1997 Michigan Wolverines Football Team
The 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team represented the University of Michigan in the 1997 Big Ten Conference football season. In its third year under head coach Lloyd Carr, Michigan compiled a perfect 12–0 record, won the Big Ten Conference championship, defeated Washington State in the 1998 Rose Bowl, and was declared the national champion by the Associated Press. The Wolverines finished second to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in the Coaches Poll, resulting in a split national championship. Michigan's defense was led by cornerback and Heisman Trophy-winner Charles Woodson. Woodson, who intercepted eight passes and also scored touchdowns via pass receptions, runs from scrimmage and punt return, became the first primarily defensive player to win the Heisman. Woodson and defensive end Glen Steele were both first-team selections on the 1997 College Football All-America Team. Other standouts on defense included linebackers James Hall with 8.5 quarterback sacks, Sam Sword w ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1896, it predates the founding of its regulating organization, the NCAA. It is based in the Chicago area in Rosemont, Illinois. For many decades the conference consisted of 10 universities, and it has 14 members and 2 affiliate institutions. The conference competes in the NCAA Division I and its football teams compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), formerly known as Division I-A, the highest level of NCAA competition in that sport. Big Ten member institutions are major research universities with large financial endowments and strong academic reputations. Large student enrollment is a hallmark of its universities, as 12 of the 14 members enroll more than 30,000 students. They are largely state public universities; found ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work. It is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust in early December before the postseason bowl games. The award was created by the Downtown Athletic Club in 1935 to recognize "the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi", and was first awarded to University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger. After the death in October 1936 of the club's athletic director, John Heisman, the award was named in his honor and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi. Heisman had been active in college athletics as a football player; a head football, basketball, and baseball coach; and an athletic director. It is the oldest of several overall awards in college football, including the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Award, and th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Dhani Jones
Dhani Makalani Jones (born February 22, 1978) is a former American football linebacker who played for eleven seasons in the National Football League. He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines football, Michigan Wolverines, earning All-Big Ten Conference, Big Ten honors for three straight seasons. He was selected by the New York Giants in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL Draft and played for the team for four seasons. Jones also played for the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cincinnati Bengals. In addition to his football career, Jones hosted the Travel Channel series ''Dhani Tackles the Globe'' and the VH1 show ''Ton of Cash''. Jones also was on the CNBC series ''Adventure Capitalists''. Early years Jones attended middle school at Cabin John Middle School in Potomac, Maryland, where he played basketball. As a senior at Winston Churchill High School (Maryland), Winston Churchill High School in Potomac, Jones was an All-Met, All-Western Region, and an All-County pick, and a ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Tackle (football Move)
Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling are to dispossess an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend. The word is used in some contact variations of football to describe the act of physically holding or wrestling a player to the ground. In others, it simply describes one or more methods of contesting for possession of the ball. It can therefore be used as both a defensive or attacking move. Name origin In Middle Dutch, the verb meant to grab or to handle. By the 14th century, this had come to be used for the equipment used for fishing, referring to the rod and reel, etc., and also for that used in sailing, referring to rigging, equipment, or gear used on ships. By the 18th century, a similar use was applied to harnesses or equipment used with horses. Modern use in football comes from the earlier sport of rugby, where the word was used in the 19th ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Sam Sword
Sam Lee-Arthur Sword (born December 9, 1974) is a former American football player. A native of Saginaw, Michigan, Sword played college football as a linebacker for the University of Michigan from 1995 to 1998. He was the leading tackler on the undefeated 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team that led the country in scoring defense and total defense and was ranked #1 in the final AP Poll. He led Michigan in tackles for three consecutive years, and his 265 solo tackles ranks third in school history. Sword also played four seasons of professional football as a linebacker and on special teams in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland Raiders in 1999 and for the Indianapolis Colts from 2000 to 2002. He appeared in 45 NFL games, eight as a starter, and registered 66 tackles. Early years Sword was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1974. He attended Arthur Hill High School in Saginaw. Sword played football, basketball and baseball at Arthur Hill. He played middle lineback ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Quarterback Sack
In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in the " pocket" and without clear intent, or when a passer runs out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage due to defensive pressure. This often occurs if the opposing team's defensive line, linebackers or defensive backs are able to apply pass pressure (also called a pass rush) to quickly get past blocking players of the offensive team (the quarterback's protection), or if the quarterback is unable to find a back to hand the ball off to or an available eligible receiver (including wide receivers, running backs and tight ends) to catch the ball, allowing the defense a longer opportunity to tackle the quarterback. Performing a sack is advantageous for the defending team as the offense loses a down, and the line of scrimmage retreats several ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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James Hall (American Football)
James Bradford Hall (born February 4, 1977) is a former American football defensive end. He played in the National Football League (NFL) with the Detroit Lions from 2000 to 2006 and St. Louis Rams from 2007 to 2011. Hall signed for the Lions as an undrafted free agent in 2000. He played college football at the University of Michigan, where he was three-year starter for the Michigan Wolverines and a member of the national championship 1997 team. Early years Hall earned All-State honors as senior at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans. after totaling 67 tackles, eight sacks, and one interception as senior. College career At the University of Michigan, Hall majored in sports marketing and administration and was a three-year starting defensive end for the Michigan Wolverines. Hall had 185 tackles and 25 sacks in his career. Coming off the bench for 11 games, Hall had 17 tackles and three sacks as a redshirt freshman in 1996. Then in 1997, when Michigan won the AP National Ch ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, playing closer to the line of scrimmage than the defensive backs (secondary), but farther back than the defensive linemen. As such, linebackers play a hybrid role and are often the most versatile players on the defensive side of the ball; they can be asked to play roles similar to either a defensive lineman (such as stopping the runner on a running play) or a defensive back (such as dropping back into pass coverage). How a linebacker plays their position depends on the defensive alignment, the philosophy of the coaching staff, and the particular play the offense may call. Linebackers are divided into middle linebackers, sometimes called inside linebackers, and outside linebackers. The middle linebacker, often called "Mike", is frequently ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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1997 College Football All-America Team
The 1997 College Football All-America Team is composed of the following All-American Teams: Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, American Football Coaches Association, Walter Camp Foundation, ''The Sporting News'' and ''Football News''. The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to such a list selected by football pioneer Walter Camp in the 1890s. The NCAA officially recognizes All-Americans selected by the AP, AFCA, FWAA, TSN, and the WCFF to determine Consensus All-Americans. Offense Quarterback *Peyton Manning, Tennessee (AP-1, AFCA, FWAA, WCFF, FN) *Ryan Leaf, Washington State (AP-2, TSN) *Cade McNown, UCLA (AP-3) Running backs *Ricky Williams, Texas (AP-1, AFCA-Coaches, FWAA-Writers, WCFF, TSN, FN) * Curtis Enis, Penn State (AP-1, FWAA-Writers, WCFF) * Skip Hicks, UCLA (AP-2, AFCA-Coaches, T ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Glen Steele
James Lendale Steele Jr. (; born October 4, 1974) is a former professional American football defensive lineman who played his entire six-year National Football League career with the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals selected him in the 1998 NFL Draft. He is also former All-American defensive end for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team and was a member of the undefeated national champion 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team. Early life and college career Steele attended West Noble High School, just outside Ligonier, Indiana. Steele, who wore No. 81 for the Michigan Wolverines, redshirted as a freshman in during the 1993 season and earned varsity letters in each of the subsequent four seasons from 1994 to 1997. He played for the 1997 Michigan Wolverines football team that won a national championship. He won the Richard Katcher Award as the top Michigan defensive lineman in 1997. Steele had 45 tackles for loss and 24 career quarterback sacks at Michigan, second most ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Defensive End
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is played. History Early formations, with six- and seven-man line defense, seven-man lines, used the end as a containment player, whose job was first to prevent an "end run" around his position, then secondarily to force plays inside. When most teams adopted a five-man line, two different styles of end play developed: "crashing" ends, who rushed into the backfield to disrupt plays, and "stand-up" or "waiting" ends, who played the more traditional containment style. Some teams would use both styles of end play, depending on game situations. Traditionally, defensive ends are in a three-point stance, with their free hand cocked back ready to "punch" an offensive lineman, or in a two-point stance like a strong safety ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |
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Punt Return
In gridiron football, a punt is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. The most common use of this tactic is to punt the ball downfield to the opposing team, usually on the final down, with the hope of giving the receiving team a field position that is more advantageous to the kicking team when possession changes. The result of a typical punt, barring any penalties or extraordinary circumstances, is a first down for the receiving team. A punt is not to be confused with a drop kick, a kick ''after'' the ball hits the ground, now rare in both American and Canadian football. The type of punt leads to different motion of the football. Alex Moffat invented the now-common spiral punt, as opposed to end-over-end. Description A punt in gridiron football is a kick performed by dropping the ball from the hands and then kicking the ball before it hits the ground. In football, the offense has a limited number of downs, or p ... [...More Info...]       [...Related Items...]     OR:     [Wikipedia]   [Google]   [Baidu]   |