Michigan football countdown to kickoff: 43 days until 2022 season
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 3 opener against Colorado State. We’ll discuss current Michigan events, upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
Michigan football is now just 43 days away from the season opener vs. Colorado State. Today’s shoutout from program history looks at running back Jim Pace, one of the fastest rushers to don the Maize and Blue.
Pace was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, but raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan. He was a track and football star in high school, where he reportedly ran a 9.6 100-yard dash during his time at Dunbar High.
Pace was Michigan’s Most Valuable Player during the 1957 season after racking up 664 rushing yards, 122 receiving and 98 on punt returns, averaging 5.7 yards per carry. His most famous performance came against the Ohio State Buckeyes, rushing for 164 yards and catching a 14-yard pass. At this time, this was a Michigan record for rush yards against their hated rivals. However, Michigan would lose 31-14.
Pace was the Chicago Tribune’s Silver Football award winner and was a First-Team All-American in addition to First-Team All-Big Ten. He was the eighth overall pick in the first round of the 1958 NFL Draft, but played only one season. Pace resurfaced with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL before retiring in 1963.
Pace’s life after football saw him work in the AFL in different front office roles, a TV commercial actor and school administrator in the Los Angeles Area. He passed away at age 47 in California.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
44 days | 45 days | 46 days | 47 days | 48 days | 49 days | 50 days | 51 days | 52 days | 53 days | 54 days | 55 days | 56 days | 57 days | 58 days | 59 days | 60 days | 61 days | 62 days | 63 days | 64 days | 65 days | 66 days | 67 days | 68 days | 69 days | 70 days | 71 days | 72 days | 73 days | 74 days | 75 days | 76 days | 77 days | 78 days | 79 days | 80 days | 81 days | 82 days | 83 days | 84 days | 85 days | 86 days | 87 days | 88 days | 89 days | 90 days | 91 days | 92 days | 93 days | 94 days | 95 days | 96 days | 97 days | 98 days | 99 days | 100 days
