Who is your favorite UM player of all-time?
Denard
I like winning.
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Outjump Tacopants. Unpossible. And it took the MGoBlogs to analyze and establish this trend statistically. Value added, MGoBlogs.
No doubt. Clad in knee high white socks down to a pair of black cleets high stepping into the end zone. Pure fucking ecstasy.
Woodson is my favorite, but there are some other guys that deserve love that haven't been mentioned much:
- Tim Biakabutuka - Amazing player who owned OSU in 1995.
- Marquise Walker - Quietly one of the best WRs of all time.
- Jeremy Gallon - Next to Mike Hart, I've never seen a player out-play his potential more than this guy.
- Jason Avant - Did whatever was needed to win.
- Tai Streets, Amani Toomer, Derrick Alexander - All really good WRs, all fun to watch.
- Jarrett Irons - Tackled anything that moved.
- Leon Hall, Ty Law - Lockdown corners that won games with INTs.
- Aaron Shea and BJ Askew - Awesome FBs that could run, block, and catch.
- Jerame Tuman, Jay Riemersma, Ben Joppru - Great TEs that could block and catch.
- Baas, Pape, Backus...too many OL to name beyond the Longs and Lewans
- Lamaar Woodley, Brandon Graham, James Hall - Sack artists who could stop the run as well.
- Gabe Watson and Allen Branch - Space-eaters who crushed opponents.
- Dhani Jones, Ian Gold, Larry Foote - Tackling machines that made the whole defense better.
- Jordan Kovacs - Honestly, other than Marcus Ray, the only safety that I have fond memories of...#5 will change that this season.
As an OSU fan, he is my least favorite. Man, he killed us in that 1995 game.
You are all so young. Good guy and all but he couldn't throw a pass or win championships. Jim H. is my favorite because I was 12 when he was the QB, that is when this addiction started for me. AC because well AC.
The only athlete I root for more on a personal level is Steve Yzerman. I probably fall into your young category (25) but I've definitely seen enough to know Denard will be near the top regardless of who else comes along.
Yep, Denard Robinson was so inept at throwing the football that had more yards, more attempts, more completions, more yards per completion, and more touchdowns than....
Jim Harbaugh.
Come on, Don. I love Denard as a player and person, but you're comparing two very different eras of football. Denard was not a very good passer. JH was. Who would you rather have throwing the football? JH would have put up monster passing numbers in today's college football, was a first round pick at QB and a successful NFL QB.
That said, I agree the poster's criticism was a bit extreme--Denard's arm did a few great things for U-M while he was here.
The comment was: "but he couldn't throw a pass."
Denard Robinson has a higher completion percentage—57.2%—than Scott Dreisbach, John Wangler, Steve Smith, Rick Leach, and John Navarre, and is the same as Drew Henson's.
His yards per completion—14.6—is higher than Henne, Navarre, Grbac, Collins, Harbaugh, Brady, Griese, and Henson.
His TD passes—49—are more than Collins, Harbaugh, Brady, Smith, Griese, Leach, Wangler and Henson threw. On average, he tossed a TD every 15.2 throws; Harbaugh threw one every 20 throws, Brady every 20.3, and Griese every 18.3.
By any objective measure, the notion that Denard Robinson "couldn't throw a pass"—which is an opinion that I've seen expressed here by more than one person—is malarkey.
If the OP had said "but he wasn't among the best passing Michigan QBs overall," I wouldn't have any quibbles at all—he wasn't, and his high number of INTs—39—is testament to that. Denard had no future as a QB in the NFL, whereas most of the guys mentioned above did.
What I find very interesting is that although Denard's career passing stats dwarf Rick Leach's in every category except yards per completion, nobody ever mentions Leach with the caveat "but he was a lousy passer." Seven different commenters in this thread mention Leach specifically as one of their favorites, yet not one of them refers to his less-than-stellar passing stats. I wonder why? My guess is that the fact Michigan never won a conference championship while Denard was QB is a major factor, but to put all the blame for that on Denard or his arm ignores the manifold number of shortcomings of the teams he was on.
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My fav player of all time is Harbaugh. This has nothing to do with him being the coach. I've said Harbaugh to this question forever. Second is Wheatly, 3rd is Woodson
Can't wait until ALL THREE are on this coaching staff...yeah, baby!!
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Woodson, for all the obvious reasons. Although Biakabutuka is a close second; the 313 yard game against Ohio State is a very fond memory. And Denard is probably number three, just so much fun to watch.
His performance against OSU has got to be my all time favorite moment in my michigan fandom.
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2) Denard
3) Braylon
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Irving Kane Pond.
His recollection on the first touchdown in Michigan history:
"I am not a modern footballist (sic) if indeed I were ever any kind of footballist. I played only for the fun of it! ... My touchdown was made towards the end of the first half and involved a long distance run to where the ball must be grounded directly behind and between the goal posts ... To Avoid being tackled I was forced to mount the bleachers and run eastward along them until I was opposite the goal when I stopped suddenly and -- fearing that a touchdown in the bleachers would not count-- jumped over the heads of my pursuers to the ground."
Unfortunately, a touchdown only counted on the scoreboard then if the kick was successful, which it was not. So the first TD in Michigan Football didn't count as a scoring play.
That's hilarious. I guess the rules still needed a bit of refinement in 1879.
mine...
football: jamie morris
basketball: glen rice
hockey: brian wiseman**/morrison... ** if you're from the windsor/essex county/chatham-kent area brian wiseman is a legend!!! arguably the best player to ever come out of southwestern ontario...
My initial reaction to the question was Rob Lytel, Rick Leach, Charles Woodson. In a single vision that allowed no order.
Then the names storm in: Anthony Carter, Desmond Howard, Chris Perry, Mike Hart, Denard, Jake Long, Mannigham, Avant, Henne, Gerbac, Tom Bradey, Bryan Griese, Steve Hutchinson, Tai Streets, Chris Howard, Glen Steele, Lamar Woodley, Larry Foote, Dufek, at this point Harbaugh... and at least couple of dozen more.
I've been following Michigan football since the early 60s. Fifty plus years, with out adjusting for the changes in the scholarship rules, that's more than 1400 players who've worn the maize and blue.
I can't really pick one and would be pressed to pick even a top five, although those first three would certainly make that cut. So many amaziing plays, plays made with the game in the balance. Plays made by men who exceeded any reasonable, or even unreasonable, expectation.
My hope is that my favorite player has yet to take the field and that more super human play waits in the wings of future Michigan football.
I'd be interested if peoples responses coincided with when they started as a fan of Michigan football or when they were a student at the University. I bet the correlation is strong.
With that, I have had a lot of favorites:
Anthony Carter (my graduating class as an undergrad)
Steve Smith (great QB, the only guy faster on the team was Carter, and Bo loved to run Smith, and that killed his passing)
Mike Trgorvac (LB, spelling obviously wrong as, there is no correct spelling for his last name, they are all wrong; tough as shit and was a slob on the field with his jersey not tucked in - yeah, that's me, and I loved that)
Jim Harbaugh (most impressive of him was he was comfortable changing Bo's playcalls, and of course his guaranteed win agains OSU that made Bo shit his pants)
Tripp Wellborne (before injury, he was every bit as good as Woodson, yeah, no shit, and was a great return guy)
Eric Kattus (started a great string of TEs)
Mark Messner (greatest DL pound-for-pound Michigan ever had)
Charles Woodson (I love great defensive play, and what is not to love about the only defensive player to win the Heisman)
Mike Hart (had the greatest heart for a RB I've ever seen, and got the tough yards that really meant something)
But my favorite:
Denard Robinson Yeah, shortcomings aside regarding his passing, he had to endure so much, was SOOO supportive when he was backing up Tate Forcier when he was the starting QB, gave everything on the field when he was the only offense, was a fan of Michigan basketball, and his smile. With all the CRAP he had to endure, He WAS still sooooo Michigan!
Messner, Hammerstein, Kattus, Harbaugh, Morris etc., but if I have to choose one player, it would have to be Marques "Grand Marques" Slocum.
Two national championships,Michigan MVP and POTUS. Case closed.
Desmond Howard. I was in college at the time, so maybe a bit of nostalgia, but he had the single greatest offensive season I've ever seen a Michigan player have. Absolutely amazing.