You know I was in Ann Arbor at the same time — so this is really appreciated. This interview is bringing back a flood of memories.

Full disclosure moment: I bet on Kentucky (with Mashburn) to beat UM in the Final Four. I thought I was good until Dale Brown ran into that damned table. Either way, I was glad to have lost that bet.

It’s great to hear names like Ricky Powers and Rumeal Robinson. Michigan used to stockpile running backs in the early 90′s (the way they did with wide receivers after Desmond blew up). Ricky Powers was a cool dude who wasn’t the fastest cat in the world, but he played hard and brought it every game. But, he was one of many. There was Jon Vaughn and Tyrone Wheatley. It was a great time.

Before the Fab Five came, we used to have a group of Black men who would meet on campus on a regular basis — just to talk about stuff informally. It was for everyone — athletes, frat guys, Michigan guys, New York guys — everyone — and the meetings were well attended. Des used to come. Mike Evans and Lance Dottin and some other dudes used to come through. It was pretty special stuff. We had an opportunity to see one another for who we really were: brothers of the same mind, unblind — caught in the middle and not surrenderin’ (Chuck is always with me!!)

I don’t why those meetings began to fall apart — but UM created great opportunities for alot of people. And there was always a system of support. Grad students and former athletes kept in close contact with follks. There were folks like Greg Harden and Charles Moody who could lend an ear and provide some real talk when it was needed.

I’m glad to hear that Chris has such fond memories of his time and the people who were there. I think that Olympic Village comment was right on the mark. In the 90′s, Michigan had some really great swimmers, an elite baseball team, a top 10 football team, and the Fab Five. It was the center of the sports universe for a few years. And that 4th down catch in the end zone from Grbac to Des vs. Notre Dame is STILL the beast of all “Let Ya N%@# Hang” plays.

Go Blue.