During a speech at the University, President Obama opens by asking one simple question “Where’s Denard?” He then goes on to point out that he heard he was coming back [for his senior season] and how that was a good deal for Michigan.
In January, the athletic department learned that President Barack Obama planned to speak at the University as part of a multi-state trip agenda. After a women’s basketball game conflict eliminated Crisler Center from consideration, White House representatives visited Al Glick Field House, were impressed by the setting, and selected it to host the 3,000-person event. The athletic department and White House worked for the next week to transform the field house into a venue for a capacity crowd with national security.
After his speech on the morning of Jan. 27, President Obama told Rademacher that next time he was in Ann Arbor, he wanted to “run a few out patterns and throw the ball around” in the facility.
