Michael Phelps inspires Harbaugh, Michigan, with team meeting

Michigan football had a taste of what it takes to be a generational athlete in a Zoom meeting with one of the world's most revered athletes.

Michael Phelps has 23 gold medals to his credit as a swimmer for Team USA, the most in Olympic history.

Those accolades are enough for anyone to listen to the five-time Olympian who averaged nearly six medals per festival. Phelps was a participant in the games in Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008), London (2012), and Rio (2016).

What's most striking about that gaudy average is that he didn't earn a medal at his first games in Sydney.

Before earning all those accolades, Phelps spent four years at the University of Michigan as a volunteer assistant coach and a student, though he didn't pursue a degree. Having already signed a professional contract with Speedo, the then-19-year-old stayed in Ann Arbor to train with U-M men's swimming coach Bob Bowman, who began training Phelps at 11.

Four years into his retirement, Phelps hasn't forgotten about the maize & blue. Earlier this week, the decorated Olympian joined a Zoom call with head coach Jim Harbaugh and the entire football program.

"(We had) a phenomenal conversation with Michael Phelps," Harbaugh said at a press conference on Wednesday afternoon. "The thing that continues to ring in my ear and my head ... he was crystal clear ... he told us that he couldn't wait to get into 105 pounds of ice waiting for him in a bath. That's what he was going to do right after he got talking to our team."

Harbaugh is known for his uncharted dedication to his craft as a football coach.

From pulling all-nighters at the 49ers practice facility to using sleepovers as a recruiting tool, there's no shortage of stories surrounding the eighth-year head coach's commitment to his ambitions.

Phelps, who allegedly trained for six hours a day, 365 days a year, in preparation for the Olympics, has a drive even Harbaugh has to admire.

However, the Olympian's conversation with the team was hardly about crazy diets or highly-demanding training schedules.

Ironically, the world's greatest Olympian had a simple message for the defending Big Ten champions.

"He talked about sleep. He talked about hydration and water," Harbaugh said. "Somebody that could go anywhere in the world and do any kind of treatment known to mankind ... he uses ice, sleep, and gets hydration with water."

Harbaugh quickly applied the lesson to the team's regimen, which already involved plenty of ice baths.

"Our team has an ice bath waiting on them now. They have water, and they're getting that sleep. Those are the kind of things they take care of themselves, and it takes care of the team."

As Michigan embarks on a season where it must follow up a historic and unlikely 12-2 finish in 2021, every conversation and lesson learned matters leading up to Colorado State on Sep. 3.

Conversations like the one the team had with Phelps are invaluable and, according to the head coach, came at the perfect time for a team that's healthy and ready for fall.

"I really appreciate Michael Phelps embedding that in my mind and our players' minds. You talk about the world's greatest Olympian, arguably," he said. "That was huge and a good message right at the right time to keep our team focused and on track, healthy as can be."

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