Pick Three: Michigan Basketball And Football Legends
The stay-at-home order has us all going a little bit crazy but it has also spawned some creative new trends on social media. One popular post that has been circulating is choosing three favorites from a group of nine.
We’ve seen state of Michigan staples, to favorite actors, to top NBA players. Recently Maize and Brew posted a Michigan legends version. One player seems like a lock, but it's a little tricky picking two of the next eight. Who ya got?
Brandon Brown
I think everyone who calls themselves a Michigan fan is going to pick Charles Woodson. He's kind of a gimme from this group so it's really picking two from the remaining eight.
I have to choose Desmond Howard for one of my picks. As a Heisman winner and all around legendary wide receiver at Michigan, he's got to be on the list. His No. 21 is iconic in maize and blue and his highlights are some of the best you can put on throughout Michigan history.
Finally, I'll go with Glen Rice. He's widely regarded as one of the best college basketball players of all time given his tournament record 184 points over the course of six games. He also led Michigan to its last national championship in basketball. I was such a fan that I asked for a Rice jersey for my birthday when he was a young buck with the Miami Heat.
Steve Deace
Glen Rice is my number one. I spent hours after hours after hours as a kid trying to emulate his jumpshot. Charles Woodson is my number two. If Rice is responsible for the greatest single moment of my Michigan fandom, Woodson is responsible for the greatest single season. And then finally I would go with Desmond Howard, because he was the first Heisman winner at Michigan in many of our lifetimes.
Michael Spath
Charles Woodson will be automatic on every ballot. I bet if you polled 1,000 Michigan fans and asked them who is your favorite all-time athlete at U-M, 999 would say Woodson. There are generational players (someone that only comes along once every 25 years or so) and then there is Woodson, a player without equal in Michigan athletics lore.
Glen Rice also gets my vote because he led Michigan to a championship in 1989 by being better than anyone an NCAA postseason has ever seen. Smooth shot, ferocious competitor, and that was really my earliest memory of Michigan athletics - the ’89 run.
Trey Burke was in the same vein as these two - the best player on the best team, and he elevated his game when it mattered the most.
Eric Rutter
Trey Burke and Charles Woodson are two no-brainers for me. During Michigan’s 2013 run to the NCAA title game, Burke operated as a crafty floor general that was masterfully efficient all season long. He shined when the lights were brightest, such as the strip of Appling near half court to seal a victory against MSU or his three-pointer against Kansas from the parking lot in the waning moments of regulation.
With Woodson, he receives the nod as the most versatile Michigan athlete of the last 20 years. No other primarily defensive player has ever won the Heisman, and No. 2 also had a flair for the dramatics, such as his interception in the end zone against Stanford to seal a Rose Bowl victory. Hard to argue against Woodson’s resume.
Since I’m placing a priority on clutch moments, Desmond Howard rounds out my group of Wolverines. His return touchdown against Ohio State is iconic, and he should’ve had another similarly memorable play against Michigan State as well if not for a blatant no-call. Either way, his career was capped off with the Heisman, and his 34 career TDs place him among the greatest skill players in Michigan history.
