Jim Harbaugh, Matt Dudek, Others Recap What They Saw On The African Safari
Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh, recruiting coordinator Matt Dudek, and South Africa trip donors Stephen and Nicole Eisenberg discussed the second half of U-M's overseas journey on the recent 'Attack Each day' podcast, recapping the events in Johannesburg and on the safaris.
We have the highlights below:
Jim Harbaugh:
"What brought the Apartheid down in South Africa was the outrage from others around the world. Having the support of the world had to mean a lot to Nelson Mandela during his years of wrongful imprisonment.
"Nelson actually negotiated many things before being released, including a whole change in government.
"None of our players or spouses complained during the entire trip — we had to wake up at 4:45 AM to go on the safari, and everybody was up with a bounce in their step.
"Our guide on the safari was constantly looking for lion and elephant tracks, and even black mamba ones.
"I rode with Sean Magee, Ben McDaniels, Gary and LuAnn Haslett, Kris Barnes, David Turnley, Sarah Harbaugh and my daughter Addie. The lions came up and side-eyed all of us and stared us down — they knew the jeep as a whole was too big to take down though.
"The lions would never stay in one spot either and were always on the move, though the rhinoceroses were actually my favorite animal on the safari.
"[Don's wife] Deb Brown actually said she'd been to Africa like 20 times before and had been on 60 safaris — she was once in a hot air balloon where she was able to watch the animals migrating from above.
"There's so many people to thank for the trip — Stephen and Nicole, and Warde Manuel, because none of it would've happened without him.
"To quote Sean Magee, he said the Michigan football team in the last three years has been five feet away from the Pope, the Mona Lisa and an African lion.
"We're going to leave it to a team vote on where we go next year. I'd like to go somewhere in the U.S. like Washington DC or into the Halls of Congress, the Supreme Court or Arlington Cemetery.
"Gettysburg or the New York Stock Exchange are also options, along with going West on a military trip to San Diego where the seals train. Camp Pendleton and Pearl Harbor in Hawaii are also options.
"I'd also like to go to China before all of this is over, though Spain is supposed to be incredible as well.
"The Galapagos Islands and Haiti would also be good — Mitch Albom does some incredible things in Haiti."
Matt Dudek:
"I enjoyed seeing all the Nelson Mandela quotes in the Apartheid Museum, and just how smart he was. Our guys were so engaged the whole time they were there.
"We were there two and a half hours, and all 150 people in the travel party walked around the museum and found things they could touch, learn and see around every corner there.
"It was the perfect wrap-up to learning about Apartheid, and we headed out to Legends Golf and Safari after that on a three-hour bus ride into the African Bush.
"It was dark when we first pulled up to start the safari, and we had no idea what we were getting into.
"The guide then told us, 'Only food runs,' and warned us to check our shoes for scorpions in the morning, because they like stinky and smelly places.
"The black mamba — the most venomous snake in the world — scooted under our jeep at one point, and our guide just casually said, 'Oh look, there's a black mamba underneath us,' as if he was referring to a deer or something."
Stephen Eisenberg:
"I liked seeing the giraffes on the safari, and we would follow them on the tour. They were so happy and just walking alongside the zebras.
"[Freshman defensive end] David Ojabo was the one player who had been to Africa before — much of his family lives in Scotland, but his dad works in Nigeria."
Nicole Eisenberg:
"I had a moment with a giraffe during the safari, but we didn't get to see the elephants as much as we would have liked.
"Elephants actually climb mountains to get to warmer spots during the day, and it's amazing to see all that weight climb the cliffs.
"We were told if we're bit by a black mamba, we immediately have to cut off that body part, because the venom will go straight to our heart and kill us.
"We need to give a big thank you to Coach Harbaugh, because it was his idea to start these trips three years ago.
"To do this is a huge undertaking, and it's also what he believes in — making his kids well-rounded, and it's a huge compliment to him."
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