The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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32 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW It's been two decades since the 1997 Wolverines jogged up the tunnel at Michigan Stadium for the final time, in triumph over Ohio State. They were headed for Pasadena and an elite spot in U-M athletic history. They're a few downs older and wiser. Here's a look at what many of them did in '97 and since then: • Zach Adami, C — Adami moved to the center position from right guard to solidify the 1997 offensive line. He wound up first-team All-Big Ten. He went undrafted and then pursued a career in business. He's now a trader at Redrock Capital Management in Chicago. • Jeff Backus, LT — Only a redshirt freshman on Michigan's '97 offensive line, Backus earned second-team All-Big Ten recognition. Taken by the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2001 NFL Draft, he went on to a 12-year NFL career, at one point starting and playing in 186 consecutive games. He retired in 2013. • Kraig Baker, PK — Baker made 14 of 19 field goals for the Wolverines in '97, along with 35 of 37 extra points. He is now talent attraction program manager at Echo Global Logistics near Chicago. • David Brandt, OL — Brandt proved a solid backup lineman for the Wolver- ines as a redshirt freshman in '97, playing in crucial games against Michigan State, Penn State, Wisconsin and Ohio State. He played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins (2001-02) and San Diego Chargers (2003-04). • Kevin Bryant, WR — Bryant earned his way as a backup wideout and special teams performer for the national champions. He now owns a successful clean- ing company in West Bloomfield, Mich. • Mark Campbell, TE — Campbell contributed as a blocking tight end, making three catches in '97. He played in the NFL with the Cleveland Browns (1999- 2000, 2002), the Buffalo Bills (2003-05) and the New Orleans Saints (2006, 2008). Campbell worked for a medical device company and has done some broadcasting since retiring. • Clint Copenhaver, LB — Copenhaver logged 64 tackles as an outside line- backer in '97, and picked off a pass in the opener against Colorado. He is now a medical device sales rep at Cardiovascular Systems, Inc., in Detroit. • Juaquin Feazell, DE — Feazell played in all 12 games in '97, recording a huge sack in the first series against Penn State and one to set up Charles Woodson's punt return touchdown versus Ohio State. He graduated from Michigan, then law school at Georgia State in 2002, and works as an attorney in Atlanta, han- dling litigation management for AIG. • Jay Feely, PK — Feely served as a reliable kickoff specialist in 1997. He also boomed a 51-yard field goal versus Baylor and executed a crucial pooch punt to back Washington State up in the Rose Bowl. He went on to perform in the Arena Football League (1999-2000) before spending the next 14 seasons in the NFL with seven different teams, making the Pro Bowl with the New York Giants in 2005. He now provides football analysis for CBS. • Chris Floyd, FB — Floyd rushed 63 times for 269 yards in 1997 while serv- ing as a bruising blocking back. He later played in the NFL for the New England Patriots (1998-2000) and the Cleveland Browns (2000). He has held a number of jobs since, including working for the Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation De- partment. • Steve Frazier, C — Frazier started at center against Colorado and in the Iowa game, subbing for injured players. He served as a backup and went on to become an airline pilot, flying for American Airlines. • Ian Gold, LB — Gold moved from running back to assert himself as a fast, quick linebacker in '97, recording 34 tackles and breaking up the fourth-down pass against Ohio State that locked up Michigan's Rose Bowl berth. He played in the NFL with the Denver Broncos (2000-03, 2005-07) and Tampa Bay Bucca- neers (2004). He is now working in Christian ministry. • Brian Griese, QB — Griese guided the Wolverines to perfection as a first- team All-Big Ten quarterback, throwing for 2,293 yards and 17 touchdowns with only six interceptions. He went to the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft and performed there (1998-2002), and later for the Miami Dolphins (2003), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004-05, 2008) and the Chicago Bears (2006-07). He serves as a college football color commentator on ESPN. • James Hall, DE — Hall recorded 51 tackles for the Wolverines in 1997, including eight for loss — two of them against Ryan Leaf in the Rose Bowl. He enjoyed a long NFL career after signing as a free agent with the Detroit Lions, playing there from 2000-06 and with the St. Louis Rams from 2007-11. He serves as the San Francisco 49ers' director of player engagement, and is pursuing graduate work. • Tommy Hendricks, S — Hendricks finished fourth on the team with 60 tackles in '97, making two interceptions, including a game-saver against Notre Dame. He played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins (2000-03) and the Jackson- ville Jaguars (2004). He now lives in Houston and works as a music producer and writer. • Chris Howard, RB — Head coach Lloyd Carr called Howard one of the most underrated backs in the nation in 1997. Howard delivered 938 yards and seven touchdowns on 199 carries, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten. He played in the NFL for the Denver Broncos (1998) and Jacksonville Jaguars (1998-2000). Howard runs a popular podcast, The Player and The Fan, and is involved in the entertainment industry, based in Atlanta. • Steve Hutchinson, OG — Hutchinson was the other redshirt freshman who became a rock on the '97 line, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media — the first of four such honors during his career. A first-round draft choice by the Seattle Seahawks in 2001, Hutchinson played there (2001-05), for the Minnesota Vikings (2006-11) and for the Tennessee Titans (2012). A seven-time Pro Bowler and a five-time first-team All-Pro, Hutchinson now lives in Nashville, serving as a scout for the Titans. • Jon Jansen, OT — Jansen served as captain for the Wolverines in 1997, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference coaches. He went on to become an All-American, taken in the second round of the 1999 NFL Draft by Washington. He played there (1999-2008) and with the Detroit Lions (2009) before retiring. The second-team All-Pro (2005) now serves on the broadcast team for Michigan football. • Dhani Jones, LB — Jones posted 90 tackles in 1997 as a sophomore, second by only one stop on the team. He picked off a pass against Colorado and led the team with 10 tackles in the Rose Bowl. He went in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft to the New York Giants, playing there (2000-03), with the Philadel- phia Eagles (2004-06), the New Orleans Saints (2007, although he never played in a game for them) and the Cincinnati Bengals (2007-10) before retiring. He has starred in the Travel Channel's "Dhani Tackles The Globe" and "Adventure Capitalists" on CNBC, and pursued numerous other business ventures. • Eric Mayes, LB — Mayes proved an inspirational team captain in 1997, des- pite succumbing to a knee injury in the fourth game of the season. He went on to earn a Ph.D in educational psychology after garnering a master's at Michigan. He later earned a master's in policy and management at Harvard, worked on Capitol Hill and is now a professor at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, also serving as a defensive line coach for the two-time conference championship squad that is 22-2 the past two seasons. • DeWayne Patmon, DB — Patmon started in the '97 opener as a true fresh- man and went on to play in nine of Michigan's 12 games, including the Rose Bowl. He made a touchdown-saving tackle on Iowa's Tim Dwight that helped preserve a 28-24 Michigan win. Patmon became an NFL free agent and played for the New York Giants (2001-02). He appeared in the 2004 film "Friday Night Lights" and the 2005 film "Two For The Money." • William Peterson, DB — Another of Michi- gan's talented true freshman defensive backs in '97, Peterson logged 29 tackles and five passes broken up on the season, picking off Leaf in the Rose Bowl. He finished his career at Western Illinois, then went on to an NFL career that in- cluded stints with the New York Giants (2001- 05), Philadelphia Eagles (2006-07), Buffalo Bills (2008), Jacksonville Jaguars (2008-09), Detroit Lions (2009) and San Francisco 49ers (2010). He is now known as William James. • Marcus Ray, S — Ray delivered the hit on Ohio State's David Boston worthy of a Sports Illustrated cover in '97, but he did much more. Where Are They Now, 20 Years Later Marcus Ray now hosts a daily radio show with fellow former Wolver- ine Jamie Morris. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN