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Page 12-The Michigan Daily-Wednesday, February 10, 1988
Athletes exemplify
Michigan
sports
In a sports world inundated with
stories of collusion, drug abuse,
payment of players, and other ille-
galities, sometimes the good things
that happen in sports go overlooked.
Here at Michigan, a school that
has never been investigated for any
wrongdoing, success is something
we all can be proud of. Michigan's
192 Big Ten titles are 38 more than
second-place Illinois and 105 more
than third-place Indiana.
Over the years, Michigan has
been the home of many superstars
who followed up tremendous college
careers with just as great profes-
sional careers. Anthony Carter, Phil
Hubbard, Dan Dierdorf. The list goes
on and on.
In my four years covering Michi-
Adamantly Speaking
BY ADAM OCHLIS
at the time that had made the deci-
sion to come to Michigan and it
kind of made us feel like he was go-
ing to be a cornerstone of our build-
ing project," said Berenson during
O'Connor's first season.
Now a junior, O'Connor has de-
veloped into one of the league's best
defenseman, and has helped restore
the program to its lofty status of
years ago. O'Connor also helped de-
velop the pipeline that runs between
Calgary and Ann Arbor, as five other
Calgary natives now wear the
Michigan uniform.
-Jim Abbott (baseball) -
Unquestionably the most inspira-
tional athlete I've ever met, and I'm
sure others share this sentiment.
Born without a right hand, Abbott
overcame obvious obstacles to be-
come one of the most dominant
pitchers in the country.
The left-hander was 11-3 last
year, with a 2.08 earned run average,
four complete games, three shutouts,
and 60 strikeouts in 86 innings.
Abbott also helped the United States
in winning the silver medal at last
summer's Pan American Games and
capped a phenomenal year by being
awarded the Golden Spikes Award -
the Heisman Trophy of college
baseball.
If you ever think something is
impossible, go see Abbott pitch this
spring and you will realize that any-
thing is possible.
-Vicki Morrow (softball) -
As dominant in her sport as Fisher
is in his, Morrow, who has since
graduated, assaulted the Michigan
softball record book. Last year, she
became the first 20-game winner in
Michigan history, while establishing
single-season records for wins, in-
nings pitched (246), and shutouts
(18). Her four career no-hitters are
also a Michigan record.
Despite being the 1987 Big Ten
Player-of-the-Year and pitching in 22
of 24 conference games, Morrow's
biggest highlight may have been as
program flooded with phenoms and
superstars, Hughes and Stoyko have
had to accept the fact that they are no
longer the stars they were in high
school. The two forwards are the
only two Wolverines to play during
both the Roy Tarpley and Gary
Grant eras, and both have dealt with
the situation admirably.
While both will admit that they
aren't the most gifted athletes on the
team, if there were an award for class
and dignity, these two would be All-
Americans.
-Scott and Dave Mandel
(football) - Probably the most
well known walk-ons who have
never played a meaningful down of
football, these twin brothers are the
epitome of commitment and dedica-
tion.
The two watched Michigan foot-
ball while growing up in Ann Ar-
bor, and lived out a dream by being
part of the team. It doesn't matter
whether these two are talented or
not, they should be commended on
what they have done just the same.
-Frank Downing (hockey)
- The prototype student-athlete,
Downing, who graduated two years
ago, succeeded on the ice and in the
classroom. Michigan's 1985-86
captain combined a 3.43 GPA in the
Business School with a 20-goal sea-
son as a senior.
Far from a gifted player, Down-
ing's 20th goal typified his strive for
excellence, as he scored in the third
period of his last college game at
Michigan State. Not bad for some-
one who had never scored more than
nine goals in any one season, and
not bad for someone who defined
leadership, hard work, and what
Michigan athletics is all about.
4
4
D.Mandel
... twin walk-on
gdn sports, I've encountered many
athletes who may not have been, or
eten turn out to be, superstars, but
hAve affected the Michigan sports
scene just the same.
In the same manner in which
Sports Illustrated presented its
"People Who Care," I would like to
present, in no particular order, nine
of Michigan's athletes under the ti-
tle, "People Who Make A Differ-
ence."
-John Fisher (wrestling) -
If you can't think of a good reason
to go to a wrestling meet, here is
!one. Perhaps the most dominating
,varsity athlete on the Michigan
sports scene today, Fisher puts on a
4inic almost every time he wrestles.
In three seasons, the redshirt se-
nior has accumulated a 122-18
tcord, and has helped Michigan to a
42-18 dual meet record over the same
time. A two-time All-American and
currently ranked second in the coun-
try at 134 pounds, Fisher has helped
Michigan prove that there is
successful collegiate wrestling out-
side of Iowa and Oklahoma.
-Myles O'Connor (hockey)
- Michigan hockey fans should
thank O'Connor for helping the
program rebound from the sorry state
it was in when he arrived. Granted,
the hiring of head coach and NHL
Mall of Famer Red Berenson was
more important than the signing of
O'Connor, but the Calgary native
was Berenson's first big-name re-
cruit, and he gave the program in-
stant credibility.
"He was the most notable recruit
S. Mandel
... twin walk-on
a batter. Joining Abbott at the Pan
Am Games, Morrow, a career .300
hitter, drove in a run during the
United States' gold medal victory in
Indianapolis.
-Mark Hughes and Steve
Stoyko (basketball) - In a
Uily Photo by SCO T TLITUCY
Jim Abbott-1987 Golden Spikes Award Winner
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Junior defenseman, Myles O'Conner, stickhandling in last Saturday's game against Western Michigan, was
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