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Michigan football celebration highlights: Warde Manuel 'working' to get Jim Harbaugh new deal
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- Michigan football celebration highlights: Warde Manuel 'working' to get Jim Harbaugh new deal
Shortly after captain Trevor Keegan had finished shotgunning adult beverages without a shirt in sub-freezing temperatures, Alex Orji had concluded playing catch with fans who lined the downtown roads and the general hoopla of the national championship parade through Ann Arbor had subsided, the celebration moved indoor to Crisler Center.
Michigan football 's 2023 national championship celebration was sold out Saturday night and it included the who's who of the winningest program in college football history at center stage: athletic director Warde Manuel, coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback J.J. McCarthy , running back Blake Corum and the rest of the team's captains.
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh hugs athletic director Warde Manuel during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
Almost immediately, Manuel addressed the elephant in the room.
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"I will answer the question that I heard about 500 times at the parade route, I am working on getting (Harbaugh) a new contract, I promise you," Manuel said to a thunderous applause and standing ovation.
While it's hard to rank the loudest cheers of the night, that was likely it. Of course, when McCarthy was introduced, that also created quite the commotion, as the standing-room only crowd chanted "one more year, one more year."
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McCarthy made no such promises, but rather thanked the fan base for its unwavering love and support. He harkened back to a social media post from November 2020, when he asked the entire fan base to take a few deep breaths and trust everybody was working toward one mission — a mission that was completed Saturday.
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is introduced during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
"Got some big decisions to make," McCarthy began, "But I just want to let you guys know that no matter what decision comes with this, Michigan will forever be in my heart."
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Of course, McCarthy's ovation was far from the only one. There were a number of deafening roars throughout the evening as the event's emcee, radio analyst Jon Jansen, an offensive lineman on the 1997 national championship team, went through the team's accolades:
The No. 1 defense in football, the No. 1 team in fewest penalties, No. 1 in turnover margin and the team became the first national champion in more than 20 years to lead every single game at halftime.
That led to Michael Barrett , whose 61 victories played in are the most of any Wolverine, taking the stage as he pounded his chest and hyped up the crowd.
Michigan fans! Celebrate the national title with our two commemorative books: "Blue Reign : The Story of the 2023 Michigan Wolverines' Legendary Run to the National Championship" and "Maize & Grand : Michigan's Epic March to the 2023 National Title" — Preorder now to save! You can also buy a commemorative copy of the front page of the Detroit Free Press from the morning after U-M's historic championship victory, and purchase our four-page special Stadium Section .
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"We aren't in the talking business, we're in the ass-kicking business," he said. "And business is booming!"
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Keegan and Zak Zinter , captains and offensive linemen, also took the mic on stage. Despite Keegan saying he "failed every speech class," he did just fine as he thanked the crowd for its unwavering support.
Michigan running back Blake Corum (2) speaks during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
He singled out the moment Zinter suffered his leg injuries against Ohio State . On that Nov. 25 afternoon, the Wolverines were quiet when Zinter was carted off; Keegan said the roar of the crowd that day gave the team a lift that led to Corum's 22-yard touchdown rush on the very next play. Zinter echoed Keegan's sentiment as he said that moment, the lowest of his athletic career, is now one he will cherish.
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"I felt and heard each and every one of you," Zinter said of the moment he rode up the tunnel and off the Michigan Stadium turf for the final time. "For that, I'm gonna be eternally grateful."
Mike Sainristil , who started his U-M career on offense with Zinter and Keegan, then joined Barrett and Kris Jenkins on defense, joked with the fans about how the team "put y'all through some stuff" in the past five seasons, but throughout the ups and downs, he said he always felt supported.
"Had a chance to come back and play for the best head coach in the country, to be a part of the best team in the country," he said. "There's nothing from these past five years that I would give back or trade for anything."
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The final player to speak was Corum. This season, the senior became the program's seventh-leading rusher all-time, set Michigan's single-season rushing touchdown record, and then claimed the most touchdowns of any Wolverine in the modern era.
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He wore a shirt with one of his new catchphrases — "Business is finished" — as he stepped to the microphone in Crisler Center. It harkened back to February 2023, when he addressed a basketball crowd at halftime. Then, he was recovering from knee surgery and vowed he and his teammates would win a national championship.
On Saturday, the video played over his head and he smiled.
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"I promised y'all," he said. "And what did we do?"
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh lifts the AFCA Coaches' Trophy during the national championship celebration at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024.
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The event ended with Harbaugh, who didn't get a "one more year" chant, but rather "10 more years."
He spoke for nearly 10 minutes, throwing in some familiar phrases: "Stalwarts," "Michigan men," and a group of players who all year showed "enthusiasm unknown to mankind."
Harbaugh threw in a few new wrinkles, however, including the "St. Crispin's Day" speech from Shakespeare's "Henry V" — an everlasting monologue about men who were doubted. His team was one of them this year, he said, as it took on all comers and remained undefeated.
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"You defied gravity," Harbaugh told his team. "You had to be pulled back, rather than talked into, refused to be divided. ... Bo Schembechler said 'The Team, The Team, The Team.' Team 144, you are the team. Victors valiant, team superior, you had each others back, treated others as you wanted to be treated.
" Michigan football legends. Beloved sons of Michigan ... and now, known simply, as national champions."
Contact Tony Garcia: apgarcia@freepress.com . Follow him at @realtonygarcia .
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan football celebration highlights: AD working on Harbaugh deal
