9 0
0 0
0
It's almost dusk at Holloway Field, the site of Pioneer High School's
football games every Thursday and Friday. Russ Furrha is checking his
reflection in the car window before walking to the field, the site of many
of Russ's own athletic exploits now nearly four years past. He needs to
make sure his faux-hawk is perfectly quaffed. He's at a photo shoot, after
all, and must be ready for his close-up.
"I don't think I've been here in four years," Russ
remarks to no one in particular.
Pat Collins and Will Heininger, two of Russ's for-
mer teammates at Pioneer and current teammates
on the Michigan football team, meet us at the field.
They find a small openingin the right wingofthe gate
surrounding the stands, and the three walk through
the tunnel under the bleachers that leads to the field.
There's a new sign above the tunnel's exit. It's a quote
from John Wooden:
Success travels in the company of very hard work.
There is no trick, no easy way.
"That quote's stupid," Pat says.
Will looks at him, slightly surprised. "Come on,
that's a great quote. You just don't like it because it's
new."
The trio shuffles under the sign and onto the field.
Alex Linkner, a student manager for the football team
and a fellow Pioneer grad, throws Pat a football he
swiped from Schembechler Hall after practice. The
guys toss it around against the backdrop of the set-
ting sun.
You can see the skyline of downtown Ann Arbor
quite clearly from the top row of the stands of the
Holloway Field. But the most dominant form on the
landscape is Michigan Stadium, just across Stadium
Boulevard. The Big House. The colossal stadium
functions as a physical manifestation of the omni-
present entity that is Michigan football inAnn Arbor.
Without a doubt it is the city's most recognizable
landmark - at times it seems almost too big for Ann
Arbor, whose entire population amounts to less than
the Stadium's capacity.
The three Michigan football players tossing the
football around at Holloway field were once small
boys who idolized Tom Brady, Anthony Thomas and
Charles Woodson. They went to every home game.
They were fans, just like so many young boys grow-
ingup in Ann Arbor.
The trio offers a unique glimpse into the con-
nection between Ann Arbor the town and the Uni-
versity Michigan football team. Looking across the
street from Holloway Field to Michigan Stadium, as
these three have countless times, makes the distance
between the two seem small. But in reality, there is
still a vast gap.
Will, Pat and Russ bridged the gap.
With South Park on in the background, the con-
versation at Linkner's Ann Arbor apartment turns to
high school. Specifically, to Will in high school.
"Will, his nickname in our group of friends has
always been 'Giant,' " Linker says, sitting beside me
on his couch. Will is sitting in a chair to the right of
us. "He's always been a very large human being. In
high school, you never imagined he'd be able to get
that much bigger..."
Will interrupts absent-mindedly. He's engrossed
in peeling a banana. "Come on, it's because of my per-
sonality, too."
Linkner continues without a pause. "...But he gets
here and you look at pictures from back then, and he
looks like a small giant," Linkner says. "Now, he's just
a huge, huge giant."
It's true. At 6-foot-6 and almost 270 pounds, Will is
4B I FootballSaturday, September 18, 2010
TheMichiganDaily, www.michigandaily.com 5B