The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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player's eventual commitment. Playing close to home allows young men to perform in front of their friends and family on a regular basis, and can ease the strain of leaving mom and dad for the first time. Perhaps the big- gest factor for proximity is the fact that many players grow up rooting for the hometown team, and when the opportunity to suit up for that squad arises, it's a tough one to pass up. Ann Arbor Pioneer is one of the greatest examples of that. Situated across the street from Michigan Stadium, the school has pro- duced more Wolverines than any other. Fifty- three roster spots have been used by products of the hometown school, spread across 21 different players through 27 different sea- sons. Incoming Michigan freshman running back Drake Johnson grew up a Michigan fan in Ann Arbor (where he attended Com- munity High School, but played football for Pioneer), and said that the chance to strap on the winged helmet is a dream come true. "When I was in little league, we used to Quarterback Jim Harbaugh (1983-86) attended noted U-M pipeline Ann Arbor Pioneer before transferring to Palo Alto (Calif.) High for his final prep season. MICHIGAN MAPPING even the world to study at one of the finest public institutions on the planet. That's also the case for those who arrive T in Ann Arbor with dreams of suiting up on the football field for the Wolverines. Athletes from 49 different states — plus Washington, D.C., and four Canadian provinces — have suited up for the Wolverines during the pro- gram's history. Most of Michigan's talent, though, comes from close to home. On 132 Michigan foot- ball teams, 5,874 lettermen or practice squad members have come from the Great Lakes State. Another 1,859 have come from the BY TIM SULLIVAN he University of Michigan is known for its national — even international — profile. Students come from across the country and The Wolverines Have Come From An Historic Look At Where state of Ohio, and 1,243 called Illinois home, the third-largest talent base for the Wolver- ines. While players can count four (or even five) different times in these totals — once for each year they played — it's clear that the majority of Michigan's talent is coming from the Midwest. The players that arrive in Ann Arbor come from a variety of different high schools, and no one high school has provided more than 21 future Wolverines. A few high schools, however, have been notable pipelines of talent for Michigan, and the top five high schools to produce Wolverines are all in Southeast Michigan. Proximity is typically a big benefit for a college when it comes to a high school Home State Heroes 262 s THE WOLVERINE 2012 FOOTBALL PREVIEW be the Washtenaw Jr. Wolverines," Johnson said. "I always had really close ties to Michi- gan within my family and within the people I know. Michigan has always been the place I wanted to go, and now that the chance has come up it is almost magical." Johnson's hometown school had another PHOTO COURTESY U-M MEDIA RELATIONS huge factor going in its favor: his mother, Pam St. John, is the head cheerleading coach at Michigan. While not every product of Pioneer had such a strong connection to the University of Michigan, being from the same town increases the likelihood of such bonds. One famed Michigan player who attended Ann Arbor Pioneer didn't even graduate from the high school: quarterback Jim Harbaugh (1983-86) transferred to Palo Alto (Calif.) High for his final year pre-Michigan, after his father, Jack, left Michigan — where he was the defensive backs coach — to take the defensive coordinator position at Stanford. Unlike Johnson and Harbaugh, many Pioneers who have gone on to become Wol- verines did so the hard way: as walk-ons. Though playing time is often tough to come by for non-scholarship players, hard work and dedication have a way of making things work out. Such was the case for defensive lineman Will Heininger (2007-11), who was in the Michigan program four years before emerging into a major contributor as a fifth- year senior. "Growing up less than a mile from The Big House, that was the Holy Grail, plain and simple," Heininger said. "I never 'planned' on playing Michigan football. Of course it was a dream, but not even one I considered possible. I was a baseball player, being recruited for baseball, and that was all I knew. I played football because my friends did, and they told me I was good at it.