July 15, 2011

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Desmond Howard stands about
5-foot-8 – I don’t care what the program said.  When Bo Schembechler
moved the Cleveland native from tailback to receiver, it virtually eliminated
any chance Howard had to win the Heisman Trophy.  In its first
55 years, only one receiver had ever taken it home.  

But then, just playing at Michigan
practically knocked Howard out of the running in the first place. 
Only one Wolverine, Tom Harmon, had ever won the award – and that
was back in 1940. 

Schembechler never promoted
any player for any award – Heisman or otherwise.  Because, as
he often said, “Nothing comes before The Team, The Team, The Team.” 
When Bo stepped down in 1990, Gary Moeller took over, and followed the
exact same policy.   

In the modern era – when
Notre Dame’s Joe Theismann started pronouncing his name as Theismann
to rhyme with Heisman, and Oregon paid big money to put a huge poster
of Joey Harrington on the side of a Manhattan building – Michigan’s
policy was positively anachronistic.   

Bo didn’t care.  “That
is not how a Michigan man earns his hardware.”  After all, he
promised, “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions,” not, “Those Who
Stay Will Get Their Faces Painted On New York City Skyscrapers.”  

But in 1991, Howard got the
nation’s attention anyway, starting with his leaping touchdown catch
against Notre Dame.  You can still see it painted on the walls
of local bars 20 years later.  By the last game, Howard had already
piled up so many points, all the tailbacks and quarterbacks and kickers
couldn’t catch him.   

But that last game was still
worth watching.  Michigan beat Ohio State for the fourth straight
year – Howard never lost to his homestate school, winning four Big
Ten rings – but that’s not what people remember.  No, in the
second quarter, Howard caught a punt at the seven-yard line.  He
sliced through the first wall of defenders, then faked a few out by
cutting to the left sideline, leaving only the punter to stop him. 
“And that wasn’t even fair,” he joked years later.  

On his way to completing the
longest punt return in Michigan history, with the Heisman Trophy all
but sewed up, Howard had to make a decision: Should he strike the familiar
Heisman pose, or not?  He finally realized he’d never get another
chance.  He flashed the pose, just for a second, but that was long
enough to create one of the most famous photos in football history.   

Michigan used to keep the stadium
open during the week for visitors.  When I used to run the steps,
I’d see visitors from all over the world looking around.  They
invariably did three things: ran out of the tunnel to touch a banner
that wasn’t there; they dived in the corner of the endzone to mimic
Howard’s leaping catch against Notre Dame; and they re-enacted Howard’s
punt return against Ohio State – usually pausing at mid-field to catch
their breath – which they always punctuated with Howard’s Heisman
pose.   

When two of the three things
fans did when they thought no one was watching were inspired by one
guy— well, that guy isn’t just a great player.  He is an icon.   

But for me, what happened after
all that was better: Desmond Howard graduated on time, he married an
attorney, and now their daughter is enrolled at Michigan, too. 
She probably won’t win the Heisman – her odds are even longer than
his – but she doesn’t have to.  The Howards already have one
more Heisman Trophy in their home than anybody ever thought they would.  

Copyright© 2011, Michigan Radio

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