The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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passing touchdowns (71), Grbac en- joyed an eight-year NFL career, start- ing 70 games for three franchises. After proving himself a reliable backup for the San Francisco 49ers, going 6-3 in nine starts, Grbac signed a lucrative free-agent deal with Kan- sas City. He went 26-21 in 47 starts — hampered by injuries his first two seasons that limited him to 18 games — throwing for 10,643 yards and 66 touchdowns with the Chiefs. For his NFL career, which included a one-year stint with Baltimore in 2001, Grbac completed 59.1 percent of his 2,445 passes for 16,774 yards with 99 scores. He went to the Pro Bowl in 2000. 4. Jay Riemersma, seventh round, 1996: Converted to tight end from quarterback for the final two sea- sons of his U-M career, Riemersma emerged as the Buffalo Bills' starting tight end from 1999-2002, and would start 73 games overall (and play in 112) in his eight-year NFL career. He caught 221 balls for 2,524 yards with 23 touchdowns, averaging 34 recep- tions, 384 yards and three scores in six seasons with the Bills before finishing his career in Pittsburgh. 5. Cato June, sixth round, 2003: A safety at Michigan, June was converted into a linebacker by the Indianapolis Colts and would start 45 games for the organization from 2005-07, racking up 354 tackles and 10 interceptions. He started four playoff games in helping lead Indianapolis to the Super Bowl in 2006, and would then go on to enjoy two more produc- tive campaigns with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007-08. He was a Pro Bowl selection in 2005. 6. Derrick Walker, sixth round, 1990: By today's standards, Walker enjoyed a moderately successful college career, catching 34 passes for 446 yards and five touchdowns from 1986-89, but he was just find- ing his stride when he left Michigan, and would enjoy early success with the Chargers. In four years with San Diego, Walker had 98 grabs for 979 yards, averaging 25 catches and 245 yards per season. He played five more NFL seasons, four with Kansas City and one with Oakland, catching 82 more balls, and finished his nine-year career with 180 receptions for 1,770 yards and nine scores. 7. Steve Breaston, fifth round, 2007: Seemingly always a second- fiddle at Michigan — to Braylon Ed- wards, then Jason Avant and finally Mario Manningham — Breaston nevertheless had 156 receptions from 2003-06, ranking sixth all time in the U-M annals. He broke out in the NFL during his second season with the Arizona Car- dinals, making 77 receptions for 1,006 yards and three touchdowns. Breaston had two more good sea- sons with Arizona, making 55 and 47 catches, and then moved on as a free agent to Kansas City. In a six-year career, he had 255 catches for 3,387 yards and nine touchdowns. ❏ Associate Editor Michael Spath has been with The Wolverine since 2002. Contact him at mspath@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter @Spath_Wolverine.