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The late, great Michigan Football Coach Bo Schembechler said “those who stay will be champions.”

That has been the mantra of the Wolverines’ program since the 1960s. It was never truer than Monday night when top-ranked Michigan defeated No. 4 Alabama 27-20 in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

Michigan returned numerous players, many of whom could be making a comfy living in the National Football League right now, but instead decided to come back to Ann Arbor to help the Wolverines make a run at its first national championship since 1997.

Those players were instrumental in leading Michigan to the victory over perennial champion Alabama. The Wolverines returned most of its top potential draft picks to make a run at a third consecutive Big Ten Conference championship, and a shot at the national title.

Among those players were wide receiver Cornelius Johnson, running back Blake Corum, offensive linemen Trevor Keegan and Zak Zinter, linebacker Mike Barrett and defensive lineman Kris Jenkins. In an era where players take the money and run, it is refreshing to see these players come back to achieve goals they set when they arrived on campus three or four years ago.

Corum played the biggest role in the Wolverines’ victory with a pair of touchdowns, including the go-ahead score in overtime against the Crimson Tide. He set new Michigan records along the way and proved that team is more important than just individual accomplishments. He is an example of all that is right about college athletics at a time when there is so much wrong with it.

Zinter suffered a gruesome injury in the regular-season finale against Ohio State which could cost him some spots in the 2024 NFL Draft, as well as some money, but he was there on the sidelines Monday night cheering his teammates on, and will be in Houston next week when the Wolverines go after the championship. He is a true inspiration when you consider all of the players who opt out of playing in bowl games these days to prepare for the draft.

It has been a tumultuous season to say the least for Michigan. Coach Jim Harbaugh had been suspended numerous times, including for the Ohio State game. The team has been under NCAA investigation for alleged cheating by stealing signs of its opponents.

But this “team” had stuck together, stuck with their head coach, and played well for the assistant coaches who replaced Harbaugh during his suspensions. Nothing seems to have been able to sidetrack the Wolverines this season. They are the true definition of a team on a mission.

There is one more game left in the 2023 season for Michigan and the Big Ten Champions as it will face No. 2-ranked Washington in the National Championship Game Monday night. I expect that Harbaugh, led both those players who came back to play for a title to be ready for the Huskies, who are trying to make history of their own. It should be a great game.

With a victory, the Michigan Wolverines will prove the late Schembechler correct. “Those who stay will be champions.”

 

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com