The Wolverine

October 2016

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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12 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2016   INSIDE MICHIGAN ATHLETICS Two former Michigan football players appear among the 94 modern-era per- formers nominated for consideration re- garding the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Offensive lineman Mike Kenn and de- fensive back Ty Law appear on the list of nominees. There are 45 offensive players, 32 defen- sive players, six special teams performers and 11 coaches among those on the bal- lot. The list gets pared to 25 semifinalists in November and 15 finalists when Janu- ary rolls around. A selection committee is set to meet Feb. 4 in Houston to pick the Class of 2017. Selection process by-laws stipulate that between four and eight new mem- bers will be chosen for the Hall of Fame. Kenn played 17 seasons in the NFL as an offensive lineman for the Atlanta Falcons. He performed in 251 career contests, starting every one of them. That effort represents a Falcons record for games played and started. Kenn's prowess as a blocker put him in the Pro Bowl for five straight seasons, from 1980-84. After coming out of Michi- gan, he immediately made the NFL All- Rookie squad in 1978. He played every single down during the 1981 season, taking 1,144 snaps. He once went 26 straight games without being assessed a penalty and enjoyed a streak of 67 consecutive starts in one stretch of his career. United Press International voted him All- NFL in 1984, and he was named first-team All-Pro by the Associated Press in 1991. He was a semifinalist for the 2015 and 2016 Pro Football Hall of Fame classes. Law played 15 seasons in the NFL, most notably for 10 years with the New Eng- land Patriots. He performed in 203 games, racking up 449 tackles, 53 interceptions and 60 passes broken up over the course of his career. Law also recorded seven touchdowns and five sacks. He led the NFL in interceptions with nine in 1998. Also a two-time semifinalist, Law earned five Pro Bowl selections, garnering the Pro Bowl MVP award once, and twice drew All-Pro honors. He also reached the pin- nacle of the pro game three times with the Patriots as a Super Bowl champion. The former Michigan defensive back is already a member of the Patriots' Hall of Fame. His 47-yard interception return for a touchdown in Super Bowl XXXVI proved pivotal in the club's 20-17 victory in 2001. In 2003, he spearheaded a defense that paced the league in points allowed per game (14.9), opponents' passer rating (56.2), interceptions (29) and fewest pass- ing touchdowns given up (11). Law picked off Peyton Manning three times in the AFC Championship Game that year, helping the Patriots advance to the Super Bowl where they won, 32-29, over the Carolina Panthers. He earned his third Super Bowl ring with the Patriots in 2004. Cornerback Ty Law was a two-time unani- mous All-Big Ten pick and first-team All- American during his three-year career in Ann Arbor from 1992-94. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN MIKE KENN AND TY LAW MAKE LIST OF HALL OF FAME NOMINEES MAIZE AND BLUE NOTEBOOK FOUR INDUCTED INTO HALL OF HONOR On Sept. 30, Michigan will induct three former athletes and a former coach into its Hall of Honor, recognizing them as contributors to Michigan athletics' legacy. Jon Urbanchek, the coaching inductee, led the men's swim- ming and diving team to 13 Big Ten titles and the 1995 na- tional championship while at the helm from 1982-2004. Urbanchek finished his career at Michigan with a 100-4 record in the Big Ten. Mark Donahue will be honored for his contributions to the football program as an offensive lineman from 1974-77. While Donahue was a member of the football team, the Wolverines went to two Rose Bowls, made an Orange Bowl appearance and won the Big Ten three times. Michigan will also honor Kate Johnson, a two-time Big Ten Rower of the Year and 2004 Olympic silver medalist who graduated from Michigan in 2001, and Lorne Howes, who as a goalie for the ice hockey team led the Wolverines to national championship victories in 1955 and '56 and was a two-time All-American. BURNS WINS SILVER AT PARALYMPICS On Sept. 11, Michigan student and club rower Zach Burns won a silver medal in the Legs, Trunks and Arms Mixed Coxed Four at the 2016 Paralympics. Burns' team finished the cham- pionship race with a time of 3:19.61. The U.S. team was joined on the podium by Great Britain and Canada, who won gold and bronze, respectively. The 2016 Paralympics took place from Sept. 7-18, in Rio de Janeiro following the Summer Olympics. The second-place finish was a great improvement for the team over their 2012 performance in London, where they finished sixth. Burns was also a part of the U.S. rowing team at the Paralym- pic World Championships last year, when the team took gold. In addition, the electrical engineering major was part of the club rowing team's American Collegiate Rowing Association national championship win last year, the team's ninth title in a row. NINE WOLVERINES FINISH IN TOP 10 IN TERRE HAUTE The women's cross country team put on a clinic at the Indiana State Sycamore Invitational in Terre Haute Sept. 10. The ninth-ranked Wolverines placed first at the race with 16 points, while Duke came in a distant second with 47 points. Erin Finn finished first with a time of 17:04.2 and she and her fellow Wolverines captured every top-10 finish other than fifth. Four runners had their first opportunity to compete in a scored meet for Michigan and two of them, junior Avery Evenson and redshirt junior Hannah Meier, were among the top 10 for the Wolverines. It gave the squad victories in six of its last seven regular-season meets, dating back to last year. Michigan will return to Terre Haute, the site of this year's NCAA Championships, two more times throughout the season. — Leland Mitchinson

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