LOOK: Michigan football takes over Ohio on last day of spring trip
Members of the Michigan football team closed out the 2023 spring trip on Thursday afternoon with a trek through the state of Ohio, the first trip the Wolverines have made through the Buckeye state since their 45-23 win in Columbus in November.
Michigan missed an opportunity to bring the flag it planted at midfield in Columbus with it on the trip, but their presence was felt through the day regardless.
The first part of the final leg of the trip included stops in Cleveland at the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and Museum, where the team was able to tour the iconic venue and see artifacts and memorabilia from some of the biggest musical acts in history.
Members of the coaching staff in attendance included strength coach Ben Herbert, quarterbacks coach Kirk Campbell, tight ends coach Grant Newsome, offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, wide receivers coach Ron Bellamy, defensive line coach Mike Elston, linebackers coach Chris Partridge, safeties coach Jay Harbaugh and more.
Several key members were not in attendance for the final day, including head coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and others, who had other obligations. But the members of the team that were there seemed to enjoy themselves, especially when it comes to sharing some of their musical tastes.
“I’ve just got off the phone with my mom showing her the Tom Petty exhibit because I can picture rides in the car listening to ‘Free Fallin’,” freshman tight end Zack Marshall, and old soul with a wide-array of musical tastes, told The Wolverine. ‘She’s like, ‘this is real music.’ And I’m laughing because I see these modern people [in exhibits] and it’s not really my vibe.”
After a few hours at the museum and a provided lunch, the team and members of the coaching and support staff loaded back onto buses and headed an hour south to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Michigan has 11 figures present at the PFHOF, including George Allen, Dan Dierdorf, Len Ford, Benny Friedman, Bill Hewitt, Steve Hutchinson, Ty Law, Tom Mack, Ralph Wilson, Jr. and Charles Woodson.
A display of Hutchinson and Woodson’s Michigan jerseys was wheeled out to the entrance for display for the team. During the trip to the museum, some of the curators pulled coaches and players aside for a look at special items from the organization’s archives.
But perhaps the coolest story of the day came in the form of walk-on defensive back Jesse Madden, who is the grandson of Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden. Michigan made sure to get a photo opportunity of Madden in front of his grandfather’s bust in the Hall of Fame wing of the museum.
Photos from Thursday’s event can be seen below, courtesy of Anthony Broome and Clayton Sayfie of The Wolverine.
Other stops on Michigan’s trip included a weekend in New York City, a trip to Washington, D.C., a stop in Gettysburg and the Ohio trip on Thursday afternoon. We will have more from the spring trip and other takeaways in the coming days.
