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Putting The Program First, On And Off The Field

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By ANDY STAPLES, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 29, 2007

Updated: 12/28/2007 11:13 pm

LAKE BUENA VISTA - Mario Manningham didn't comprehend the concept of the Michigan Man until the day his alarm clock didn't buzz.

The All-America receiver was a University of Michigan freshman, and he awoke one day to realize that because of his faulty clock - or possibly because of operator error - he had slept through his first class. At practice later that day, Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr gathered the entire team together. Then Carr spoke.

"Coach Carr said, 'Who missed class?'" Manningham said. "I had to stand up. I stood up by myself."

Carr asked Manningham why he missed class. Manningham offered his pitiful excuse. The seniors oooohed, and Manningham waited for the hammer to fall.

Carr told him to sit down. Nothing more needed to be said.

Manningham understood at that moment that a Michigan Man is a Wolverine who does the university proud on and off the field. The phrase has described legendary coaches, future NFL stars and even a U.S. president (former Wolverines center Gerald Ford).

And, Michigan tailback Mike Hart learned earlier this year, it's a title not easily revoked. Hart, who will play his final game in maize and blue when the Wolverines face Florida on Tuesday in the Capital One Bowl, tried to yank the Michigan Man status of former Michigan quarterback Jim Harbaugh when Harbaugh - now Stanford's coach - criticized Michigan's admissions policies for football players.

"He's not a Michigan man," Hart said in July at Big Ten media day. "I obviously wish he never played here before."

Hart caught heat from Michigan's own fans, some of whom said he hadn't earned the right to criticize one of the program's best quarterbacks. But Hart has been in the program long enough to understand the definition of the Michigan Man. In Hart's mind, the perfect example is Carr, who will coach his final game at Michigan on Tuesday.

"He's the ultimate Michigan Man," Hart said earlier this month. "In my four years, knowing him, seeing the decisions he made, the things he did, how he treated people ... he showed me a lot. He always put the program ahead of himself, no matter what it was."

Of course, a Michigan Man doesn't necessarily have to be a former Wolverines player. Late coach Bo Schembechler, perhaps the quintessential Michigan Man, played at Miami of Ohio and held a master's degree from hated rival Ohio State.

But a Michigan Man does have to love the program and respect those who came before him. Florida coach Urban Meyer, who grew up in neighboring Ohio, believes a deep, abiding respect for the history of the program helps keep Michigan players in line and focused on winning. Meyer, who has spearheaded a $28 million "front door" project at Florida Field that will allow current Gators to better understand the history of their program, believes respect cultivated by years of winning gives the Wolverines a built-in edge in recruiting. Meyer would love for his players to embrace the idea of the Florida Man.

"I really would," Meyer said Thursday. "A lot of the things we do, I stole from them. I think Ohio State and Michigan have an advantage over us in some areas. They were winning championships in 1910, 1920, 1930."

Hart said that to be a Michigan Man, one must appreciate that tradition. He also must do everything in his power to uphold it.

"That's the idea of a Michigan Man," Hart said. "You always put the program ahead of yourself."

Reporter Andy Staples can be reached at (352) 262-3719 or astaples@tampatrib.com.

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