The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2017 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 33 The first-team All-Big Ten performer and second-team All-American secured 71 tackles and five interceptions. Ray played for the NFL's Oakland Raiders in 1999, then for the Scottish Claymores of NFL Europe in 2000. He coached from 2001-10, has authored inspirational books, beginning with Rays Of Light, Volume 1 and co-hosts a radio show on WTKA in Ann Arbor, "The M Zone," with Jamie Morris. Ray also serves as an analyst for the Big Ten Network and TheWolverine.com. • Rob Renes, DL — Renes did the dirty work at nose tackle for the '97 cham- pions, notching 47 tackles and four sacks while garnering honorable mention All-Big Ten notice. Chosen by Indianapolis in the seventh round of the NFL Draft, Renes never got his pro career off the ground due to a back injury. He began a teaching career at Saline High School in 2002 and now serves as an assistant superintendent at Reeths-Puffer Schools on the western side of the state of Michigan. • Russell Shaw, WR — Carr told Shaw when he transferred in from El Camino Community College in Torrance, Calif., he'd eventually return and play in the Rose Bowl. He did just that, capping a season featuring 25 catches for 284 yards and two touchdowns. He eventually played for the Los Angeles Avengers (2001- 04) and Chicago Rush (2005-07) in the Arena Football League. • Aaron Shea, TE — Shea made nine catches for 89 yards as a sophomore in 1997, playing in all 12 games. Taken by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft, Shea played there (2000-05) and with the San Diego Chargers (2006). He lives in Westlake, Ohio, and works for Resource Title. • Glen Steele, DE — This senior, who put steel in Michigan's defensive spine, was an AFCA All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer. He led the Wolverines with 14 tackles for loss and added seven sacks, includ- ing a memorable one to open the Penn State game. Taken in the fourth round of the 1998 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, Steele performed there through the 2003 season, playing in 80 straight games at one point. He is now running a plant owned by steel magnate Al Glick in Greensboro, N.C. • Tai Streets, WR — Streets' 127 receiving yards and two touchdowns put the Wolver- ines over the top in the Rose Bowl, capping a year in which he made 28 grabs for 476 yards. Taken in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers, Streets performed there from 1999-2003, then with the Detroit Lions in 2004. Streets coaches AAU basketball in the Chicago area, having mentored current Wolverines Charles Matthews and Isaiah Liv- ers. He's also head basketball coach and an assistant football coach at his old high school, Thornton Township High. • Rob Swett, LB — Swett started the Penn State game and recorded 10 tackles in backup linebacker work during the '97 campaign. He is now in the construction business in Texas. • Sam Sword, LB — The first-team All-Big Ten linebacker notched a team-high 91 tackles on the season, helping save the Iowa cliffhanger with a late intercep- tion. He played in the NFL with the Oakland Raiders (1999) and Indianapolis Colts (2000-02), and now lives in Florida. • Daydrion Taylor, S — Taylor's football career ended with the devastating hit he put on Penn State's Bob Stevenson, truncating his '97 campaign with 16 stops. He went on to a long coaching career back in his native state of Texas and now serves as a high school counselor in Frisco, near Dallas. • Anthony Thomas, RB — Only a freshman in '97, Thomas needed to step forward due to injuries, rushing for 549 yards on the season and catching eight passes for 77 yards against Ohio State. The Sporting News Freshman All-American went to the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft. He enjoyed stints there (2001-04) and with the Dallas Cowboys (2005), New Orleans Saints (2005) and Buffalo Bills (2006-07) before retiring. He also coached at West Virginia Wesleyan in 2011-12. • Jerame Tuman, TE — The first-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten performer caught 29 passes for 437 yards, including the game-winning 23-yard TD toss in the Rose Bowl. Taken in the fifth-round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tuman played there from 1999-2007, and in 2008 with the Arizona Cardinals before retiring and moving back to Pennsylvania. • Jason Vinson, P — Vinson averaged 38.9 yards on 52 punts for the Wol- verines in 1997, earning second-team All-Big Ten honors from the conference coaches. He is now Dr. Jason Vinson, Director of Pharmacy at St. Francis Hos- pital in Bartlett, Tenn. • Andre Weathers, CB — Michigan's "other" cornerback helped put the Wolverines over the top against Ohio State, with a 43-yard interception return touchdown. Weathers earned first-team All-Big Ten honors for his 47 tackles, three tackles for loss, two pickoffs and four passes broken up. He went to the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 1999 NFL Draft, playing there from 1999-2001, before a knee injury cut short his career. He's an engineer in Flint and the head football coach at Bentley High School. • James Whitley, CB — Whitley recorded 19 tackles and three passes broken up in his rookie season with the Wolverines, with a pair of stops in the Rose Bowl. He eventually played in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams (2002-03) and Green Bay Packers (2003-04), as well as the Arena League's Georgia Force (2007-08). He now lives in Norfolk, Va., and is pursuing business ventures there. • Clarence Williams, RB — Williams rushed for 264 yards and a touchdown on 57 carries while catching 21 passes for 178 yards in an injury-hampered 1997 campaign. He played for the NFL's Arizona Cardinals from 1999-2000 and in 2001 for the Amsterdam Admirals. He's now working in sales in Seattle. • Josh Williams, DL — Williams delivered a strong '97 season, supplying 60 tackles, in- cluding 11 tackles for loss, and earning se- cond-team All-Big Ten honors. Taken in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts, he played there from 2000- 05. Williams is now a certified personal trainer in Ann Arbor. • Eric Wilson, DL — Wilson provided a sack among a dozen tackles in '97, playing 11 games as a backup on the defensive line. After signing with the Detroit Lions as a free agent in 2001, Wilson enjoyed a long career in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2002-03, 2006), Saskatchewan Roughriders (2007) and Montreal Alouettes (2007-11) while performing for the NFL's Miami Dolphins in 2004-05. He now lives in New York state and works as a sales rep for Empire Merchants. • Charles Woodson, CB — Woodson did it all in '97, becoming the first pri- marily defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. He won everything else in sight as well, notching 44 tackles and eight interceptions, including a potential game-saver in the Rose Bowl and one in the Ohio State end zone. He also caught a dozen passes for 238 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and his 78-yard punt return for a TD against the Buckeyes turned the tide in that game. Woodson went to the Oakland Raiders with the fourth selection in the first round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He played for the Raiders in two stints (1998- 2005, 2013-15), sandwiched around a long stretch with the Green Bay Packers (2006-12). He was a nine-time Pro Bowl performer, a four-time first-team All- Pro, and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2009. Woodson now works on ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown. • Chris Ziemann, OL — Ziemann started nine games for the '97 Michigan offensive line, appearing in 10. He played professionally for the NFL's New York Giants (2000-01), the Jacksonville Jaguars (2002-03) and the Tampa Bay Bucca- neers (2004), along with the Rhein Fire (2004) of NFL Europe. — John Borton Former Michigan and NFL great Charles Woodson speaks at the 1997 team's reunion, held this past April in Ann Arbor. After retiring from football, he joined ESPN's Sunday Night Countdown in 2016. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS