| Michigan will honor President Gerald Ford, shown above in his Michigan football playing days, and two others this season by activating their retired numbers. Photo via Ford Library Museum. |
The University of Michigan is bringing some retired numbers back in to the rotation, and using them to honor legendary Wolverines. The numbers 48, 47 and 97 will be worn by a player to be determined by the coaching staff as a tribute to former Michigan football players Bennie Oosterbaan (47), Ron Kramer (87) and former President Gerald Ford (48). Each former Wolverine will be honored in some form of ceremony as well. The number 21 was worn last year by Junior Hemingway, with a small patch honoring Desmond Howard. Roy Roundtree will wear the No. 21 this season.
In 2005 the NCAA started to ban any school using what they refer to as “hostile and abusive American Indian nicknames” from participating in NCAA-organized postseason play. It is the same policy that officially retired Chief Illiniwek at Illinois and caused a number of smaller schools to drop their nickname all together. Florida State was able to keep their Seminole persona after threatening legal action against the NCAA, with the support of the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Now, North Dakota has decided to put an end to a debate that spans well before the NCAA mandate. On Tuesday voters in North Dakota overwhelmingly decided to ditch the Fighting Sioux nickname for the University of North Dakota.
As you know, it is Coaches Hot Seat Week here at Crystal Ball Run. Yesterday we looked at coaches who are meeting or exceeding the expectations from Las Vegas. Also be sure to catch a sneak peak at an upcoming video exclusively on our Facebook page.
He is not on a hot seat, but West Virginia head coach Dana Holgorsen makes for a good caption contest.
More links after the jump…
The search for the Auburn shooting suspect is over. Desmonte Leonard turned himself in Tuesday night. The standoff we mentioned in yesterday’s Morning Playbook turned out to be called off because authorities had the wrong house.
Dennis Dodd has more college football playoff talk, saying there plenty of promises but few solutions. as BCS meetings get underway in Chicago.
Andy Staples reviews Georgia’s drug policy, which stands out amid criticism of the SEC as a whole.
NCAA President Mark Emmert did an interview with the New York Times that is worth a read. He sternly turns down the idea he was going to leave to return to LSU.
How did we go so long without a comment on Big12 expansion. Clemson’s newly secured head coach Dabo Swinney does not see a move to the Big 12 happening now. It probably helps that the ACC revenue increased 25 percent. So there’s that.
Our friends over at College Football Zealots continue to preview each team in college football. Here are the most recent previews for Temple and East Carolina.
Leather Helmet Blog is calling for Georgia to once again suit up in black jerseys. I will respectfully disagree, but who am I to stand in the way? Also, Vanderbilt is planning a blackout for their game agaist South Carolina. Yawn.
Georgia Tech linebacker Corey Alford was arrested in Athens (of all places) this weekend. The arrest came following an altercation in an Athens bar.
It looks as though Michigan and Utah are going to get an early jump on this Big Ten-Pac 12 scheduling agreement.
This is a couple of days old now, but since it has not been mentioned on the site until now, Urban Meyer had a unique way to single out a couple of suspended players on Ohio State’s roster.
Baylor-Satdium.com. That is all.
