Story of Shoelace
The Daily has come up with another great story. Enjoy everyone
http://michigandaily.com/content/shoelace-story
November 5th, 2010 at 7:03 AM ^
Thanks for ruining my morning.
"He wasnt the fastest guy on the team... that was his friend Adrian Witty"
But seriously, good read.
November 5th, 2010 at 9:06 AM ^
a great read and also a subtle reminder about how much we've lost in DB's. I know Magnus was a big fan of Witty's and I also was really hoping he was able to get in with his speed.
November 5th, 2010 at 7:06 AM ^
Thanks for that. I was quickly forgetting why I come to this sight. Go Blue
November 5th, 2010 at 7:23 AM ^
Thanks for the fun and positive story. I needed that.
November 5th, 2010 at 7:23 AM ^
I am just hoping Denard does not use the shoelace to hang himself watching the 3-3-5.
November 5th, 2010 at 8:34 AM ^
A suicide joke........really dude?
November 5th, 2010 at 8:45 AM ^
Shoelace has been one of the few positives on the season, his potential is unlimited
November 5th, 2010 at 10:07 AM ^
Consequences will never be the same.
November 5th, 2010 at 8:53 AM ^
Just makes you love the kid even more.
November 5th, 2010 at 9:10 AM ^
I was disappointed because I was expecting an article about Denard's life to go like this: Born awesome, grew up awesome, and now living awesome.
But I guess if that was all they wrote for the story they probably wouldn't get paid.
November 5th, 2010 at 10:02 AM ^
Kartje is a senior at UM so I doubt he gets paid much if anything. I lived with him when he was covering the womens water polo team back in freshman year
November 5th, 2010 at 10:28 AM ^
So he wouldn't get his college credits then. Just as important.
November 5th, 2010 at 1:13 PM ^
Well he obviously did not "grow up awesome," so what do you want journalists to do? I think the majority of fans would like to here the story behind a player, rather than how "awesome" their sports lives were/are.
The Daily is training students to be journalists, and not the kind who feeds fans like you meaningless, feel-good crap.
For a student to go all the way down to Florida like this (using his school time, and presumably his own money) to cover an in-depth story is pretty incredible.
November 5th, 2010 at 9:13 AM ^
I love this team and this kid. Keep hope alive!
November 5th, 2010 at 9:15 AM ^
Kent Robinson takes a seat at the center of the makeshift amphitheatre. His shirt says it all. It reads: Armed and Dangerous, Shoelace.
“I designed that shirt and all the other ones here,” he says.
He points around to others beneath the tent a group, which now includes almost a dozen people. They’re all wearing t-shirts with some reference to Denard’s nickname back home:Shoelace.
Terrific. So now the NCAA will be firing off a C&D letter to Denard's own family?! **
** Still bummed that I missed window to buy Shoelace shirt from MGoStore
November 5th, 2010 at 9:19 AM ^
It is a great story, I talked with him a bit after the MSU game and he really is a great kid.
About Adrian Witty though...
November 5th, 2010 at 9:19 AM ^
God, I want that kid to go all the way. Starting with a win Saturday.
November 5th, 2010 at 9:29 AM ^
That kid is something very special. We're real lucky to have him.
November 5th, 2010 at 9:33 AM ^
Makes me appreciate Denard even more.
November 5th, 2010 at 9:50 AM ^
...sports feature by the Daily. They are on a real hot streak and I assume they'll be up for some major college journalism awards. I found this passage fascinating:
But he was still hurting after that particular loss. He couldn’t shake that feeling — the pain of losing.
He told his dad what he was feeling and that he wanted to get better. So the two took the seat of a swing that they had found lying around, tied a thick rope to it and looped the rope around a tire. Thomas Sr. put the swing around his son’s waist. And Denard took off.
The young quarterback ran 40 yards and walked back. Then 40 more. And 40 after that. He ran 40 yards till his calves burned and his lungs ached and he couldn’t run anymore.
The traditional lore of QBs and their dads is that the dad puts up the tire and the kid throws the ball endlessly through it. Not with DRob. He runs with the tire tied to his waist. And therein lies the difference between a successful drop back passer and a successful spread 'n' shred QB.
November 5th, 2010 at 10:17 AM ^
Awesome article! This is exactly why I don't care what people say about him and his "passing abilities" or "being a real QB...an NFL QB..." Because none of it matters. What this young man has become is much more than any of that. Last year (and probably year's prior) he was an icon, a legend for his community. Now he's building that on a national stage.
Go, Shoelace. Go!
November 5th, 2010 at 10:24 AM ^
“He loved to run that ball,” Huggins says, looking over his old stomping grounds at Westside Park. “He’d tell me, ‘Coach, call quarterback sneak!’ I’d tell him no, to hand it off, and so he’d fake the handoff and keep it and run for a ton of yards.”
Maybe we'd get a ton of yards from it. :-P
November 5th, 2010 at 10:32 AM ^
mind numbing Smith carries, he usually does.
November 5th, 2010 at 10:59 AM ^
What a great story. Thanks for sharing this.
November 5th, 2010 at 11:30 AM ^
Incredible Article.
November 5th, 2010 at 11:40 AM ^
My favorite part:
The lessons in humility shine through in these conversations: Denard whispered the good news about being named Michigan’s quarterback, to protect the feelings of his teammates who were presumably within earshot.
This kid is awesome.
November 5th, 2010 at 11:48 AM ^
i have been looking forward to this in the daily since yesterday. they've had some really good sports features lately.
November 5th, 2010 at 1:12 PM ^
He's FASTER when chasing somone? Can he go both ways?
November 5th, 2010 at 4:19 PM ^
What a great read, the Michigan Daily has come a loooooong way from when I was in school.
If anything, when watching games now, it will only intensify my desire to see him succeed on every play, not just for my school, but for himself and his family.
November 5th, 2010 at 4:27 PM ^
and if for nothing more than the sake of Denard, will keep RR so that Denard can have a chance at truly blowing away the college football scene.
November 5th, 2010 at 6:48 PM ^
Here's what my wife said when I forwarded her the article. I understand the NCAA rules and all (so does she) but I wish I had thought of it first:
So my first reaction is that I want to send his mom and dad plane tickets to come watch their son play...seems unfair that I get to go to all these games when they are at home, going crazy watching him from across the country.
What a great kid - hope he can rub off on some of the other players.
It is a reminder of what a special privilege we have in watching him.
November 6th, 2010 at 1:33 AM ^
That is the same kind of reaction that I felt. It reminded me a lot of the feature that the Daily did last year on the Pahokee Boys (http://michigandaily.com/content/life-death-and-football-story-unlikely…)
Some great work by the Daily staff again. This piece is emotional and great, really makes you want to give up your tickets for the family's sake.