Football Imports Bring Added Buzz to
1/14/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Track & Field
Jan. 14, 2010
By Brad Rudner, U-M Athletic Media Relations Graduate Intern
• Fred LaPlante on WTKA | The Dual Heat Sheets | Weekly Notes
No matter what the sport is or what the circumstances are, when Michigan and Ohio State hook up, expect to see a battle.
Perhaps the greatest rivalry in all of college athletics will be renewed this Saturday (Jan. 16) when Michigan hosts Ohio State for another edition of "The Dual" inside the Indoor Track Building. The season is just beginning for both of these storied track and field programs, but there is no shortage of storylines.
One such storyline deals with Michigan's two-sport athletes, two of which will be on display Saturday.
Following in the footsteps of former Wolverine gridiron greats like Harlan Huckleby, Desmond Howard, Tyrone Wheatley and Braylon Edwards, at least four University of Michigan football players will make the transition from the field to the track oval. Junior Troy Woolfolk (Sugar Land, Texas/Dulles) returns for another season with the team, and will be joined by a trio of freshmen: Je'Ron Stokes (Philadelphia, Pa./Northeast), Joe Reynolds (Rochester, Mich./Adams) and Denard Robinson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Deerfield Beach).
On Saturday, Robinson will showcase his speed in the 60-meter dash, while Reynolds will be in the 600-meter run.
"When I ran track in high school, I grew to love it," Robinson said. "I want to show what I can do."
"He's a naturally gifted runner," said Michigan head coach Fred LaPlante of Robinson. "He's got excellent top-end speed. We just need to work on his acceleration out of the blocks."
Robinson has plenty of speed. In high school, Robinson was timed as fast as 4.32 in the 40-yard dash and finished third in the 100-meter dash at the 2008 Florida 4A Track & Field State Championships. This fall, Robinson played quarterback for the U-M football team, showcasing his athletic ability with some long runs that dazzled the Big House faithful.
He earned the nickname "Shoelace" for his unusual habit of not tying his shoelaces when he runs. That might present a problem in track, but Robinson has it covered. Before practice Tuesday, he showed off his orange and black kicks, with a velcro strap in place of shoelaces.
LaPlante has leaned on former standout and new volunteer assistant Adam Harris (2006-09) to provide Robinson with a more "on the job" feel. Other than LaPlante himself, who coaches U-M's sprinters and hurdlers, there is nobody better to mentor Robinson than Harris, a three-time All-American and two-time Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year. Last year, Harris recorded school records in the 60-meter dash (6.60) and the 100-meter dash (10.09), arguably becoming one of the fastest men to ever don a Maize and Blue track uniform.
Robinson knows the history of his football predecessors. He wants to be included.
"I've heard of all the football players that have come over here and succeeded. I want to add my name to that list," Robinson said. "I'm just going to do the best I can and work as hard as I can."
Though not in the meet Saturday, Woolfolk will be a sprinter and Stokes will be a hurdler. Reynolds was recruited to Michigan for track, in addition to football. At Rochester Adams (Rochester Hills, Mich.), he was a three-time All-State selection and was a state champion in the 800-meter run as a junior. Stokes was a member of the Pennsylvania All-State 4x200-meter relay team as a junior. He ran the 100-meter dash in 10.8 seconds, the 200-meter dash in 22.6 seconds and the 110-meter hurdles in 14.1 seconds.
Woolfolk rejoins the roster while slowly working his way back from an injury. In 2008, he was a Big Ten champion as part of the 4x100-meter relay team (Outdoor). In high school, Woolfolk was a varsity letterwinner all four years in high school for Dulles and was a district champion in the 200-meter dash as a senior. This past season on the football field, Woolfolk recorded 46 tackles as a cornerback/safety. He is the son of former Michigan All-America tailback Butch Woolfolk (1978-81), who also dual-lettered in track and football.
LaPlante hopes he can take a leadership position among the other football guys, simply because he has been through the process before.
"Troy has a great sense of the commitment needed to balance football and track," LaPlante said. "He understands what he needs to do with football and what to do with track. He's a gifted sprinter, but he can't dedicate 100 percent of his time to track. With the experience he has, he can be helpful to the other football guys."
The four new imports will juggle offseason football conditioning with the normal track regiment. The track coaches work with the football staff, but they do not actively try to convince players to come out for the team. Rather, the players make the decision on their own, knowing their responsibilities during the offseason for football will not be any less demanding.
LaPlante knows their first sport is football. However, adding football players to a track roster only sweetens the deal.
"Some guys see it as an opportunity to improve their speed or skills that might help them in football," LaPlante said. "All of those guys like the atmosphere of track. The guys that come are the guys that like that individual competition. Every football guy we've ever had always bring a team-aspect to the atmosphere already here."
Unlike football, track can be as much of a team sport as it is an individual sport. It's a point that LaPlante tries to make.
"We want to begin the process of the season for our guys to be competitive, as part of a team," he said. "It's not just about them. It's about the people around them."
While the buzz surrounding the football players' arrival is large, LaPlante is quick to point out that they join a group of already-established track athletes. Senior thrower Sean Pruitt (Cato, Wis./Valders) was a Big Ten champion in the 35-lb. Weight and broke a school record last season with his throw of 69-4 (21.12 meters) last season at the Indiana Relays (Jan. 31, 2009).
The first event on Saturday is the weight throw, and LaPlante hopes Pruitt can give Michigan a quick boost.
"Our hope is that he can go out there and get a mammoth throw in to put us in front early," LaPlante said. "Out of all the athletes we have returning, Sean is probably the one that has been recognized on a national scale."
The other returning Big Ten champion on the roster is junior Carl Buchanon (South Bend, Ind./Clay) in the 400-meter hurdles (Outdoor). During last year's indoor season, senior distance runner Brandon Fellows (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island) and junior David St. Amant (Livonia, Mich./Churchill) joined Pruitt as first team All-Big Ten selections, while senior Sean McNamara (Elmhurst, Ill./York) was a second team selection.
Of the 52 student-athletes on the 2010 men's track and field roster, 30 are listed as redshirt sophomores or younger. To go even further, 24 of those 30 are freshmen (redshirt or true). Experience (or lack thereof) will be a component for the Michigan men this year, for better or worse.
LaPlante realizes you cannot teach experience, something the freshmen are going to find out real quick. In six of the 14 events for Saturday's meet, the number one performer on paper is a freshman.
"You don't know what that means," he said. "You just don't know what you are going to get when they face competition. It's a new world for them. They have to go out there and just deal with it. Find out what they are up against. It's a big factor early on."
Ohio State comes to Ann Arbor this week with what LaPlante says is their best team in 25 years.
"They have no weaknesses," LaPlante says.
The rivalry on and inside the oval between Michigan and Ohio State began way back in May 1907. The two teams renewed the rivalry for the first time since 1993 on Jan. 19, 2008, and have spent the last two seasons alternating between Ann Arbor and Columbus, facing each other twice -- once during the indoor season and once during the outdoor season.
The two teams earned a split last season, with both meets being decided by a total of 15 points. Ohio State took control of the "The Dual" banner during the indoor meet, 85-77. The Wolverines won it back during the outdoor meet, however, with a 105-98 victory. In the history of "The Dual", Michigan is 20-4 (indoor) and 28-10 (outdoor) all-time against the Buckeyes.
Despite Michigan's advantage in the records over Ohio State, LaPlante expects a tight battle. Would you expect anything less when Michigan and Ohio State meet?
"It will be an uphill battle for us on Saturday," LaPlante said. "We want to see our guys have the focus on every event, no matter what the score is, and to give a great performance. If we can do that, good things will happen. Our goal is to make this a competitive meet. You never know."
Contact: Brad Rudner (734) 763-4423
