Michigan football: Sights, sounds and highlights from Thursday trip to Flint
Michigan football kicked off its trek through its home state on Thursday by spending the day in Flint. On the agenda was a wide variety of community-based activities that would culminate in a carnival for local youths and a team dinner in Frankenmuth.
Head coach Jim Harbaugh was first to arrive in Flint on Thursday morning. There, he chatted and mixed it up with Genessee County Sherrif Chris Swanson outside the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Flint while waiting for the team to arrive via buses.
The itinerary
Over 120 members of Michigan’s roster and coaching staff were split up among three locations. One group would stay at the Boys and Girls Club to paint a mural, stuff backpacks and make care packages. Another went to the Flint International Academy to help 60 students with various outdoor landscape and beautification projects. The third group – a smaller cluster of 15 – went to the Genessee County Jail to engage with residents and serve lunches.
The jail portion was part of the Genessee County IGNITE (Inmate Growth Naturally and Intentionally Through Education) program. It seeks to eliminate “generational incarceration through education, by restoring value, hope, and purpose to our inmate population.”
Upon their arrival, the Michigan contingent was seated in the gym for an intro from Harbaugh and Swanson. The sheriff, who went viral in 2020 for removing his riot gear and marching with residents during the George Floyd protests, wanted to make clear what the players were going to be a part of on Thursday.
Swanson also complimented Harbaugh on his leadership and devotion to his team.
“You have somebody that has invested in you,” Swanson told the team. “The message I have for you now is that you can do the same thing for people you see today. You have been giving talks your whole life coming up through pee-wee ball and having people pump you up. I want you to remember this one today, because you are doing something totally different. What you do is play football, but who you are is totally different.
Michigan has ‘the heart of servant leaders’
Swanson threw praise back the way of the players, citing their coach’s investment in their leadership and active service.
“I was talking to [Coach Harbaugh] and he said this team has a heart of servant leaders,” Swanson said.”This is what makes this team so amazing. The chemistry with everybody. If I do know one thing, I may be who I am and never play football. You may play football and never do what this person does. But there is one thing we all have done. We all have been given a second chance.”
Swanson also discussed what it is to be a “force multiplier” and use an act of good for the betterment of the group.
“There is one thing I want you to take away from today’s message,” he said. “You are an inspiration to people. You’ve got a talent and a platform that most people will never has. You are champions and people watch you all over the world. Military bases watch you perform. You have the ability to reach people. I am a licenced medic. There are people that know what that means. You breathe life into them.
“When you see the people today, don’t think that you are here as a football player. You’re not here by accident. You are here to be an inspiration because you’ve been given a second chance. The people you see, you never know if today is the day they are going to make a decision to destroy their life, but they don’t because they met you. You breathed life into that. You said a kind word and did an act of service. People look at you and they dream through your actions. You live, and they live vicariously through you and you get to be what other people want. Do not ever minimize that responsibility. It’s a gift. That’s what we need you to do here.”
What followed was a pushup contest between Swanson and senior defensive back Caden Kolesar. The teams grabbed box lunches, those leaving the Boys and Girls Club got on buses to their locations and the day was kicked off.
An afternoon at the Genessee County Jail
Members of the media were allowed at all three stops, but the bulk of the Michigan beat went to the jail. It was a smaller, more intimate group filled with senior leadership.
Harbaugh was part of the group, along with quarterback Cade McNamara, defensive tackle Mazi Smith, linebacker Mike Barrett, EDGEs Taylor Upshaw and Mike Morris, defensive lineman Kris Jenkins, tight end Carter Selzer, wideout/defensive back Mike Sainristil, defensive back Caden Kolesar, cornerback DJ Turner, wide receiver Cornelius Johnson and offensive tackle Trente Jones.
Michigan packed box lunches for the residents of the jail, delivered them to each cell block and were able to chat and spend time with the inmates who were eating lunch and out of their cells.
McNamara and Smith took the time to introduce themselves and chat with inmates as long as they were allowed to. As Michigan’s signal-caller was saying goodbye to someone in his cell, he yelled “F*** Ohio.” Another resident wrote “State Sucks” on his jumpsuit and instructed players to beat the Spartans this season.
The Michigan and media contingent made its way down to Swanson’s office, where he spoke about the IGNITE initiative and more about community service. They also swore in graduate tight end Carter Selzer, nicknamed “The Sheriff” as an honorary sherrif in Genessee County. A group photo was taken in front of the jail, and the group packed up and headed to stop three.
Ending with a carnival
All three group projects concluded around 2 p.m. on Thursday. Players from each stop bussed over to the Dort Financial Center for an indoor carnival. Attendees included Michigan players and coaches, as well as volunteers and kids from both the Boys and Girls Club and Flint International Academy.
This portion of the day saw Harbaugh leading games of tug-o-war, inflatable obstacle courses, cotton candy and popcorn and more. The Michigan head coach volunteered himself for the dunk tank and invited members of the media to take the first shot. Angelique Chengelis of The Detroit News was able to sink him on her first throw.
When the carnival was complete, Michigan loaded back up onto the buses and made its way to Zehnder’s in Frankenmuth for a team dinner to close out the evening.
What’s next on the trip through Michigan?
The next leg of Michigan’s trip through its home state has the group starting in Lansing on Friday. From there, they will make their way to Grand Rapids and the west side of the state. Saturday will include stops in Grand Haven and Muskegon before working their way up the coast of Lake Michigan.
The group moves onto the Upper Peninsula early next week with a cluster of players and Harbaugh heading down to Indianapolos for Big Ten Media Days on Tuesday.
