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4B - Football Saturday - Saturday, October 7, 2006
5B - Football Saturday - Saturday, October 7, 2006
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LAST
By Matt Singer |Daily Sports Editor
ondell Biggs waited. And waited. And waited.
He already had scholarship offers from Iowa
and Michigan State. But Biggs was holding out
until he heard from the school he desperately wanted to
attend.
Biggs's high school coach at Southfield-Lathrup High
School in Southfield, Stephon Thompson, lobbied Mich-
igan's assistant coaches, pointing to Biggs's grades, disci-
pline and work ethic. Thompson said he was sure Biggs was
a "Michigan kid."
Finally, the call came from then-defensive coordinator
Jim Herrmann. The Wolverines were ready to offer one of
their last scholarships to Biggs.
Before the visit, Thompson sat Biggs down and told him
to compose himself.
"I said to Rondell, Michigan is going to come in on you,
but you can't disrespect these folks (from other schools),'
Thompson said. "He said, 'Coach, thanks a lot, because if
Michigan comes in, I might not be able to help myself.' "
Despite Thompson's warnings, Biggs stood up in a rush
of excitement when Herrmann walked through the door
wearing a leather jacket embroidered with Michigan's
famous block-'M'. His coach told him to sit down, and
Biggs complied.
But the mile-wide smile of a dream fulfilled remained
stuck on Biggs's face.
"I've never seen him smile like that," Thompson said.
Immediately, Biggs made his decision. He broke the
news to then-Michigan State coach Bobby Williams.
"Hesaid 'Coach Williams,I'msorry,butI've wantedto
go to Michigan all my life,' " Thompson said. "Williams
said, 'Good luck, and we'll see you across the field.' "
On Saturday, Biggs will line up across the field from
Michigan State for the final time, as the Wolverines'
starting defensive end. But much like his drawn-out
recruiting process, the fifth-year senior's path to this
point has not followed the typical road map. Setbacks
and pitfalls littered the way, all conspiring to keep Biggs
off Michigan Stadium's turf. Through it all, Biggs has
persevered, earning the right to take it to the Spartans
one last time.
An "unnecessary" blow
It was the type of moment most people would
want to shut out of their minds forever.
But a week after it happened, Biggs specifical-
ly requested a tape of it, to use for "motivation."
The video clip, as Biggs describes it, goes
something like this:
During the 2005 Michigan-Michigan
State game, elusive Spartan quarterback 3
Drew Stanton scrambles out of the pocket.
From his defensive end posi-
tion,Biggs chases Stanton.But
330-pound Spartan offensive
tackle Stefon Wheeler cuts
Biggs down at the knees.
The horribly timed
block seriously injures
Biggs's knee.
With or without
the aid of video,
the incident
remains fresh
in Biggs's
mind.
"I mem-
ber every-
thing"
Biggs said.
"I remember
it like it was
yesterday. ...
I planted my
knee, and he
caught me
right at the
right time:'
The block y
- which Biggs 4
called "unnec-
essary"-came y
at precisely the
worst moment ,
for Biggs. DuringF
the early part of 2005, Biggs
had been playing the best r
football of his collegiate
career, and earning more
and more playing
time. But because'
of Wheeler's hit,
Biggs was
forced to
rehab
y
ing to get good
playing time. It .
just really hurt him in
that State game. When he
got tweaked, I was like, 'Aw man,
that's too bad.' I thought he was really
coming around:'
Although Biggs returned to action
later in the season, the injury took its
toll. Biggs underestimated its seriousness
and attempted to come back before he was
fully recovered. As a result, he wasn't nearly
as effective as he was prior to the Michigan
State game.
For Biggs, the rehabilitation process was long, pain-
ful and frustrating. But the experience taught him a les-
son - a lesson he's reminded of every time he pops in the
tape of that fateful game in East Lansing.
"It was hard,' Biggs said. "But I learned a lot from it
- you're not promised anything. Nothing is promised. For
me to get injured, it kinda made me work harder. It made
me take advantage, go out and play hard. You can't take this
for granted."
High school highs ... and lows
Growing up, football wasn't even on Biggs's radar. He
saw himself as a basketball player, through and through.
But by the time he reached high school, he began grow-
ing out instead of up, which didn't bode well for his future
on the hardwood. So, in ninth grade at Southfield-Lathrup,
Biggs decided to put on the pads for the first time. The expe-
rience was underwhelming, to say the least. The Chargers
went 0-9, and Biggs decided he'd played enough football for
a lifetime.
"I wasn't having fun," Biggs said. "We lost every game. I
just thought football wasn't my thing, soI quit."
The stage was set for Thompson - who didn't coach
Biggs during his freshman year - to enter Biggs's life.
Ironically, the pivotal meeting occurred on a basketball
court, where Thompson laid out the realities of Biggs's situ-
ation.
"I said, 'Be honest, are you 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, 6-foot-
7? Are you breaking the rim down?' " Thompson said.
"Rondell's a very intelligent young man. I said, 'Think
about opportunities football will provide you versus bas-
ketball. I'm not your father, I'm not your minister, but I'm
a guy who sees talent in football.'
"I told him, 'I don't want you to feel pressure. When you
come out on the field, I want you to come out with a goal in
mind, to pay for the next four years of college. You won't do
it in basketball.' "
Biggs listened, and he decided to give football one more
chance.
"He came back, and he said, 'Coach, I don't know if it's
for me, but I'll give ita try,' " Thompson said.
Thompson's instincts were right - Biggs was a natural.
Biggs picked up in days skills that others took weeks to
learn. Under Thompson's tutelage, Biggs quickly developed
into a star, helping Southfield-Lathrup earn its first-ever
playoff berth.
By his senior year, Biggs had become one of the top
defenders in the state of Michigan. But because of his late
introduction to the game,he didn't go to any prestigious foot-
ball camps and flew under the national recruiting radar.
What separated Biggs from the pack - and eventually
piqued Michigan's interest - was his innate ability to get
to the football.
"We used to laugh because he got by people with the
greatest of ease" Thompson said. "The game was about
getting to the ball for him. He didn't even want to play
offense. He just wanted to hit people:"
Growing pains
Being offered a scholarship at Michigan was a dream for
Biggs, but his first two years on campus were downright
nightmarish. Off the field, Biggs struggled with his new
surroundings. Even though Southfield lies just 40 miles
northeast of Ann Arbor, Biggs felt homesick. And he had
trouble adjusting to Michigan's academic load.
"Everything came at me real fast,' Biggs said."And I had
to grow up real fast."
On the football field, Biggs's early experiences mirrored
his other struggles. Still too small to compete against Big
Ten offensive linemen, Biggs spent the vast majority of his
underclassman years riding the bench.
Biggs's troubles came to a head when Michigan coach
Lloyd Carr called the disgruntled defensive lineman into his
office and offered him transfer papers. Carr's message to
Biggs came through loud and clear: Shape up or ship out.
Biggs chose the former, hitting the books and weight
room with a newfound determination. Before long, Biggs
began growing into the hard-nosed, ballhawk defensive
end that Thompson had envisioned years before when he
approached Biggs on the basketball court. During 2004,
his redshirt sophomore year, Biggs found his way onto the
field for all but one game. He even picked up two tackles
in Michigan's tightly contested Rose Bowl matchup with
Texas.
"It was just a gradual process," Biggs said. "I had run-ins
with the coaches. Anything bad that could have happened
probably happened to me. But I worked hard,I changed my
attitude and things changed for the good:"
Carr agreed, noting how much Biggs has grown - liter-
ally and figuratively - since his arrival in Ann Arbor four-
plus years ago.
"His first two years here, he really struggled, because
he hadn't gotten big enough," Carr said. "He wasn't strong
enough to compete against the offensive lineman. But he
persevered. He's a resilient guy. He just kept working."
Reaping the rewards
In many respects, Biggs's fifth year in maize and blue has
brought his football career full circle.
The guy who quit football in ninth grade now cherishes
every down he plays.
The guy who struggled academically at Michigan is on
track to graduate in December.
The guy who was a late recruit and an undersized third-
stringer is now starting for one of the best defenses in the
nation.
And on Saturday, Biggs will close yet another circle. The
guy who was aggressively recruited - and later injured
- by Michigan State will get one last chance to battle the
Wolverines' intrastate rival.
The Spartans can't take a motivated and healthy Biggs
lightly. In five games this season, Biggs has started every
contest and has already set career highs in tackles (10), tack-
les for loss (five) and sacks (three, second best on the team).
But even if Michigan State initially shuts Biggs down on
Saturday, keep your eye on No. 91. After nine years of trial,
tribulation and ultimately redemption on the football field,
Biggs knows a thing or two about overcoming adversity.
Put simply, there's nothing the Spartans - or any other
team, for that matter - can throw at Biggs that he hasn't
seen and overcome already.
his knee instead
of chasing down
quarterbacks.
"He was
coming into his
own last year,"
Thompson said.
"He was start-
lIKE HULSEBUS/Daily
TOP: Senior defensive end Rondell Biggs, who is second on the team In sacks (3), breaks through the Wisconsin line.
BOTTOM: Biggs helped the Wolverine defense stave off a late Minnesota rally to take back the Little Brown Jug.