After attending Canton McKinley High School, where they won the 1981 Ohio High School Athletic Association football championships,[1] he went to the University of Michigan where he became the only freshmanvarsity letter winner on the football team in 1983.[2] Rivers, who wore #13 as a Wolverine,[3] started 32 consecutive games until a shoulder injury caused him to end the streak. He posted six interceptions in his Michigan career, including one for a touchdown.[2] Another one during the same season was a game saving interception in the 1986 Fiesta Bowl in a 27–23 victory over the Nebraska Cornhuskers football team.[4] Rivers started 12 of the 13 games his senior season for the Big Ten Conference champions and was one of three All-Americans (along with Jumbo Elliott & Jim Harbaugh) that season as the team went 11–2 and was invited to the Rose Bowl.[5] Rivers once had 17 tackles and an assist as a sophomore defensive back in a game against the 1984 National Champion Brigham Young Cougars football team in the 1984 Holiday Bowl.[6] 17 tackles continues to stand alone as a school single game record.[7]
His college athletic career was not without controversy. He was named by Michigan Football coach and Michigan Wolverinesathletic directorBo Schembechler as one of two players (the other being Robert Perryman) who had transgressed National Collegiate Athletic Association rules in violation of their amateur status. According to Schembechler, both players had signed contracts and accepted loans from agents before their college eligibility expired.[8] Schembechler testified in a Federal District Court case involving charges of mail fraud and racketeering against Norby Walters and Lloyd Bloom. According to Schembechler, Rivers had denied having entered into an agreement before the team's 1986 NCAA Division I-A football season had ended in a meeting with him, but confessed in a Federal Bureau of Investigation meeting. Because the investigation occurred late in the Spring academic term at Michigan, River's athletic scholarship in the form tuition and room and board had already been fully paid by the university. However, when Rivers returned to Michigan in 1988 to complete his degree, the university did not provide a scholarship for which he would have otherwise been eligible.[8]
Garland Rivers played for several years in the Arena Football League as a wide receiver and linebacker. He mostly played on defense. He played for the Albany Firebirds for 1990 and 1991. The Firebirds qualified for the 4-team 1991 AFL playoffs as the #4 seed and lost to the #1 seed Detroit Drive in the first round. Then, he played for the Arizona Rattlers in 1992 and 1993.[13] The Rattlers qualified for 8-team the 1993 AFL playoffs as the #4 seed and advanced to the second round before losing to the #1 seed Detroit Drive.
Rivers was inducted into the Stark High School Hall of Fame in 2012.[14] His son Jewone Snow, by Linda Snow, is a form McKinley Bulldogs (class of 2010) football standout. Snow is the sister of Percy Snow and Eric Snow, who were also standout athletes for McKinley.[15] Jewone went to college at West Virginia where he joined the football team.[16] Rivers is the father of three sons and two daughters.[14]
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler Jr. was an American college football player, coach, and athletic administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234 wins, 65 losses and 8 ties. Only Nick Saban, Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne have recorded 200 victories in fewer games as a coach in major college football. In his 21 seasons as the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines, Schembechler's teams amassed a record of 194–48–5 and won or shared 13 Big Ten Conference titles. Though his Michigan teams never won a national championship, in all but one season they finished ranked, and 16 times they placed in the final top ten of both major polls.
Robert William Lytle was an American football running back who played for the Denver Broncos in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons.
Harold E. "Butch" Woolfolk is an American former professional football player who was a running back and kick returner in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines (1978–1981) before playing in the NFL for the New York Giants (1982–1984), Houston Oilers (1985–1986) and Detroit Lions (1987–1988). Woolfolk attended Westfield Senior High School in Westfield, New Jersey. Woolfolk led Michigan in rushing three straight years and set the school record with 3,850 rushing yards while playing for the Wolverines from 1978 to 1981. As a sophomore in 1979, he was the Big Ten Conference scoring champion, and he went on to become a three-time first-team All-Big Ten selection. He had his best season as a senior at Michigan, winning the 1981 Big Ten rushing title and falling just 10 yards short of Rob Lytle's single-season rushing yards record. He was also selected in 1981 as the Most Valuable Player of both the Rose Bowl played January 1, 1981, and the Bluebonnet Bowl played December 31, 1981, as well as the Wolverines' team MVP for the season.
James Walter Morris is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and New England Patriots and for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Michigan Wolverines football team represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins in college football history. The team is known for its distinctive winged helmet, its fight song, its record-breaking attendance figures at Michigan Stadium, and its many rivalries, particularly its annual, regular season-ending game against Ohio State, known simply as "The Game," once voted as ESPN's best sports rivalry.
Thomas Vincent Darden is an American former professional football player who was a safety and punt returner for the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League (NFL). The Ohio native is memorable for important plays in both the Michigan–Ohio State football rivalry and the Bengals–Browns rivalry.
James Michael Mandich, also known as "Mad Dog", was an American professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). Mandich played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1967 to 1969 and was recognized as a consensus first-team tight end on the 1969 College Football All-America Team. A second-round pick in the 1970 NFL draft, he played in the NFL for the Miami Dolphins (1970-1977) and Pittsburgh Steelers (1978). After his playing career ended, he worked as the color commentator for the Miami Dolphins and also hosted a sports talk show on local AM radio in Miami.
Walt Downing is a former American football player. He played professional football as an offensive guard for the San Francisco 49ers from 1978 to 1983. He played for Bill Walsh and was a member of the 1981 San Francisco 49ers team that won the franchise's first Super Bowl. He also played for the Denver Gold in the USFL. Downing played college football for Bo Schembechler at the University of Michigan from 1975 to 1977. He was a co-captain of the 1977 Michigan Wolverines football team and was selected that year as a first-team All-American.
Donald Patrick Dufek Jr. is a former American football player who played safety and special teams for eight seasons with the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He had previously played for the Michigan Wolverines football team in Ann Arbor from 1973 to 1975. He was chosen to serve as team captain for both the Seahawks and Wolverines.
Richard Powers is a former running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns and a former University of Michigan Wolverines football co-captain. In the NFL, he had a brief career with the Browns during their final season before they relocated to become the Baltimore Ravens. His career ended due to being lost in the shuffle when the Browns moved to Baltimore and changed coaching staffs. In college, he set the Michigan football freshman rushing record that stood for fourteen seasons, and as a sophomore was the leading rusher for the team during Desmond Howard's Heisman Trophy-winning season. With the Wolverines, he was a member of three consecutive Big Ten Conference football championship teams. In high school, he was the Parade All-American star running back of the two-time Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) football championship team at Buchtel High School, where he has returned to coach baseball and football.
Dennis E. Franklin is a former professional American football player who was drafted by the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in the 1975 NFL draft. Prior to playing for the NFL he played college football as a quarterback at the University of Michigan from 1971 to 1974. He was the starting quarterback for the Michigan Wolverines from 1972 to 1974. He was recruited by Michigan after starring for the Massillon High School football team in Ohio. Franklin is known as Michigan's first black quarterback.
Gordon Granville Bell is an American former professional football player who was a running back, kickoff returner and punt returner who played for the Michigan Wolverines from 1973 to 1975, and professionally for the New York Giants (1976-1977) and St. Louis Cardinals (1978) of the National Football League (NFL).
John Vitale was an American football player. He played college football as a center and offensive guard for the University of Michigan from 1985 to 1988. He was selected as a consensus All-American center in 1988. He later played professional football for the San Antonio Riders of the World League of American Football (WLAF) in 1991 and the Detroit Drive of the Arena Football League (AFL) from 1993 to 1994.
William Lewis Taylor is a former professional American and Canadian football running back who played for Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) after starring for the University of Michigan Wolverines. At Michigan, he became an All-American and broke the school record for career rushing yardage and finished second to Tom Harmon in scoring.
Harlan Charles Huckleby is a former professional American football running back and kick returner who was drafted by the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). Over the course of his NFL career he accumulated nearly 2500 all-purpose yards, with over half of that being return yards. He had played for three Michigan Wolverines football Big Ten Conference Champions. He also was a member of the Michigan Wolverines track team for one season where he became a Big Ten Champion and All-American as a member of the 4x400m relay race team. He had also been a four-time Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) state champion in track and field. He played high school football at Cass Technical High School, graduating in 1975.
Michael Taylor is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1971 and was a consensus All-American in 1971. He played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets in 1972 and 1973. He also played for the Detroit Wheels in the World Football League in 1974.
Thomas Wilcher is a college football administrator for Michigan State University and former high school athletic coach and teacher as well as a former National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I track and field and college football athlete for the University of Michigan. He was the NCAA Division I Men's Indoor Track and Field Championships national champion in the indoor 55 m hurdles and a three-time NCAA All-American in track and field. Wilcher was also a running back for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 1983–1986. In his redshirt senior year, he was a member of the Big Ten Conference football champion team as well as a 110 m hurdles Big Ten individual champion. Wilcher was a 9th round selection by the San Diego Chargers in the 1987 NFL draft.
John T. White was a college football assistant coach, and a second-team 1947 College Football All-American center who played for national championship teams at both the University of Michigan and Ohio State University. White also played basketball for the Ohio State Buckeyes men's basketball team. Although White was drafted to play professional football, he chose to pursue a career as an assistant football coach for both the Michigan Wolverines and Penn State Nittany Lions football teams. He served as an assistant coach for a national champion at Michigan and three undefeated and untied seasons at Penn State. White served in the United States Army during World War II causing a break in his collegiate education.
Gerald Eugene White is a former American football running back in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of Michigan.
Dennis John Franks was an American professional football player in the National Football League (NFL). He was a center and played on special teams for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1978 and for the Detroit Lions in 1979. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1972 to 1974. He was the starting center in all 11 games for the 1974 Michigan Wolverines football team that began its season with ten consecutive wins before losing to Ohio State 10–12 in the final game of the season. Franks was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten Conference center in 1974.
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