The 2011 Mott Spring Game featuring the University of Michigan Wolverines football team and its alumni is less than three days away and the program hopes to exceed the estimated crowd of 50,000 fans that watched last year’s final practice at Michigan Stadium.
The spring game is free to the public, but the football team and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital have partnered in a fund raiser for the new hospital scheduled to open in Fall 2012.
The 132nd team in school history will take the Big House field for warm-ups at approximately 11:20 am. The final spring practice will start at noon EDT and will be broadcast by the Big Ten Network.
Following is a list of everything you need to know about the annual spring game and activities:
Desmond Howard Returns as Honorary Captain: Michigan’s 1991 Heisman Trophy and current ESPN College Game Day analyst Desmond Howard will be the Honorary Captain for the Mott Spring Game. Howard will be present for the alumni game, spring game and Mott Hospital functions.
Victors Classic: Former U-M football players will be split into the maize and blue teams and will match wits in the third annual alumni flag football game starting at 10 a.m. Over 85 former football players from five different decades will participate.
NFL Players to Attend Spring Game: Some of the current NFL players scheduled to be in attendance are Steve Breaston (Arizona Cardinals), Prescott Burgess (Baltimore Ravens), Braylon Edwards (New York Jets), James Hall (St. Louis Rams), Mike Hart (Indianapolis Colts), Marlin Jackson (Philadelphia Eagles), Zoltan Mesko (New England Patriots), Ryan Mundy (Pittsburgh Steelers) and LaMarr Woodley (Pittsburgh Steelers).
Hockey Team to Receive Recognition: The Michigan men’s ice hockey team, the 2011 NCAA runner-up, will be honored during one of the breaks at the Mott Spring Game. The Wolverines played for the national title last Saturday (April 9), falling 3-2 in overtime to Minnesota-Duluth. The Wolverines completed the season with a 29-11-4 record this season and won the CCHA regular season championship.
Matt Giraud to Sign National Anthem: Former “American Idol” contestant Matt Giraud is going to sing the national anthem for the game. A Kalamazoo, Mich., native, he was born in Dearborn and graduated from Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti (2003).
Radio Broadcast: Ann Arbor’s Sports Talk 1050 AM WTKA will have the exclusive broadcast of Michigan’s spring football weekend activities. Ira Weintraub and Steve Clarke will be broadcasting live from the booth and Sam Webb will be roaming the sidelines during the day’s activities. The station will begin broadcasting Saturday at 9:30 a.m. and carry the former player’s flag football game and the final spring practice in its entirety on its airwaves.
Michigan Rewind: The athletic department’s online football recap show will have a complete highlight package and interviews with Brady Hoke and players available on MGoBlue.com following the conclusion of the final practice.
Inside Michigan Football: The final show of the spring will air on Thursday, April 21, at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The 30-minute behind-the-scenes look at Michigan football will recap the spring game and all the activities surrounding the partnership with C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.
Big Ten Network Broadcast: Matt Shepard (play-by-play) and former Wolverine offensive lineman Jon Jansen (analyst) will broadcast Michigan’s spring game live on Big Ten Network starting at noon EDT. In addition to the practice game footage, the network will feature post-scrimmage interviews with head coach Brady Hoke and players.
Paul M. Banks is CEO of The Sports Bank.net , a Midwest webzine. He’s also a regular contributor to Chicago Now, Walter Football.com, Yardbarker, and Fox Sports
He does a regular guest spot each week for Chicagoland Sports Radio.com You can follow him on Twitter @thesportsbank