The Whisperer Remembers ... Garland Rivers.

If you rattle off the names of the top college football uniforms, Michigan will be at or near the top. The maize and blue seem to have been made for one another, blending in ways that would cause even the best-dressed Paris runway to stop and take stock. The uniforms are a sight and when you topped them with that distinctive helmet, perhaps the most recognizable in all the sport … the jersey, the pants, the helmet … the uniform moves to its’ own beat … and so did this man.

Coming out of Canton … yes, the Canton in Ohio, yeah, that one, it was assumed that he was a lock to take his formidable talents to Columbus and become a Buckeye legend … but there was something about those Michigan uniforms … Yes, the Michigan uniforms, the maize, the blue, and those helmets, those signature helmets, they kept calling his name, testing him, appealing to his want to move to his own beat until he finally signed with the Wolverines.

Instead of helping the home state battle for Big Ten and national supremacy, this man crossed the line and went on to star for their most hated rival. He patrolled the back four with a fierceness and command that told receivers to enter at their own peril. For those who were brave enough to do so, the price of admission was a brutal hit, a perfect form tackle, or a violent collision, that caused each to question their gridiron mortality. Whisperer Nation let’s giving a rousing round of applause … as we remember the splendid talents … of Michigan safety deluxe … Mr. Garland Rivers.