ESPN’s latest jersey-number debate has Michigan fans with a pretty simple question: which number belongs most to one Wolverine?
The network rolled out a subjective list of the greatest college football player ever to wear each jersey number, and Michigan showed up in the honorable mentions more than once. But when it came to the actual top spot for a number, only one Wolverine made the cut.
That player was Tom Harmon, Michigan’s No. 98.
It’s a choice that gives Michigan at least one win in a list that left out some obvious fan favorites. Charles Woodson’s No.
2, Jake Long’s No. 77 and Desmond Howard’s No. 21 all seemed like natural candidates. ESPN went another direction on each of them.
Woodson was bumped by Deion Sanders for No. 2, a pick that will definitely raise eyebrows in Ann Arbor. Both were two-time consensus All-Americans, but Woodson also added a Heisman Trophy, a Thorpe Award and a national title to his résumé.
Sanders did not. By the standards ESPN set, that one feels especially hard to swallow.
Howard’s snub is easier to live with, even if it still stings a little. Barry Sanders got the nod for No. 21, and his college career at Oklahoma State still fills up the record book 40 years later.
The list also pushed a few older Michigan names aside in favor of players from other schools. Army’s Glenn Davis beat out Rob Lytle for No.
- Buffalo’s Khalil Mack was chosen over Harry Newman at No.
- Miami’s Michael Irvin got the edge over Bennie Oosterbaan for No.
That same pattern kept going. North Carolina’s Julius Peppers was selected for No. 49 instead of Bob Chappuis.
Texas’s Tommy Nobis took No. 60 over Mark Messner. Air Force’s Chad Hennings was the pick at No. 87 ahead of Ron Kramer.
Michigan’s more recent stars didn’t fare much better. LaMarr Woodley at No.
56, Steve Hutchinson at No. 76 and Jake Long at No. 77 all landed in honorable mention territory, with Corey Moore, Warren Sapp and Red Grange getting the official spots. Sapp and Grange are tough to argue with, but Moore over Woodley is the one that feels the shakiest.
Still, Harmon gives Michigan at least one clean victory. His No. 98 case is loaded: Heisman Trophy, Maxwell Award, AP Athlete of the Year, Big Ten MVP and a spot in the College Football Hall of Fame. ESPN had him ahead of Lawrence Taylor, John Henderson, Grant Wistrom and everyone else who ever wore the number in college.
Of course, this kind of list is all about the eye of the beholder. Michigan fans will always have their own numbers that instantly summon one player.
Anthony Carter’s No. 1, Jim Harbaugh’s No. 4 and Denard Robinson’s No. 16 all jump out right away.
So what number feels most locked to one Michigan player? Is it Woodson’s No.
2, Long’s No. 77, or Harmon’s No. 98?
For me, it’s Woodson’s No. 2.
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