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Michigan’s Rome trip last year was a cultural success, and nobody could deny it. Players, their parents, recruits … all of them had great things to say about the learning experience funded by an unknown donor.
The logistics and distractions, however — getting gear overseas on ships, and then holding a few practices when they were essentially on vacation — made for some tweaking this year. The U-M team leaves tonight for Paris, followed by Normandy, and head coach Jim Harbaugh is excited to see how they respond to the learning aspect without football, since spring practice having already ended in Ann Arbor.
Other coached tried to “poke holes” in the idea, Harbaugh said last summer, but admitted they couldn’t. He said he hoped other programs would follow their lead to “make the world their classroom.”
“Rome was great. There was so much to see," Harbaugh said. "One of the things we thought about after the trip was to go to multiple places, not just stay in one place. But there was so much to see in Rome, it was unbelievable.”
The Wolverines will go to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower, the Palace of Versailles, Notre Dame and several other stops, including another round of paintball. The highlight, though, might well be a trip to Normandy, the site of an epic World War II battle that cost thousands of lives.
Michigan head basketball coach John Beilein was brought in to speak to the football team about his uncle, Tommy Niland Jr., a soldier involved in the June 1994 D-Day invasion. The film Saving Private Ryan was based on Niland’s cousins and Beilein’s distant relatives.
Several years ago, Harbaugh ran into a former Ohio State captain while visiting Normandy in what he called a sobering, yet enlightening experience. He’s hopeful his players will get the same out of it, and if the Rome trip is any indication, they’ll bring back great memories.
"It's a guy that's taking advantage of his opportunity to impact people," linebackers coach Al Washington said. "People have opinions about that. People think it's a waste of time. I think it's a great team-building activity and it's a great cultural activity.
"As a player, I never had a chance to go anywhere. You're kind of handcuffed. I know a lot of schools scoff right now that honestly, if they had the ability to do it, they'd probably do it When my son gets old enough, I want him to be around somebody that's going to take care of him in all totality. I want to go to Paris, really, because of the team element."
He’d already been working to convince his wife of its necessity, he said with a grin, a plan that even involved getting grandparents involved to help with their young children.
Some players won’t go, including senior running back Karan Higdon and fifth-year senior tackle Juwann Bushell-Beatty. They’ll stay back so they can graduate and walk in Michigan Stadium. Sophomore receiver Tarik Black considered staying back, but his mom wanted to make the trip so he agreed to go.
Former Michigan quarterback Rich Hewlett, whose son Joe is a walk-on running back, is already in Paris with other family members in advance of the team and will meet them.
"I think the culture aspect of it [in Rome] was great, and I think that’s going to happen again this year," cornerbacks coach Mike Zordich said. "I enjoyed watching the kids experience what they experienced. I expect the same this trip, this time around, too.”
Senior safety Tyree Kinnel agreed, noting he still had last year’s pictures in his phone and still looked at them frequently.
“It gave an outsider view of who were as Americans, being abroad," fifth-year senior linebacker Noah Furbush said. "Taking yourself out of your comfort zone and where you're used to, and your normal surroundings …”
Should make for a great learning experience, and one they shouldn't take for granted.
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