Players, past and present, come to Michigan for shot at Rose Bowl

The words are unforgettable. They are ingrained in the heads of every Michigan football player, the words spoken by legendary Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler that have come to represent Michigan football.

"Those who stay will be champions."

Michigan players, past and present, have said that they came to Michigan to be champions. The highly sought-after championship is the Rose Bowl and it's not only meaningful to Michigan, but to the Big Ten as a whole.

After Michigan beat No. 4 Ohio State earlier today, the Wolverines earned the right to represent the Big Ten in the Rose Bowl this year. It is the Wolverines first Rose Bowl berth since the 1993 Rose Bowl when they beat Washington, 38-31.

"You always hear about Michigan and going to the Rose Bowl, all the great teams they had in the past and all the tradition," said defensive end Glen Steele, before the start of the 1997 season. "That's the one thing that really led me this way."

AP PHOTO Michigan fullback Leroy Hoard made two trips to Pasadena including, a 22-14 win over Southern Cal in the 1989 Rose Bowl.

Today's victory not only sealed Michigan's Rose Bowl fate, but handed the Wolverines their first Big Ten title since the 1992 season.

"Those who stay will be champions."

Until the Wolverines topped the Buckeyes today, Schembechler's words were more of a haunting reminder of past success than a motivating factor.

Michigan football suffered through four straight four-loss seasons starting after the last victory over Washington. The Rose Bowl became a distant memory. In fact, no player on the current Michigan roster has played in a Rose Bowl. That is, until now. At the beginning of the season, Steele said, "We're trying to get to where we want to be and that's the Rose Bowl and winning the Big Ten."

Playing in the Rose Bowl, "was always something I wanted to do, even before I came to Michigan" said Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Derrick Alexander, who played for Michigan from 1989-90-92-93. "When you get out there, you can tell it's something special."

The Rose Bowl has featured the Big Ten and Pac-10 champions since 1947. And every year since then, each team in the two conferences has fought for a chance to represent their school in Pasadena.

Unlike any other bowl game, the Rose Bowl is considered one of the more traditional and significant bowl games.

"What makes it special is that it's the result of a championship," Michigan offensive coordinator Mike DeBord said. "They call it 'The Granddaddy of Them All', and that's what it is."

Said Senior Associate Director Fritz Seyferth and former Michigan fullback (1968-71): "The Rose Bowl is special because it rewards the team for its excellence. It is, and certainly was, the bowl game of all bowl games."

Michigan has more Rose Bowl appearances than any other Big Ten team, and it has played in 22 consecutive bowl games but the Rose Bowl had been absent from that string since the 1992 season.

And it has been missed.

Under Schembechler's 21-season reign, the Wolverines went to Pasadena 10 times and won the bowl twice. The Wolverines had a run beginning in the late '80s, when they went to Pasadena four times in five years and won five-straight Big Ten titles from 1988-1992.

"Those who stay will be champions."

Now the Wolverines will once again be able to take part in the Rose Parade, the game and the tradition.

"Playing in the Rose Bowl cannot be dampened," Seyferth said. "The festival atmosphere is unique to collegiate athletics."

Said Steele: "I'm thankful for the shot that I got to come here."

- Daily staff reporter Chris Metinko contributed this report.

11-22-97