The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/873137
42 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2017 This is an excerpt from Michigan Man: Jim Harbaugh And The Re- birth Of Wolverines Football, which hit bookshelves Sept. 15. In the 256-page book, which includes a foreword by Harbaugh's father, Jack, Angelique Chengelis examines the 2016 season, starting with the official begin- ning of Michigan's partnership with Nike outside of the M Den late on the night of July 31. From there, the long- time Detroit News writer goes in depth on Harbaugh making national headlines, continuing to change the culture around his team, irking rivals, testing limits with his creativity and attacking every- thing in his path with an enthusiasm unknown to mankind. Harbaugh's story at Michigan isn't close to over yet, but Michigan Man provides a thorough look at last year and how the coach put the Wolverines back where they belong, as a national power talked about by everyone and competitive on any field they step on — whether it be The Big House, The Horseshoe, Hard Rock Stadium in Miami or beyond. B y the summer after Jim Har- baugh's first season at Michi- gan, he had, as many people described, won the offseason. He was in the college football news constantly after the Wolverines had won the New Year's Day bowl game against Florida. Isn't this what Michi- gan fans wanted when Harbaugh was given the keys to the program? Didn't they want Michigan to be back with the bar set high for Big Ten titles and the promise of national playoff ap- pearances? With Harbaugh, Michigan fans knew they had a game-changer. What they probably didn't realize right off the bat is he was deter mined to change the game off the field as well. He had already caused upheaval the previous summer with the "Sum- mer Swarm Tour" of satellite camps as he and his staff visited high schools across the country to spread the game of football and the Michigan football brand. And maybe, just maybe, they were able to get in front of a few re- cruits, particularly in the fertile re- cruiting areas of Florida, Alabama, Texas, and California. But by the summer of 2016, he had not only decided to expand his mas- sive satellite tour to include stops in Hawaii, American Samoa, and Aus- tralia, seemingly thumbing his nose at a collection of peeved Division I coaches, but he also pushed new but- tons when he did the unthinkable and took his team to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, over spring break as part of spring practice. Michigan had four practices there, and the play- ers were given an opportunity for some fun in the sun. Spring football trips had been anything but the norm for football programs across the coun- try. Baseball, softball, tennis, golf, and basketball teams are among scholar- ship sports that will take preseason trips for practice, but it was unheard of for football. While Harbaugh was praised by the Michigan faithful, he drew criti- cism from many college football circles, primarily rival conference commissioners who sought to cancel the summer camps and criticized the spring break trip as infringing on the student-athletes' free time. He deftly used social media — he has more With the 2-0 start in 2017, Harbaugh is 22-6 so far in his return to Ann Arbor. PHOTO BYLON HORWEDEL Changing The Game An Excerpt From Angelique Chengelis' New Book, Michigan Man: Jim Harbaugh And The Rebirth Of Wolverines Football