Michigan Wolverines Football Video & More: Ty Law, Tom Mack Honored
Two more Michigan NFL Hall of Famers were honored Friday night in Ann Arbor as part of the Hometown Heroes presentation sponsored by Ford.
Offensive lineman Tom Mack, a standout on the 1964 Rose Bowl championship team, and cornerback Ty Law (1992-94) both received plaques in a ceremony at the Jack Roth Club in Michigan Stadium Friday night. They join Dan Dierdorf as "Hometown Heroes" with the promise of more to come.
Law, Mack and former great Reggie McKenzie were among those who addressed the team Friday before Saturday night's tilt with Notre Dame. Many, though, wanted to talk about U-M's abysmal recent abysmal record against Ohio State. U-M has lost 14 of the last 15.
"It’s time for us to turn the tables. Hopefully that will be this year," Law said.
"I’m hearing double-digit underdogs. The only thing I can say is I was a double-digit underdog in the Super Bowl, and we came out and won. Any given Sunday, any given Saturday, anything can happen. I’m still going to bet on Blue at all times, because I think that if they play with the type of heart and passion that they play with, with their back against the wall, they can beat any team out there. I really believe that. I’m not just saying that because I’m standing here.”
Law also told the Michigan players to believe in themselves heading into Saturday night's game.
"There’s a lot of noise out there; that Michigan isn’t what it used to be," Law said. "The ranking of Notre Dame or whoever else they’re playing ... Ohio State. But, just believing in yourself and believing in the guys in the locker room, and shut out all the noise. I used some language that I can’t say right now, but in a nutshell, that’s what it was. All that matters are the people in the locker room and when you go out onto the field.
"One of the other messages I told them was like, they tend to when their backs are against the wall ... that’s when they come out and play," Law said. "That’s when you’ve got to step out on to that field from that first whistle, like your back is against the wall. That’s how this team responds. If you take that same approach from the first kickoff, you’re going to win a lot of football games and you’ll be sitting there undefeated, because those guys can play. When you’re down, you can come back and show the character and poise that they have shown, you can do some amazing things if you can start like that.”
Mack, meanwhile, went on to a 40-year career in engineering after his NFL career. He credited former assistant Tony Mason for switching him from end to tackle and fueling his Hall of Fame career.
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