The Michigan Daily
[uHANDS
By Scott Bell I Daily Sports Editor
Sophomore Mario Manningham made his presence
known in 2005. Now he's ready to get his team's name
back on the map.
When sophomore wide receiver
Mario Manningham outstretches
his arms, different people see dif-
ferent things.
Those close to him may see the
tattoos around his wrist, symbolic
of his strong family ties.
Penn State fans may see the
hands that made the catch that
prevented their Nittany Lions
from having an undefeated 2005
season.
Yet Michigan fans may just see
two empty hands - a grim remind-
er of the amount of times they
saw the Maize and Blue come up
empty-handed last season.
But no matter what the inter-
pretation is of the hands, the fact
remains thatthey belongto a wide-
out who is coming off of one of the
best freshman seasons in school
history. And nobody can argue that
if the program wants to return to
the upper echelon any time soon,
those hands will have to play a big
part in it.
It was a Saturday night in early
September, and Warren G. Harding
High School's Mollenkopf Stadium
was filled to the brim. Even though
it was an early-season game, the
sell-out crowd provided proof of
the magnitude of the contest.
Not only were two of Ohio's pre-
mier football teams colliding, but
the state's two most highly touted
recruits were also set to battle.
Mario Manningham, Harding's
four-star wide receiver, was pitted
against Jamario O'Neal, Glenville's
five-star cornerback.
The match-up wasn'tjust a typi-
cal duel between two great player,
it was hyped as the first battle
between two stars who were set to
have many more - Manningham
had already committed to Michi-
gan, and O'Neal was headed to
rival Ohio State.
But what was supposed to be
an epic head-to-head battle soon
turned into the Mario Manning-
ham show, foreshadowing the
future impact the 6-foot wide
receiver would have at Michigan.
Manninghain snagged seven
catches, three of which went for
touchdowns, for a total of 251
yards. O'Neal even moved from
cornerback to safety following
Manningham's second touchdown,
but Manningham had planned on
doing more than just winning his
match-up against the rival corner.
Warren G. Harding still trailed
by two points late in the game,
despite Manningham's receiving
clinic. Glenville had the ball at
midfield, and with less than two
minutes remaining on the clock,
it appeared as if Manningham's
offensive explosion would be all
for naught.
But his night wasn't over yet.
On third down, Glenville
attempted a screen pass, but Man-
ningham, who was also playing
cornerback, read the play perfectly
and stepped into the passing lane.
An interception and 50 return
yards later, Manningham's night
was complete, as was Harding's
comeback victory.
"He's had a lot of great perfor-
mances, but that one was definitely
special," Warren G. Harding coach
Thom McDaniels said. "He's the
best receiver I've ever coached in
33 years of coaching, and I've seen
a lot of great wide receivers."
Fast forward 13 months to
another Saturday night. The scene
is similar, but on a much larger
stage. There's still a sold-out
crowd, there's still a tightly con-
tested game and there's still Mario
Manningham putting an emphatic
end to that game with his heroics.
Michigan fans remember it as
one of the few bright spots in a dis-
appointing season.
Manningham remembers it as
"just another catch."
Howeverit'sremembered,it sent
Wolverine nation into a frenzy and
prevented Michigan from having
its first losing record at any point
in a season since 1998.
On the game's final play, Man-
ningham, a true freshman, slanted
across the field, where quarterback
Chad Henne connected with him
on a 10-yard touchdown pass. The
catch propelled Michigan to a 27-
25 victory over then-undefeated
Penn State.
"There isn't anything about big
games that makes me play differ-
ently," Manningham said. "It's just
that some games I get more plays
called for me than others. Last year
it seemed like more of the big plays
got called for me in big games."
His former coach agreed, say-
ing that Manningham doesn't care
what team he's up against - he
wants to do whatever he can to
beat whatever team is put in front
of him.
"He doesn't necessarily have a
knack for the big game, but he defi-
nitely has a knack for the big play,"
McDaniels said. "I don't think
Mario cares who the opponent is,
he has the ability to break the big
play no matter who he plays. At any
point and time of the game, he can
bust loose."
Whether or not Manningham
would be busting loose at the next
level was never really the question
- his natural ability is undeniable.
But it was far from a forgone con-
clusion that Manningham's receiv-
ing prowess would be on display at
Michigan.
Manningham grew up in War-
ren, Ohio. Once he began turning
heads during his sophomore year
in high school, almost all of the
big schools came calling, including
Ohio State. But by his junior year,
Manningham had decided against
moving three hours southwest to
Columbus, and instead chose to
enter enemy territory and sign a
letter of intent to play for Michi-
gan.
"To come from Ohio, you know
early on that nobody likes Michi-
gan, and nobody from Michigan
likes Ohio," Manningham said.
"There isn't any middle ground, so
you either have to join them or play
against them."
Manningham's family had been
through the recruiting process
before - his uncle, Gerald Simp-
son Jr. had previously gotten a full-
ride scholarship to play football at
Pittsburgh. This made the daunt-
ing task a little bit easier for the
wide receiver.
"We were kind of fortunate
because (Mario's uncle), Gerald
Simpson Jr., had already been
through the process," Manning-
ham's grandfather, Gerald Simp-
son Sr., said. "This was even more
intense than what my son went
through. A majority of Division I
schools pushed really hard to get
Mario and were knocking at his
door."
Manningham's close ties to War-
ren alumni were another deter-
mining factor in his college choice.
Luckily for members of Wolverine
nation, Warren G. Harding High
has a history of sending graduates
to Michigan.
"We have a great bond at War-
ren: it's like a brotherhood," senior
linebacker and Warren alum
Prescott Burgess said. "When I
went (to Michigan), I wanted to do
what I could to get other good play-
ers from Warren to do the same."
Once Manningham arrived in
Ann Arbor, his goal was to play
as a freshman. Not only did he
not redshirt, Manningham had
already made his mark by the sec-
ond game.
"I sat in the stands and had tears
in my eyes the first time he walked
on the field lastyear, and having his
first catch of his college career be
a touchdown catch against Notre
Dame, what more can you ask for?"
Simpson said of his grandson's 25-
yard touchdown catch against the
Fighting Irish.
In all, Manningham finished his
freshman campaign with 27 catch-
es for 443 yards and six touch-
downs, just one touchdown behind
Anthony Carter's freshman record
of seven.
Manningham knows this year,
his sophomore season, will be
much more difficult. Long gone are
the days of playing in anonymity.
"I'm ready," Manningham said
prior to the season at Michigan
Media Day. "I know they're going
to know about me this year. Every
time I think about it, it just makes
me want to work harder." And
work hard he must. Right next to
the chip on Manningham's shoul-
der after a 7-5 season will be astar-
get placed squarely on his back.
Rivals.com listed Manningham
as the nation's top No. 2 receiver in
its preseason rankings, a list that
placed him above receivers such
as Southern Cal's Steve Smith and
Notre Dame's Rhema McKnight.
After the team's opener against
Vanderbilt, it appears as if Man-
ningham may be the go-to guy for
the receiving corps.
More responsibility? Manning-
ham doesn't mind.
Manningham, who was raised
in a single-parent home with his
mother along with his grandpar-
ents, took on the added task of car-
ing for his brother and sister while
growing up. He has the names of
his brother (Mardel, 13 years old)
and his sister (Jeffer'l, 11) tattooed
across his wrists, along with a
chain and a lock, to symbolize his
tight family bonds.
"He's very protective of them
and very nurturing," Simpson
said. "Mario will go out of his way
to do little things for them. ... He
just listens to them, sits down and
talks to them and shows interest
as to what they're into. He'll make
special calls back from Ann Arbor
just to talk to them, which I think
is pretty neat."
Manningham said he tries to
just instill in his younger siblings
the same values that his mother
and grandparents taught him.
"My mom, my grandfather and
my grandmother are the most
important people in my life," Man-
ningham said. "They've always
been there for me; they taught
me the rights and wrongs. Even
though there's an age gap between
me and my brother and sister, I still
think I can help. I was their age
once, and I've been there before. I
can help them out when they need
me. I show them what's right and
what's wrong."
Responsibility isn't new to him,
and neither are hype or high expec-
tations. Even midway through his
freshman season, he was already
being tapped as the "next big
thing."
"Super Mario" shirts were dis-
tributed throughout the student
body, with the likeness of a Man-
ningham-like "Super Mario"
Brothers character in the center of
a shirt. Manningham admits that
it's flattering, but he's yet to prove
that this is Super Mario's world
just yet.
"I've got one," Manningham
said. "But it isn't really anything
but another shirt for me. I feel like
I really haven't done anything yet
to deserve it."
That isn't the lone attire-related
issue thatManningham has to face.
The tradition of Michigan's top.
receiver wearing the No. 1 jersey is
well known in Ann Arbor. Former
All-American Braylon Edwards
was the last Wolverine to wear the
number. And despite having to live
up to Edwards's legendary status,
Manningham admits the prospect
of wearing it is intriguing.
"I've thought about it, but I've
got a long way to go," Manningham
said. "Those are some big shoes to
fill."
Being the next Braylon and
gaining individual accolades aren't
the key concerns for Manningham
going into his sophomore season.
His one and only goal for the year
is to get Michigan back on the map
as a national power.
"Sometimes we forget who we
are, and who we're playing for,"
Manningham said. "But passion
this year - passion is a big thing
for us. Our passion is going to be
out there, you'll see it."
Manningham said the team's
goal since last season's Alamo Bowl
defeat has been to return passion
and intensity to its repertoire. He
uses his free time with teammates
as an opportunity to show just how
hungry he is.
Manningham spent his first
summer in Ann Arbor this offsea-
son, where he roomed with soph-
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Sophomore wide receiver Mario
Manningham had six touchdown
catches to go along with his 27
catches and 443 yards receiving
during his freshman season.
omore cornerback Johnny Sears.
The two competed whenever they
could, doing "anything and every-
thing" to test each other's wills.
"All we do is compete," Man-
ningham said; "Video games,
washing hands, it doesn't matter.
That's it - that's all we do is com-
pete."
Sears said their tendency to
compete carries onto the football
field as well.
"Last. year, we'd watch tape,
and we went against each other a
lot;" Sears said. "We just try and
make each other better, and we're
so competitive that we're always
going at it hard. We don't let up on
each other."
Manningham doesn't let his
practice competition end at room-
mates. He remembers fondly the
impact cornerback Leon Hall
had on him as a freshman, and he
hopes to keep learning from the
All-America candidate.
"Leon Hall does nothing except
get me better," Manningham said.
"Because of some of the things I
did last year, it's because of Leon
Hall - he helped me a lot. He
played three years before I got
here, and he knows how it is, so
every time he used to get up there,
I tried to get up there and battle
against him.
"When I first got here, he tried
to jam me up. Now I know the
little things; he's taught me a lot
of little things. I had to learn fast,
coming in and playing right away
and everything. The cornerbacks,
especially Leon, taught me how to
learn the little things really fast."
And fast is exactly how Man-
ningham likes things.
Whether it's quickly making an
impact as a freshman, blazing by
defenders with his 4.39 speed in
the 40-yard dash or rapidly ascend-
ing up the wide-receiver rankings,
Manningham has just one gear:
full-speed ahead.
If he has his way, that will be
exactly the gear Michigan will be
stuck at on its way back to the top
of the college football universe.
This article originally
ran on Sept. 6, 2006.
I
Soph signs with Kings
4
By SCOTT BELL
and JACK HERMAN
Daily Sports Editors
Michigan star defenseman Jack
Johnson finalized a contract with
the Los Angeles
Kings yesterday
afternoon and
will likely make
his NHL debut
Thursday night.
Johnson's
agent, Pat Bris-
son, confirmed
the deal was JOHNSON
made, but did
not disclose the
terms of the sophomore's contract.
"We just wanted to make sure
he gets a fair deal in the market-
place," Brisson told The Michi-
gan Daily yesterday. "The Kings
treated him well. Sometimes it
just takes time."
Jack Johnson, Sr. also con-
firmed the deal in a voicemail he
left a reporter last night.
The Kings are expected to
make the announcement today.
Johnson was flying from Den-
ver - where the Wolverines lost
to North Dakota 8-5 in the first
round of the NCAA Tournament
Saturday - to Los Angeles last
night.
The contract was to be signed
once the plane landed in Los Ange-
les, but the terms for the deal are
already worked out, according to
Johnson, Sr.
The CCHA's Offensive Defen-
seman of the Year's debut won't
occur tonight like he originally
planned because he hasn't under-
gone an NHLPA-mandated physi-
cal yet. Instead, he will most likely
play against Vancouver on Thurs-
day night in Los Angeles, accord-
ing to Brisson.
Contract negotiations started
after the NCAA Tournament loss
late Saturday night and continued
for about two days until the two
sides came to an agreement yester-
day afternoon.
If he debuts Thursday, Johnson
could play in Los Angeles' final
five games. The Kings are out of
contention for a playoff spot.
Johnson will return to Ann
Arbor after the NHL season to
take classes rather than playingfor
the Kings' minor league team in
Manchester, N.H.
"He's only going to be gone for
three weeks," Jack Johnson, Sr.
told The Michigan Daily Sunday.
"He's coming back. He's going to
get a degree from Michigan. That's
the No. 1 thing: He promised
(Michigan coach Red Berenson) he
will graduate."
The Carolina Hurricanes picked
Johnson with the third-overall
pick of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft
- two spots behind his friend and
NHL superstar Sidney Crosby.
After Johnson turned down multi-
ple contract offers, the Hurricanes
traded his rights to the Kings on
Oct. 1, 2006.
This time, however, Johnson
couldn't let the opportunity pass
him by.
"I thought I was ready for a
new challenge," Johnson told the
Daily Sunday. "With all my close
friends, the seniors, now gone and
everything, I thought it was time
for me to pretty much go for a new
challenge."
- Amber Colvin and Nate Sandals
contributed to this report. This article
originally ran on March 27, 2007.
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