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MAKING THE
BIGHOUSE
HOME
RUTH LINCOLN|DAILY SPORTS EDITOR
Crisler Arena is the home of the Michigan football team's postgame press conference, but for Kelvin Grady, it's more than just an interview room.
Last Saturday, following Michigan's win over Delaware State, Kelvin stood at the podium eagerly answering questions. Smiling widely with his brother
Kevin, a fullback on the team, by his side, Kelvin used the word 'blessed' four times in his short interview. He looked like there wasn't anywhere else he'd
rather be.
It's hard not to think that just a couple hallways away is the Crisler Arena floor, where for two seasons, Kelvin started 33 of 64 games and averaged
4.9 points per game. It's hard not to think that last March he celebrated on the court as the Michigan basketball team's name was called on Selection
Sunday for the first time in 1 years. And it's hard not to think of his former lockerjust another wing away where he celebrated upset victories over Duke
and Purdue with his former teammates.
But as his playing time dwindled to practically nothing last season, Kelvin's thoughts drifted elsewhere. Now, he's refocused with a new set of
Wolverines.
Through the support of his family, his infectious personality and pure athleticism, Kelvin Grady has had an incredible journey.
BROTHERLYLOVE

Inside Kevin and Kelvin's Ann Arbor apart-
ment, a picture hangs prominently on the
wall.
It's from the 2004 MHSAA regional foot-
ball final between East Grand Rapids and
Lowell, Kevin's final high school game. Shortly
before the photo was taken, Kevin had just
fumbled. As the all-time MHSAA rushing
leader sat solemnly on the bench with his head
between his knees, Kelvin, just a 10th grader
at the time, sat beside his older brother.
Amid all the chaos and clamor, Kelvin slid
his arm around Kevin and whispered words of
encouragement into his brother's ear.
"Every time I see it, it brings back that mem-
ory - it just brought tears to my eyes," the
Gradys' father, Kevin Sr., said. "It's just a love
for his brother. Kelvin shares Kevin's pains.
He's that type of kid, he's got a big heart."
Last Saturday, the brothers sat on another
sideline bench, far from the one they shared
five years ago on a cold November night in
West Michigan. This one was inside Michi-
gan Stadium. And instead of mourning defeat,
they relished a much more joyous occasion -
Kelvin's first touchdown.
Moments after freshman quarterback
Denard Robinson found Kelvin steps from
the end zone, Kevin found Kelvin. He lifted
his younger brother high into the air as Kelvin
etched his name into a small part of Michigan
history.

"I've been dying to get in the end zone to
see what it feels like, and it feels great," Kelvin
said. "On top of that, to look back and see my
brother coming and lifting me over my feet,
he dang near threw me over his head - it's
definitely a blessing and these are the types
of moments -and opportunities you work for
to get."
Although they played high school foot-
ball together for just one season, the Gradys
started working together for those moments
far earlier. From AAU teams to their East
Grand Rapids backyard, Kelvin and Kevin
played every major sport together. And they
had the same coach - their father.
The former high school and semi-pro foot-
ball coach trained his sons the same way he
had trained to play sports a generation ear-
lier.
"I'm an old-school disciplined person,"
Kevin Sr. said. "Structured. Old school. Push.
I push. I get the best out them."
During the summer when Kelvin was in
fourth grade and Kevin in sixth, Kevin Sr. would
push his sons every morning - to write.
The brothers would wake up around 8 a.m.,
and Kevin Sr. would have the boys run around
Reese Lake in East Grand Rapids. But before
they hit the road, Kevin Sr. had each boy write
a one-page essay about anything they want-
ed.
"A lot of them were about sports, and me

growing up and wanting to play college foot-
ball, and playing in the NFL and beating Barry
Sanders' rushing records in Detroit," Kevin
recalled.
While they were writing, running or playing
catch, they developed a relationship beyond
any typical teammates. Their family will tell
you Kevin is the laid-back, quiet brother, and
Kelvin is feisty and inquisitive. They might be
best friends, but they are also each other's
fiercest competitors.
When Kelvin was five and Kevin seven, the
brothers were playing basketball at their East
Grand Rapids home. Being the larger, older
brother, Kevin would post Kelvin up and shoot
the ball over his smaller brother.
Kelvin lost. He didn't like it.
So when the boys went into the house, Kel-
vin had a present for Kevin.
"He actually came in the house and threw
a rock at me inside the house," Kevin recalled
with a laugh. "He was so mad that he had
lost."
The rock hit a door instead of Kevin. Kevin
remembers their father wasn't too happy;
Kelvin's a little blurry on the details.
Neither brother has lost their competitive
edge through the years, but their bond has
grown. Despite Kevin's heralded high school
rushing success, Kelvin said he's never tried
to compare himself to Kevin.
See GRADY, Page'7B