Every college football player runs into his own unique apocalypse at some point in his career. For Michigan running back Mike Hart, the 2007 Rose Bowl was his day.
After the Wolverines’ worst season in 23 years, a seven-win 2005 that culminated in a loss to Nebraska in the Alamo Bowl, life on the football field seemed to return to normal in Ann Arbor.
Michigan’s first 11 games in 2006 were a course of near-perfection – an undefeated climb to the top of the BCS standings, headed by nine 100-yard rushing games from their leader in the backfield.
But by the end of last season, all that was left for Hart and the Wolverines was a familiar taste of year-end defeat. The Big Ten’s leading rusher was stymied by USC’s defense, held to a season-low 47 yards in a 32-18 loss to the Trojans. For the fourth straight year, Michigan was sent home without a bowl trophy.
“It’s never good to end a season like that, ever,” Hart said. “If we had won last year, I’d still be just as hungry to come back and do it again. I never like losing. It’s never OK with me.”
Hart burst onto the college football scene three years ago with the smallest of backgrounds. At Central Onondaga High School, just outside Syracuse, N.Y., he took his game to an unprecedented stage. He holds national records for career touchdowns (204), consecutive 100-yard rushing games (47) and career points (1,246).
But the opportunity for Hart to run to those records was built from scratch. Two years before he started high school, Onondaga’s football program was non-existent – canceled for five years due to a lack of interest.
It was the arrival of Hart that not only brought back the sport, but jump-started the program to a winning tradition. The tailback ran for 11,232 yards on 935 carries, leading his team to its first three state titles. Before too long, crowds were in the thousands to watch the running back, which prepared him well for the scene at Michigan.
“When I was in high school, the games were big for such a small town,” he said. “But at Michigan we have a worldwide team. Wherever you go, somebody’s wearing a UMich shirt and hat. When you go somewhere like that, every game is huge and you have to perform.”
Wolverines head coach Lloyd Carr lured Hart away from several other perennial bowl bid programs, including Notre Dame, Miami and Virginia Tech. While his yardage totals attract a great deal of attention, Carr’s focus was on his other skills.
“He’s very unselfish,” Carr said. “You don’t have to take Mike Hart out on third down, because he can catch the football. On the other downs, he’s a great pass protector. He’s an absolute pleasure to coach.”
But Hart’s strengths are far from a pleasure to opposing defenses. The Michigan running back singlehandedly took his team on his shoulders after cohort Chad Henne left Michigan’s worst home loss since 1968 against Oregon with a knee injury. He guaranteed victory against Notre Dame – a carnal sin in competitive sports – and produced, running 35 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns.
“We’re gonna have to be a lot more physical tackling against them,” Northwestern senior linebacker Adam Kadela said. “He’s a great running back. He runs hard and if you try to arm tackle him, he’ll be laughing as he runs past you.”
Hart’s season began on the highest of notes – he was named preseason player of the year in August by the Big Ten. But while he took his award with open arms, his goal is to bring something home in January.
“It’s a great honor to be picked as a team and for me to be picked,” Hart said. “But it doesn’t mean anything. I want to be there at the end of year. If I’m there then, that will be great.”
Reach Chris Gentilviso at [email protected].
