Buying a Michigan Wolverines Football Jersey: Which Number’s Right?
Go to any Michigan sports club or bar, you’ll see fans all wearing Michigan jerseys. Go to any home game at the Big House, half the students will wear jerseys and the other half will either wear blue or maize, depending on what color day it is. So, naturally, if you go to UMich, you’re going to want to buy a jersey yourself, but which jersey do you buy? They only have a few numbers that are printed so the choices are pretty limited.
Take this case for example. Two years ago, Chris Perry was the top running back probably in the nation. He set school records that year and pretty much led the Wolverines to a Rose Bowl appearance. His number was 23. At the beginning of the year, his number was pretty hard to find and when someone did find it and buy it, he was the envy of all his friends. But, look at Chris Perry now: he’s in the NFL as a first round pick but he hasn’t really done much. Sure, they project him to break out this season, but no on really knows right? So, if you were to wear the 23 now, would people relate you to Chris Perry or Max Martin, the current second string running back that wears that same number? Most people won’t care, but you want to be proud of the number you wear. Sure, Max Martin isn’t a bad back, he’s supposed to get a lot of play time this year because he’s that good. Still though, he’s not the number one running back.
So, knowing that situation with Chris Perry, do you repeat that feat again by buying Mike Hart’s jersey, number 20? He’s one heck of a running back, setting more school records and carring the ball 230 times before a fumble, all in his freshman year. He’s definitely going to be around for the next several years so the number 20 will last at least two more years. But what about after that? Mike Hart is so small, will he suceed in the NFL? Will he be that great of a player that if you were to wear 20 many years later people will know you’re wearing the Mike Hart jersey like they would if you wore Charles Woodson’s number 2?
Take number 7 for example, the second of fivenumbers that are currently being printed. The number 7 has had a good history in Michigan. It belonged to Drew Henson, even though he’s considered a traitor by many Wolverines because he promised four years but left after three, and not even to the NFL. Now he’s struggling there to keep the job as a second string QB with the Dallas Cowboys. Nonetheless, he was an awesome QB at Michigan and could have led the Wolverines to a National Title if he had stayed. Who wears number 7 now? None other than Chad Henne, another great QB. Henne was the other spectacular freshman of last year who led the team to their second appearance at the Rose Bowl in consecutive years. Henne will definitely be around for the next few years as he’s only a sophomore now and he can only get better. He will end his career at Michigan as one of the greatest QBs so the number 7 seems like a safe bet. Plus, with the history of Henson wearing 7, there’s a good chance that another outstanding player will wear that same number again. But, the only problem is that almost every other MIchigan fan has that number.
The third number being printed is the number 8, worn by senior Jason Avant, wide reciever. Jason Avant is the under the radar go to guy. He’s a clutch reciever when it comes down to third down plays and hardly drops the ball. He’s physical and a real threat on the field. His presence was shadowed by the great Number One of last year, Braylon Edwards. Still, everyone in Michigan knows him and loves him, that’s why his number is being printed. The problem with Avant is that he’s not a flashy player. He just gets the job done. Not only that, this is his last year and who knows what’ll happen to that number. Number 8 jersey is a great number to have for this year, but maybe not for the years after. Again, who knows what’ll happen to him in the NFL; what if he becomes the next Jerry Rice?
The fourth number up for consideration is Stevie Breaston’s number: 15. Breaston is the flashy wideout that people will remember. Ranked as the 5th best playmaker in college football for the 05-06 season, he’s fast and a force to be reckoned with. The talk around sportscasters isn’t about Avant and his sure hands, it’s about Breaston and his speedy feet. They expect him to do great things this upcoming year as he plays both special teams as the kick and punt returner as well as a wide reciever. Not only that, because he came out of high school as a QB, he also has the option to throw in some trick plays as he did a few years back to John Navarre. So, with all the hype of Breaston and his performance in the past few years, there’s really no doubt that he’ll be one spectacular player this year. With that in mind and also knowing that sportscasters will be talking about him nation wide, his 15 is a good number to have. Not only that, he’s eligible for another year if he decides to come back for his senior year.
The last number is the classic number 1. Now, this may seem to be the safest bet because no matter who wears this jersey on the field, you know they earned it as it goes to the number 1 player on the team. The last two years it was given to Braylon Edwards and he showed not only Michigan fans, but all colllege football fans last year why he deserved that number. He made impossible plays and brought Michigan out of impossible situations. So, knowing that this jersey is always rewarded to the number one player, it’s definitely the safe way to go.
With this evaluations, the choices seem pretty hard. Do you want your number to last for years or do you want to root for the players that are on the field now? These choices can be narrowed down even further if you look at which numbers are available for the type of jersey that is sold. This upcoming season the Wolverines will dawn a new uniform. For non-fans, they may not notice the difference, but as subtle as it may be, there is a difference. So, retailers everywhere are selling three types of jerseys now: Authentic, Twill, and Replica. Breaking down these three and the numbers available will help narrow the down options.
First, Authentic. It’ll cost you $150 but your choices are only number 7 and 20 for the 05 uniform. The choices aren’t too great as $150 is a lot of money. The safe bet would be to hold off on that money and wait for number 1 to be reprinted, which will only happen when Michigan gets another number 1. And who knows when that’ll be?
Second Twill: Twill is the true replica of the Authentic as it looks just like it. The numbers are sewn on instead of screened printed. The material is better than the replica and it’s only $70. With this, your choices are a bit better: 7, 15, and 20. Now you have Stevie Breaston in the mix. In all honesty, this is probably the hardest to choose from. A safe way to go would be choosing which position you like the best or who you think might have the best chance in the NFL or who you like better, Henne, Hart, or Breaston.
Third, Replica: This is the “poor-man’s uniform” as it is the cheapest, selling for $50. All the numbers are available that were mentioned above in this type of jersey. However, the drawbacks for the number 1 jersey is that there is no number 1 on the 05-06 team. Are you willing to wear the number of a non-player knowing that there will be another number 1 in the future? Or, if you REALLY wanted Jason Avant’s number, this is the only way you’re going to get it.
Some of the numbers are really hard to find, like 15 and 8, 8 being the most rare. Usually you have to hit the local stores in Ann Arbor to get these jerseys.
So, the choices are now broken down to the players and the cost of the jersey. What’s the best number to get then? That’s the true dilemma of a Michigan Wolverine. It’s like choosing which kid you love more.
