So what truly is a Michigan Man?
If you are keeping score we have one less Michigan man this evening, as Mike Hart declared that Jim Harbaugh no longer can carry this distinction.
This hit the mark. Here’s former WTKA show host and NHL’er Dave Shand from a piece that ran in the Michigan Daily a couple of years ago. He talks about the true meaning of the “Michigan Man”:
Schembechler introduced Shand to a concept that has stuck with him to this day and a concept shared by many Michigan alumni – the concept of a Michigan man. Even though being a Michigan man has as loose a definition as just about anything, it always embraces the devotion and pride that Michigan students and graduates have for their school.
It’s what has made Dave Shand’s relationship to Michigan so unique to any other college athlete.
“I still carry being a Michigan man with me today, and I will for the rest of my life,” Shand said. “It makes me feel smart, distinguished, dignified and highly regarded by others. People hear the name ‘Michigan,’ and they gasp or stand there in awe. The special luster that comes with being a Wolverine on and off the field is what has kept me in Ann Arbor.”
According to Shand, one of the greatest benefits of being a Wolverine is the sports legacy and history that you become part of, and the relationships that are created and sustained.
That’s pretty good right there. Go Blue!
8 Comments
Andrew Rosenstein
Isn’t a Michigan man the same thing as a “Baird Man” (See “Scent of a Woman” – one of greatest scenes performed by Al Pacino)?
Rose, you are a classic
RDS
A Michigan Man …
* is loyal to everyone/everything he cares about
* knows a little about everything and is an expert in his field
* takes the high road
* defers to others in a gentlemanly fashion, but never compromises his own principles
* has integrity, decency, intelligence, and a zeal for life
* is what non-Michigan men strive to be
Domer Hopkins
A Michigan Man is a Renaissance Man!
Tammy
Norm Daniels, one great Michigan Man in the 1930’s
Anonymous
A Michigan Man is a vain attempt to recreate and copy the legendary Harvard Man. It is an insecure reaction to feeling not quite up to par with the Ivies.
Chris
@Anonymous
You gotta love Sparty’s determination.
Geoffrey Chiles
That's interesting. However, Bo coined the phrase first, so as per your comment: FAIL.
How did it feel, getting rejected by Michigan?
aproz
A Michigan Man is…Ben Millertime