Favorite Michigan Minor Sport Athlete Ever?
The success of wrestler Adam Coon this year got me to pondering: Who are our favorite Michigan minor sport athletes of all time?
For purposes of this discussion, let's say that baseball is NOT a minor sport. So, not counting football, men's basketball, hockey or baseball, who's your favorite Michigan athlete ever?
I'm going to say a guy from back in my day - wrestler Steve Fraser. He was a stud at U-M, and he won a gold medal in Greco-Roman at the 1984 Olympics. Here's his gold medal match.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_Pn72-yr2o
How about you?
Jessie Merchant from our hometown (Wayland Union High School). Women's Softball starter and star at the U of M!
Mine is an indoor track athlete who only competed his freshman year. From his track bio on MgoBlue, he "finishted ninth in the 60-meter dash at the 2010 Big Ten Championships, missing out on the finals by four-thousandhs of a second...finished fifth in the 60-meter dash at the Meyo Invitational... won 60-meter dash (6.81) in collegiate debut against Ohio State in the "The Dual".
If only he continued his track career, he could have probably been pretty amazing. I'll never understand why Denard Robinson gave up his indoor track sprinting ambitions...
Katie Bruzdzinski and Stesha Selsky from the volleyball team when I was in school, Katie because she was great, and Stesha because she was fun.
With the Volleyball theme, my favorite was Juliana Paz
Amazingly skilled athlete and Michigan's go to player her 2 years - AVCA All-America third team (2009) ... AVCA All-Mideast Region (2009), All-Big Ten First Team (2009)
Also, very easy on the eyes!
How about those uniforms?
Oh shoot, is my shoe untied?
Besides being easy on the eyes as you said, she was a super sweety! So nice, down to earth and smart!
The women athletes are great people! Most of them are serious students. Lots of fun, cool, funny, beautiful and sexy!
Soony Saad, him and his brother were studs
Jennie Ritter
I had the same thought. Women's softball may be a minor sport in the NCAA in general, but it definitely is not at Michigan.
It would be like considering women's basketball a minor sport at Notre Dame.
Excluding people I knew personally, I'd go with Ritter. She was the key player on the first cold-weather team to break through and win a softball title.
That said, I would consider both baseball and softball to be minor sports because they draw crowds in the hundreds and don't get much media attention. To me, hockey and women's basketball are on the fence between major and minor.
I agree with not really loving the minor term, but for me it's because for the vast majority of sports the Big Ten (or the specialty conference M is in) is major league.
It's not all that important but I thought I'd agree and try to add a thought.
I'm not familiar with many of the athletes from minor sports (I guess that's why they are minor sports!) but I did watch the softball championship game in 2005. Samantha Findlay hit a home run in the tenth to win it all, so she's got to be on the list!
I second that. Due to her sheer awesomeness (and Jennie Ritter's on the mound as well) during that NC year, Sam Bam has to top the list.
I know it's baseball, but favorite non-football or basketball is Alan Oaks, mainly because of one swing...
I remember watching it happen live and going crazy.
Holy crap, the pitcher turned out to be David Price? Watched it live, too. Never realized that little detail.
Also, how great are those uniforms?
I remembered it being Price, but I never knew Pedro Alvarez was also on that Vandy team.
Well played.
His run at 0:53 is a perfect embodiment of his style
That kinda thing would be considered rape on campus nowadays. "Misrepresentation of fame"
with the username, "Shane Morris."
You must have interned at the Rolling Stone.
Sierra Romero is competing with Jennie Ritter in these regards for me right now. How she changes games is crazy, but she's 1b to Ritter until she wins a NC.
Softball is hardly a minor sport here anymore, however. It's been a few years since I was more excited about our Hockey team than our softball team, and I've been skating since I was 3.
Bruce Kimball is the first name that comes to mind for me. He always played second fiddle on the national (and international) stage to Greg Louganis but he represented Michigan well.
Bruce's career took a huge hit after leaving Michigan when he killed a couple kids while driving drunk.
Perhaps better representatives and role models are Charlie White and Meryl Davis.
I thought about Bruce Kimball, too, but the drunk-driving thing forever ruins his reputation.
Kimball's story would make a pretty fascinating 30-for-30.
Wow, represented Michigan well? Kimball kids were always arrogant brats according to one of their teachers whom I know well. I met Bruce after the accident but before prison, very drunk and kind of a snotty dick.
He knew that spot was a kids hangout where they'd be in the street and sitting on cars when he went zooming in there.
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No - But we can claim Miki King. Winner of Olympic Gold in the 72 games AND my sister's friend at Pontiac Central AND her roomate at U of M their freshman year.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Micki_King
Jim Abbott
Only had one hand and was a great pitcher even in MLB.
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Dude was an absolute beast in the pool. And was short by swimming standards, which was cool to see for an average sized dude.
beat me to it!!!
Beat me to it, as well. Guy basically developed a new style (Wave-style) and crushed the competition. NCAA record setter. World record setter. Gold medalist. Swimming Hall of Fame.
Men's Swimming ~ 88'-91'. Won the Gold in 200M Breaststroke in Barcelona and set the world record.
I have to go with Nick Willis; dominant while at UM and later an Olympic silver medalist at 1500m while living in Ann Arbor throughout his career. Great guy too, I've met him a couple of times and seen him around campus over the years. He has organized an elite mile in Saline each summer that I recommend all to attend.
His time at UM was really the heyday for UM T&F, especially indoor when he and Nate Brannen were so dominant and led the team to so many relay victories. I believe he won a couple of NCAA championships and multiple Big Ten championships.
Kofi Opare, he was born in Ghana and he's a good friend of mine. Also, he was pretty damn good at Michigan.
Charlie White and Meryl Davis deserve some love. They have been outstanding