to the spread and learned to hate the waggle from the deepest part of my soul, and I remember Griese rolling out in the Rose Bowl to find Tuman behind everybody.

To have a running game that would be able to do that to a safety was something I took for granted. No longer, and just in time for that to be the case again.

Comments

HonoluluBlue

January 14th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^

that was my senior year and two non-woodson plays always stick out to me above all others. First was Steele's sack to open the Penn State game. No superlatives can overdo the hype going into that game. They opened with a trick play he just  destroyed it. You could sense the deflation on the PSU sideline. Second was Marcus Ray taking David Boston in the game. Only time I have ever cheered a player's injury. 

ChicagoGangViolins

January 14th, 2015 at 2:14 PM ^

 

Circa '97 with exception of The Game I only watched the televised contests, Keeeeith Jack-son!, on VCR after returning from my dropzone - I was an aviation rat in my spare time back in the day. Woodson is still playing on TV so I don't feel old routinely but seeing Tuman, Streets, A-train, Griese, Elvis has left the building, etc. mentioned under the rubric ancient history is making me feel like I need a stem cell transplant. Fortunately there is Harbaugh and through Harbaugh, for all of us, immortality as leaders and best.

 

Zone Left

January 14th, 2015 at 2:18 PM ^

My favorite player was Glenn Steele and my favorite play was Penn State's first offensive play. They tried to fake an end around that Steele was literally standing there watching. Renes crushed the QB and the route was on.

\besides Woodson and Woodson's various holy shit plays...

Zarniwoop

January 14th, 2015 at 2:56 PM ^

 

I was in college during this and my memories of this year are glorious.

All the usual suspects.

Its hard to pick out just one because EVERY single player on the defense was all big ten caliber. They may not have made the team, but only because the player ahead of them was an all-american.

Special mentions:

Marcus Ray - pound for pound one of the toughest players Michigan has ever had.  Ditto Marcus Ray.  He was a warrior the didn't quit even when he hurt his leg.

Jaquim Feazell.  BACKUP DE that was an unholy terror. Can't imagine being an OT and saying thank god the starter is out and then "WTF WHERE DID THIS COME FROM?!"

Ah  hell, this is too hard. I'd have to go through every player.

Let me say that people have forgotten how incredible Rob Renes was.  He was (in my opinion) a HUGE part of the reason they were so successful. He was flat-out unblockable. Literally, could not be stopped. Best defensive tackle I've seen play for Michigan this side of Mike Hammerstein. Constantly drew double teams and freed up the rest of that already amazingly talented line.

I can't imagine we'll ever see a defense like that again, anywhere in college.  They were huge, they were fast, and they were good against the pass and the run. Our offense was pretty average that year (at best).  That's how good the 1997 Michigan defense was.

 

 

ThatGirlLovesM

January 14th, 2015 at 3:41 PM ^

I was a 14-year-old teenybopper in 1997, and while my friends were putting pictures of Leo in their lockers mine was dedicated to Brian Griese. He was a field general, clutch at the end of the game, overcame adversity, and of course totally dreamy. My parents still have my collection of newspaper clippings from that season, if anybody would like to revisit the story of Brian taking a handicapped girl from Mott's to her prom... What I would've given for MGoBlog back then!

BrianBaughman

January 14th, 2015 at 4:35 PM ^

There were so many second players to love on this team, on both sides of the ball.  Sword was probably my favorite because it's fun to say his name.  Favorite memory from that year; scored tickets in the 5th row next to the tunnel for the ND game.  I could hear Bob Davies yell at Ron Powlus when he threw the second pick in the 4th quarter.

PeteM

January 14th, 2015 at 4:49 PM ^

I was going to mention Andre Weathers in part because I met his parents at a game that year before, and thought they were great.  Also, because of the Ohio State INT.

I'll go with Griese though.  I remember that the year before '97 he and Dreisbach alternated.  The summer of 1997 I argued with a guy at a party who thought we should start Driesbach.  His argument was that Dreisbach had a stronger arm, could run and was overall a better athlete.  This was probably true as far as it went, but Dreisbach's accuracy wasn't great, and Michigan rarely used a QB's legs then.  Griese may not have had a cannon, but he generally found guys (like Tuman) on 3 and 6 and kept the chains moving.  He was also very good in the red zone at finding open receivers. Dreisbach would have been great, I think, in a read option/spread attack.  He had great wheels and was an adequate passer.

One guy that I never was a huge fan of (or at least not as big a fan of as folks above) is Anthony Thomas.  Yes, anyone who breaks the all time rushing record is a great player.  That said, my recollection of him is that he was the anti-Mike Hart in that he rarely turned nothing into 2-3 yards.  I don't know if it was a matter of his running style or balance, but it seemed like if he got hit at the line he went down immediately.  I'll admit though that if he found a hole and got a head of steam he'd be good for 10-20 yards given his size and speed. 

M-GoGirl

January 14th, 2015 at 5:17 PM ^

Great player and one who took full advantage of his Michigan education. He's quite the Renaissance man... smart, entertaining... a great representative of the school and the program. Saying that, I can also say most of the men on that team represent us well to this day. 

Reader71

January 14th, 2015 at 6:07 PM ^

Everyone.

I watched a lot of Hutchinson and Backus, but they were a sideshow that season. Jon Janson was the main event, one of the best to ever pull on the winged helmet.

On defense, I always like to watch Josh Williams. Steele and Renes were better, and the linebackers were spectacular, but Williams had a knack for big plays and I loved his motor.

Carolina Wolverine

January 14th, 2015 at 6:11 PM ^

I remember watching the Colorado game like it was yesterday. I was in the hospital. I remember think that this team could be special. Lots of guys to love on that team. Hard workers, willing to do the dirty work.

Blarvey

January 14th, 2015 at 6:12 PM ^

Rob Renes made so much happen on the line. I have a hard time separating what he did in 97 and the following two years but I am pretty sure a lot of what Steele, Hall, and Williams were able to do was in some large part due to Renes' tenaciousness even against double teams.

ploeg

January 14th, 2015 at 6:15 PM ^

His hit on the Penn State tight end, right in front of the Penn State bench was the hardest hit I have ever seen (college or pro).You could almost see the Penn State bench saying "...what the hell was that, get me out of here..."

Special credit also has to go to Dhani Jones. If you watch the "greatest interception ever" by Woodson in the State game, look at the defender behind Charles (It's Dhani). He just picks up the MSU receiver and buries him.

egrfree2rhyme

January 14th, 2015 at 6:33 PM ^

I was 11 and had been obsessed with Michigan since I was a little kid so 1997 was just an unbelievable season.  In a way, I think it was hard to appreciate how special it was since I was 11 (only national title in like 50 years at the time) but on the other hand being 11 just made it that much more magical and special.  I doubt that in the future I'll ever enjoy as much a championship that a team I root for wins.

Anyway, I was completely obsessed with Woodson but was also a huge fan of the A-Train, Streets, Ray, Russell Shaw, and many others.  I also was kind of a big fan of Diallo Johnson and Patrick McCall even though neither of them saw a lot of PT.  I think Patrick McCall had a couple of decent runs against Indiana and since he was only a freshman I thought he was going to one day become an all-american (lol).

If I had to go with my second favorite player, though, it had to be the A-Train.  He was a freshman and was an exciting runner.  At the time I assumed he would one day win the heisman because I guess after Woodson turned out to be so amazing I was just assuming that any freshman who looked promising would go on to be an all-time great.

Anyway, that was a really special time.  Now I'm gonna go watch a bunch of youtube videos from that season haha.

AZ-Blue

January 14th, 2015 at 6:36 PM ^

Attending UM from '94 - '97 was both a blessing and curse in terms of football experience.  That was all most of us knew for four years and it culminated in the NC.  And here we sit in the wake of the Hoke years and realize we didn't know how great we had it and how damn near perfect the recruiting and development was then.

 Every one of these names brings back memories (I can still hear Keith Jackson saying Clint Copenhaver - that was a great mention by Seth).  Trying to pick out one player as a favorite from those exciting football Saturdays is like trying to indentify a part from a 1000 hp engine as the key component.

dakotapalm

January 14th, 2015 at 8:51 PM ^

Was fifteen years old at the time; Jerame Tuman was mine, because I loved the plays that he made. Glen Steele would have been next, because he was the only main contributor from northern Indiana, not too far away from my hometown.

bluewithenvy

January 14th, 2015 at 10:50 PM ^

wasn't Ian Gold on this team too? So you have Steele, Gold and Sword on the defense. I think Irons was in the year before as well. I think Michigan needs to recruit more players named after weapons, metal and other hard substances. Maybe Bronze or Dagger or Inconel or Titanium

Vonkleist

January 15th, 2015 at 12:57 AM ^

A memorable combo for sure, but it's always hard to separate the good recruiting from the luck that two superb talents were in the same class.

 

I'm all for exploiting such luck whenever it presents itself!

uminks

January 15th, 2015 at 2:05 AM ^

My second favorite player was Jerame Tuman. When he signed with Michigan, I was living in Lubbock, TX and was wondering why a kid from Liberal, KS would sign with Michigan.  If I remember correctly he was offered by both OK and NE. I wish he would have went into coaching, so we could  hire him as our TE coach!

Other Andrew

January 15th, 2015 at 7:02 AM ^

I was fascinated by the way Chris Floyd would simply destroy any oncoming rushers and snowplow open paths for Howard, Williams, and Thomas. And every so often he'd take a screen pass 40 yards. I would happily watch a Wolverine Historian treatment of his career which would mostly consist of obliterated defenders. By the way, he scored Michigan's first points of the season with a TD against Colorado.

But in the aftermath of the Ohio State game, I accidentally ran into a new favorite. You surely recall that the game-winning points came not on Woodson's punt return, but on Andre Weathers' interception. After the players emerged from the locker room and returned to the field, crowded with fans. I randomly bumped into Weathers and, hoarse as hell,  started yelling at him something along the lines of "You won the game! You won the game!" He looked at me like I was insane, which I was, and smiled politely.

mgobaran

January 15th, 2015 at 10:11 AM ^

I was a wee little lad in 1997, but I can tell you Charles Woodson is the sole reason I am a Michigan or a Football fan. It is hard to look past Charles and remember who my 2nd favorite was that season. I would say the A-train, but to be honest, that is probably more of him becoming my favorite player on the team in the years after Charles left. 

Seth

January 15th, 2015 at 12:32 PM ^

Just for the record, Brian is only older than me by a handful of months. Apparently the definition of "digustingly young" is not being born by the time Brian was sitting up.

Ty Butterfield

January 15th, 2015 at 12:41 PM ^

I attended 8 games in the 1997 season including the Rose Bowl. That D was insane. Tuman always seemed to be open on that QB roll out pass to the tight end. I hope Jim can bring back that intensity. The D played every game like the opponent just killed their dog. Only time I went to a game in East Lansing. A "Go Blue" chant was going through Spartan Stadium in the fourth quarter as all the MSU fans were leaving.

DavidMLaFleur

January 16th, 2015 at 1:52 AM ^

I was 12 then playing in my league football games on Saturdays I always got so hype in the mornings watching ESPN getting my equipment ready. Our 1st game was played during the 1st M game vs the Buffs I remember hearing the PA announce the scoring of M while I was playing it was sweet. Game @ PSU my parents were going up north for the weekend I was supposed to go but I wanted to stay at my house to watch the game by myself so I didn't have to get bothered with petty shit from others. That game all week leading up to it was so hyped & then M came out blew the stadium to smitherines. Those where them special Saturdays. Chris Howard & Chris Floyd could ball.