Wolverines Heading East: Our Team Trip Daily Blog
Football's 2023 Spring Trip
The University of Michigan football team continues its series of educational and experiential learning opportunities for student-athletes this spring with a trip including stops across the eastern part of the United States. The one-week trip will bring the Wolverines to New York City, Washington D.C., Gettysburg, and will also include stops at the Rock and Roll and Pro Football Halls of Fame. Across these locations, the team will visit some of the most culturally and historically significant places in America. Follow the Wolverines on social media and with a daily travel log on MGoBlue.com.
DAY 7: Following breakfast and a short drive over to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, team members made their way through a 90-minute tour viewing some of the most entertaining performers and bands in music history. Lunch was available following tours, and the team then boarded buses for an hour-long drive to Canton to visit the Pro Football Hall of Fame. There, players toured the facility and learned of some of the game's pioneers, with visits to the former Michigan Wolverine players to grace the hallowed halls: Dan Dierdorf, Benny Friedman, Bill Hewitt, Steve Hutchinson, Ty Law, Tom Mack, and Charles Woodson. After an early dinner at the Hall, the team made its way back to Ann Arbor around 7 p.m.
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DAY 6: The Wolverines hit the road early, making their way from D.C. to Gettysburg, Pa. After lunch at the Gettysburg Hotel, Steven Wiley from the Lincoln Leadership Institute at Gettysburg spoke to the team about what are the qualities of a great leader and how it applied to the battlefield at Gettysburg and the parallels to the game of football. The team traveled through the Gettysburg Military Park Museum and Battlefield learning about the biggest battle waged on American soil. Later in the afternoon, the team made its way to Cleveland with a short flight from Harrisburg Airport to get set up for the final day of the trip.
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DAY 5: The team's final full day in the nation's capital began with a morning visit to Arlington National Cemetery. Those in attendance learned about the sacrifices made in defense of our country by those who are laid to rest there and witnessed the Changing of the Guard. The team visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and participated in a public wreath ceremony. Four individuals -- Michael Barrett, Cornelius Johnson, J.J. McCarthy, and Rod Moore -- had the honor of laying the wreath. Lunch was held at Farmers Fishers Bakers in Georgetown. Players then had a chance to take advantage of a range of activities, choosing to spend time at one of the following locations: the Holocaust Museum, the American History Museum, the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum, the National Portrait Gallery, and the National Mall/Washington Monument. At night, the team got a unique tour of special memorial and monument sites, including World War II, Vietnam, Lincoln, Korean War and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. memorials.
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DAY 4: To start the day, the Maize and Blue spent time touring the U.S. Capitol building. The team was hosted by Michigan State Representative Debbie Dingell and was joined by many members of Michigan’s congressional delegation from the area. Lunch was provided by U-M Law School Alum Broderick Johnson at Comcast Headquarters where the Wolverines learned about digital equity. Following lunch, the team saw two more historic government locations -- the Supreme Court and the Library of Congress. To close out the night, the team took in a baseball game at Nationals Park where the Nats hosted the Chicago Cubs.
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DAY 3: The team began its first full day in D.C. with a visit to the African American History Museum. The informative museum pieces and powerful stories told generated dialogue for everyone in attendance. The afternoon included a trip to the International Spy Museum, where the team learned about the history of real-life spies and saw the largest collection of international espionage artifacts ever placed on public display. The evening concluded with a team outing at Pinstripes, where everyone enjoyed a night of bowling, bocce, and games thanks to donors Jeremy and Robin London.
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DAY 2: With heavy rain in the area, Wolverine players and staffers spent the early part of the day on a bus tour around the city. The many sights and locations included Trinity Church, the New York Stock Exchange/Wall Street, Little Italy, Chinatown, Madison Square Garden, Times Square, Radio City Music Hall, Central Park, 5th Avenue, Rockefeller Center, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Buses also stopped at Ground Zero and the 9/11 Memorial and Museum to reflect on an important day in American history, one which many current roster members were not alive for or have no memory of experiencing. Once tours were complete, the team made its way to Grand Central Station before taking a train from Penn Station to arrive in the nation's capital, Washington D.C. After checking into the hotel, the team relaxed with an evening at Top Golf.
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DAY 1: Following an early breakfast and flight, the Wolverines arrived in New York City through Newark Airport. After lunch, the first stop for the team was the Statue of Liberty, where the group witnessed up close the national monument that was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the United States and is recognized as a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. Later in the afternoon, the roster was divided into groups based on their professional interests as they explored educational opportunities in Real Estate, Finance, Sports Industry, and the FBI. Former Wolverines Dave Pearson and Jamar Adams, the NFL’s Brian Rolapp, and members of the New York division of the FBI, led the different sessions and provided real-world knowledge from which players could learn. The team enjoyed dinner at Bond 45 thanks to donor Tim Smith, attended Broadway performances, and finished the evening with nighttime viewings of the Empire State Building and Times Square.
?? + Times Square #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/UAJZrjGssA
— Michigan Football (@UMichFootball) April 29, 2023
U??ICH at NYSE ?? @UMichFootball took a tour of the Trading Floor and brought that friday energy! #GoBlue @UMich @jjmccarthy09 pic.twitter.com/Rx07HAJs9d
— NYSE ?? (@NYSE) April 28, 2023
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