The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/859588
SEPTEMBER 2017 THE WOLVERINE 79 WHERE ARE THEY NOW? was getting frustrated," Quinn re- called. "He was the one I was go- ing against, and I was going at him, blocking him for real on the run plays, and running routes for real. "He said, 'Quinn, why don't you slow yourself down? Listen, this is practice, man. It's hot out here. This isn't a game, this is practice. Slow down!'" Quinn thought about it, but the late Steve King, former Michigan de- fensive back, took him aside in the locker room after practice. Quinn recalled: "He said, 'I heard what Ty said to you, man. Don't lis- ten to Ty. You're a walk-on. You're trying to get yours. Ty is an All- American. He's got his already. You keep doing what you're doing.'" That's all Quinn needed to hear. Months later, follow- ing Michigan's win over Colorado State in the Holiday Bowl, the rookie got his. He got a scare first, h e a d c o a c h G a r y Moeller putting him off during bowl practices when he asked about a scholarship. Moeller said everyone needed to focus on bowl prep, but to come see him in his office at 3:30 p.m. the Monday after they returned to Ann Arbor. Quinn did so, and secretary Lynn Koch told him Moeller was not there, that he was on a plane. "I walked back up State Street to South Quad, moping," he said. "I'm working hard, killing myself in prac- tice. Why are they playing games with me like this?" He flopped on his bed, and the phone rang. It was Koch, telling him Carr, then U-M's defensive coordina- tor, wanted to talk with him. "I'm thinking, what are they going to do, tell me I can't be on the team anymore?" Quinn recalled. "He says, 'Terrence, this is Lloyd. I just got off the phone with Coach Moeller, and even though I told him not to do this — Coach joked a lot, like that — Coach Moeller wanted me to tell you he's putting you on scholarship this semester. So what you need to do is go down to Weidenbach Hall so you can sign your scholarship paperwork.' "By this time, the phone was dan- gling, and I'm running down State Street to get to Weidenbach. I'm like, let me sign this paperwork before they change their mind." Opportunity knocked again early in his sophomore year. A backup on special teams, Quinn drew an unex- pected invitation during the second game of the season, against Memphis. "The guy who was in front of me said, 'Hey, Quinn, you want to go in next time on punt return?'" Quinn remembered. "I said, 'Yes, I do,' and he said, 'Go ahead.' I didn't know if he was joking or serious, but the next time punt return came, I just ran out there, without looking back. "If we were going to get a penalty for 12 people on the field, he shouldn't have played with me like that. I just ran in there, he didn't run in, and I played." Quinn ran into spe- cial teams coordinator Jim Herrmann the next day at Schembechler Hall, engaging in a sig- nificant exchange. "He jokingly asked me, 'Quinn, did you p l a y y e s t e r d a y ? ' " Quinn said. "He hadn't put me in, so he knew that I didn't — although I did. I said, 'Yeah, Coach, I actually did.' "I hear him stop walking, and he turned around and looked at me. I said, 'Just watch the film, Coach.' Next thing I knew, he moved me up to first string on punt return." The following week, the same sce- nario occurred with someone else on the kickoff squad. Quinn moved in, playing on that team the rest of his career, making the travel squads, etc. Quinn caught one pass as a Wol- verine, a nine-yarder against Minne- sota in 1995, thrown by backup quar- terback Jason Carr. He made seven special teams tackles. And he made a lifetime of memories. He was there when the Wolverines pummeled Penn State on Judgment Day in '97. "I remember the feeling we had around that whole game," he said. "To me, that was the game where we sent a message to the whole world. We could feel ourselves sending that message. It's hard to describe, but you could just feel it in your chest." He was there for the Rose Bowl, the parade, the trip to the White House and an observation that rings true today. "I remember each step of it," Quinn said. "And I remember my uncle tell- ing me, 'Boy, you don't even know what you've really done.' We won, and we were excited, but it was just like, okay, we won. Cool. "But he looked at me and said, 'You don't even understand what's hap- pening. And you won't understand it for probably 20 years, but you've just done something amazing.' Twenty years later, I started really realizing that was a big deal. I was part of a team that's in the books, the real books." ❏ The Terrence Quinn File M ichigan Accomplishments: Earned a walk-on spot in 1993 as a true freshman … Received a scholar- ship following that season … Became a special teams regular as a sopho- more, on punt returns and kickoffs … Managed seven career tackles, with one nine-yard reception on offense. Professional Accomplishments: Worked at an Ann Arbor law firm for seven years, prior to becoming founder and president of The TGQ Law Firm … Oversees three attor- neys in Ann Arbor, one in Flint and one in Grand Rapids, handling wills and trusts … Also works as an or- dained minister. Michigan Memory: "The grind of summer conditioning represented my whole experience at Michigan. It was tough, it was hard, it was challeng- ing and difficult, but we were doing it together as a team. We were in it together. We struggled together. We finished running all of the stairs of the stadium together, so we accomplished a major task — we all finished it. "It benefited all of us, because we were in the best shape of our lives, and we were conditioned to overcome all of the challenges that would come forward. All of that carries over into life today. Summers with [former strength and conditioning coach] Mike Gittle- son are the biggest memory." Education: BA in English, 1998; JD from the Michigan Law School, 2002. Family: Quinn and his wife, Adri- enne, have two children: Titus, 11, and Jaida, 8. Quinn, an Ann Arbor-based attor- ney, is the founder and president of The TGQ Law Firm. PHOTO COURTESY TERRENCE QUINN