#29 Marcus Ray

1994-1998
Position: Strong Safety
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Career Stats: 229 total Tackles, 10 Interceptions

Well I learned something new today.  Mr. Marcus Ray is from smack dab right in the middle of enemy territory.  In fact, he went to the same high school, Eastmoor, as that of Archie Griffin.

Ray was a hard-hitting safety with outstanding football instincts.  His best season was by far 1997,where he started all twelve games and was one of many key players on that top-ranked defense.  Those were the days when Michigan fans had the luxury of taking players like Ray for granted.  Just look at that defensive backfield.  Chuck, Marcus, Tommy Hendricks and Andre Weathers.

Ray rolled up the road to Michigan from Columbus and redshirted in 1994.  Touch the Banner has a nice little interview with Marcus from this past June where they talk off the field stuff, like his new book release, to his playing days with Charles Woodson.  Ray had this to say on why he chose Michigan over Ohio State…

As far as growing up, I’ve never liked the Buckeyes. I told someone I was born in [Ohio State] University hospital – I think I slapped the doctor and told my mom, ‘Let’s get out of here.’ Like, this place is not for me. Everyone down here loves Ohio State so much that my little, small personality at the time was that I wanted to be different…and once Michigan started recruiting me, my dreams started becoming reality.

First Play That Comes to Mind

When David Boston says this before #1 ranked Michigan plays against #4 ranked Ohio State…

“I play against better defensive backs than him [Michigan’s Charles Woodson] in practice every day.”

Ok, that’s probably not something you want to say if you aren’t going to back it up on the field.  I mean, you even had precedent to follow in Terry Glenn’s “Michigan is nothing” comment before the game in 1995.  How well did that workout for Glenn?  So, Boston talks, Michigan did their talking on the field.

First, Charles Woodson tells Boston to GTFO.  Then towards the end of the game in the fourth quarter, Marcus Ray tells Boston to STFD.  Roll the tape…

Check this stick Ray had against Notre Dame.  This came right after Chris Floyd made an ND defensive back look like he was made out of paper.

On Deck?

Who is going to be #12?  This wide receiver was one of Chad Henne’s favorite targets and his middle name is Cashmere.   

Video credit goes to Wolverine Historian.

Here we go.  Since mid-week last week there has been the Big Ten Media Day & Kickoff Luncheon, the BBQ at the Big House for recruits, and another nice commitment for next year’s class in Toledo Whitmer product Chris Wormley.  So, with only eight days until Fall Camp gets under way there is a lot happening and it’s an exciting time… (also, Michigan hoops picked up it’s 3rd commit for 2013 in Zak Irvin – who attended my high school alma mater Hamilton Southeastern outside of Indy)

Brady Hoke’s Vocabulary Selections

The evidence is there.  You know what you are getting when Brady Hoke hits up the podium.  Day one, when Brady Hoke was introduced as Michigan’s Head Coach, I had never seen the man blurt out a single “ya know uhhh” in my life.  Quickly, it was evident that Hoke had a handful of go-to words when discussing the future and essence of Michigan football.  Words like accountability, and toughness.  And legacies, tradition, and global.  And Michigan Men, integrity, and respect.

Hoke’s dream job was and is Michigan.  This past week Hoke implemented many of his oft-used buzzwords.  Sampling…

On the team adjusting… and attitude that you have everyday, and the toughness that you have to have to play this great game, and the discipline and the accountability will say a lot about how we end up as a football team.

On mentoring players… When they graduate from Michigan, they will be great husbands and fathers and people that go back into their communities and do a tremendous job…

On Ohio… The rivalry with Ohio is the biggest rivalry in sport.

On the recruiting dominance of late… This might sound arrogant, and if it is it is, were Michigan.  We have a global education and we are the winningest program in the history of college football.

Some general response… We want guys that will play with a toughness, and an accountability and a team for each other…

Hoke has done everything possible to position himself for success, so far.  Admittedly, from both sides (do yourself a solid – spare yourself from the comments section if you choose to read that post from Eleven Warriors), Hoke has done more for the Ohio State rivalry than Rich Rod did over the course of his three years.  AND, Hoke has dominated recruiting in the most pleasurable fashion for Michigan fans, meaning he’s recruiting the piss out of Ohio and Michigan.

Buzzwords and all, early signs are pointing towards a bright future with Hoke.

Charles and Denard Hype Video…

The Hype Videos should come out in droves in a week or two.  Here’s one full of #2 and #16.  Thanks to flexfit0.

Denard and Mike Martin in Chicago

B1G MEDIA DAYS: Denard Robinson from Michigan Daily on Vimeo.

B1G Media Days: Mike Martin from Michigan Daily on Vimeo.

Notre Dame Wants to Win More

Noderdame.  Well, some say Notre Dame.  But Noderdame’s administration is easing up on things to make life easier for Brian Kelly, things like academic standards.  This article talks of Notre Dame’s administration giving Brian Kelly some more strings to pull to get back into the spotlight and be decent every year.  Former unsuccessful ND coach Bob Davie chimes in…

“He’s in a very enviable situation,” former Irish coach Bob Davie said. “Because we all had the same pressure to win. We just had to do it in a probably more difficult manner.”

If you need to brush up on what ND will look like this season – check out Scout’s Preview.  Per usual, ND fans “can’t find a game on the schedule that looks like a loss” because it’s Kelly’s second year and blah blah blah.  Until it happens, you just have to laugh when Beano Cook gets on ESPN Radio and says ND will go undefeated!

Hate. Man, a strong word it is. Strong words get dialed up from time to time for good reason. Especially this week.

Michigan has a handful of rivalries. When you talk Notre Dame, you use words like suck, you poke fun, and they just seem like an overrated team every year with an annoying fan base.

Let’s see, there’s Michigan State. When you talk Michigan State, you use words like dominance, you feel like they are inferior in just about every way, and that they are good for maybe one solid season every decade.

Then there’s the (pronounced “th-uh” by me) Ohio State Buckeyes. Or, if you’re Terrelle Pryor, you might say the University of Ohio State. Regardless, it’s this week for Michigan fans across the midwest and the globe, that words like hate, detest, and expletive after expletive gets directed at anything remotely related to the state of Ohio. It’s simply the greatest rivalry in sports.

I’m 27. Michigan football memories in my world originated with Desmond Howard racing down the sideline seconds before the epic Heisman pose. Dad would reference his childhood in the ’60′s when Michigan lost several times to the bucks, then he’d warn me that Michigan wasn’t always going to beat Ohio State. But hey it was the ’90′s and all Michigan could do was beat John Cooper and Ohio State. I knew nothing else and grew to expect Michigan victories – regardless of how good Ohio State was supposed to be. Sure enough, Dad knew what he was talking about.

This rivalry is due. Ohio State could win it’s seventh straight game in the series. That ain’t cool. What is cool, is that rivalries know no bounds. Before I say too much – I’ll admit that lots and lots of plays have to go Michigan’s way on Saturday because I don’t think Michigan’s defense can do enough to hold Ohio State under 35 or so points. But, back to my point, isn’t this rivalry due for a big upset? Can’t Tressell’s luck, and yes I truly mean luck, run out for just one, only one, Saturday against Michigan?

I was there in 1993 and in 1995, ten and twelve years old respectively at the time. Granted, I was a kid, but those were disappointing years for Michigan because they legitimately had good teams and wound up losing four games. But, those teams were able to pull off great upsets. Michigan, sum of all parts, is an average team this year. Not a good team that has had a few let downs – and that’s the difference between an upset now compared to an upset in the ’90′s. It’s harder to imagine an upset from this Michigan team, but I’ll maintain the viewpoint that they’ll play Ohio State tough on Saturday.

I don’t think it’s that far-fetched to say that Michigan will be less than a possession away from the lead in the third quarter. More on that coming later this week.

In the spirit of Charles Woodson, David Boston and Terry Glenn. The little spar between Woodson and Boston is symbolic of what this rivalry is all about. It’s about hate. It’s about hating the guy across the line of scrimmage from you. In the spirit of what these guys represented on the field not long ago, I’m fully supportive of dudes getting in dudes faces this Saturday. Nothing dirty, just some clean jawing because if you play at Michigan, regardless of where you are from, the junior and senior leaders and coaches have instilled in you a general disdain for that team down south.

In the spirit of Thanksgiving. It’s Thanksgiving week, which historically comes right after Michigan – Ohio State week. In light of the schedule change, as Michigan fans, enjoy the rivalry week. Be thankful your somehow, for some reason emotionally attached to one of the most storied and successful college football programs in the land. It’s a great time to reminisce on great games of the past, and remember those unfortunate late November games of late that haven’t went Michigan’s way. This is the week we get as college football fans to eat up all the greatness of the best rivalry in all of sports.

Remember, anything can happen. Hit up Wolverine Historian’s YouTube page for many highlights of all those great Michigan wins over Ohio State. Check the hype vid below from DetroitUofM8 below. Go Blue.

Many people coming out of the wood work this week to either tear down what Rich Rodriguez is doing as head coach and many have came out in support of RR.

Mary Sue Coleman says to the Wall Street Journal

“I don’t think it’s fair to coaches to bring them in and say, ‘We’re going to give you three years.’” she said in an interview on Friday, citing a recent example. “When Tommy Amaker came in, we stuck with him for six years. It just wasn’t going to work; it wasn’t the right fit. But it wasn’t a rushed decision.”

Charles Woodson

“I’m not excited about losing,” Woodson said Tuesday, while visiting Ann Arbor. “They started out on fire and looked good for a short period, but it’s hard to watch the place you love and played … to see the team struggling like that is hard. It’s hard.” “I’m getting flack from a guy who went to Cincinnati,” Woodson said of his Green Bay understudy, rookie Brandon Underwood. “I never thought there’d be a day in my life I was taking flack from a guy from Cincinnati.”

Here’s the deal people. This is year two for RR, but look at what he’s working with. Two true freshman quarterbacks, a new defensive coordinator, starting a true freshman walk-on in the defensive backfield, etc. The odds are stacked against this team. Now I am not completely backing Rich Rodriguez, because I also question his philosophies and playcalling at times. However, the guy deserves more time to prove his worth to this Michigan program and fan base.

Like I said a few weeks ago after the Iowa loss – if Michigan is ranked in the top 5 in two or three years and in the hunt for a national championship, nobody is going to remember this loss to Illinios last week, or the loss to Iowa a few weeks ago. The “hard work” and growing pains that any good program goes through are not easy, but in the end worth it. A couple years ago we, Michigan fans, we’re begging and craving something less conservative and simply better than what Lloyd Carr was bringing to the table year in and year out.

So at this point, you’re either in this thing or out, and the upside to sticking with RR is much better than any alternative in the near future. GO BLUE. BEAT PURDUE!

1. Dadrian Taylor almost killed the man. The hardest, most violent hit I’ve ever been witness to in my life. Start watching this video at 2:25 to relive the hit that set the tone for Michigan on their way to a great day in Happy Valley.

2. Marlin Jackson put’s down a Purdue wideout in an open field collision.

3. Ernest Shazor puts a mean lick on Purdue’s speedy freshman wideout Dorian Bryant – granting Michigan the 16-14 win in West Lafeyette. Right at the 7:00 mark is the play where Shazor gets it done for the Wolverines.

4. David Boston. Apparently, back in 1997 Charles Woodson thought he was a joke – aaaand he was right! Great hit put on Boston towards the end of the game by Marcus Ray. For the hit, go to the 5:40 mark in the below video..

5. Against Baylor in ’97 – Woodson winds up and drops a guy on a little pitch out to the receiver split wide. Start watching at about 1:40.

6. During Lloyd Carr’s final game, Jamar Adams laid several licks on Florida’s Tim Tebow. Watch the whole short video and you will see a few. The great one starts about 25 seconds into the video.

I KNOW there are more hits that are worthy of being on this list. I’ll be adding more as my brain dials into some past games. Let me know what needs to be added!!

The beginning memories of watching Michigan was in the early nineties, during Desmond Howard’s run of a couple great seasons as a wolverine. As of right now, these plays are in no particular order. As more Big House memories come back to me, I will assemble the list, and what a top ten list it will be!

Desmond Howard’s diving catch on 4th and 1 to put Michigan ahead of Notre Dame 21-14 midway through the fourth quarter

Mr. Charles Woodson picks off a pass that MSU QB Jeff Schultz was simply trying to throw out of bounds. This was a play that truly showed the Michigan faithful and the rest of the country what an amazing athlete Chuck Woodson was. Amazing play – definitely has it’s place on this list.

Desmond does it again – takes a punt to the house back in those beautiful nineties when Michigan owned Columbus. Desmond had some great plays during this game. Catching a deep ball from Elvis Grbac with two defenders draped all over him. What a great day to be a Michigan Wolverine!

The 1995 season opener against Virginia – down 17-0 going into the 4th quarter. Michigan fights there way back. Here’s how the final set of downs happened. 1st down – Incomplete. 2nd down – Incomplete. Sigh. 3rd down – Ball goes right through the hands of Tyrone Butterfield into the air – luckily it’s not intercepted. 4th down – Mercury Hayes in the back of the end zone on a fade route!! But did he get a foot down? YES!!

It was a bit of a tough season already not living up to expectations and losing to Notre Dame, Wisconsin, and a terrible loss to a Minnesota team that had no business beating the Wolverines in the Big House. Just when it looked like it would be two losses in a row – Stevie Breaston gets a good return and Manningham makes a HUGE catch on a slant in the back of the end zone on a rope thrown by Henne.

Bad video quality – but simply an amazing catch by Marquise Walker on a ball that John Navarre threw high and hard.

This is Charles Woodson solidifying his claim as the best player in the country. Another great day to be a Michigan Wolverine.