Michigan football countdown to kickoff: 63 days until 2022 season
There’s much anticipation heading into the Michigan Wolverines football season, and TheWolverine.com is counting down the days until the Sept. 3 opener against Colorado State. We’ll discuss current Michigan events, upcoming season and/or take a look at a significant number that correlates with how many days remain until kickoff, whether it be a player’s jersey number, a year, a date, a score, etc.
We find ourselves nine Saturdays away from the start of the 2022 football season for the Michigan Wolverines. That puts us 63 days out from the opener against Colorado State. Today, we take a look at a historic 63 in program history.
Offensive lineman Julius Franks gets the spotlight in today’s countdown to kickoff entry. Franks was a civil rights activist and All-American guard that played from 1941-42. He was also the first black player in program history to earn All-American honors.
Franks was born in Macon, Georgia before his family moved to Hamtramck, Michigan. His initial number with the Wolverines was 62, but he changed to 63 ahead of the 1942 season.
Franks’ contributions to the 1942 team saw him team up with Al Wistert, Robert Kolesar, Merv Pregulman and Elmer Madar on the offensive line. They were known as the “Seven Oak Posts.”
Franks never missed a snap during his junior season in 1942, which earned him first-team All-America honors from several publications and second-team honors from the Associated Press.
Ahead of the 1943 season, Franks and his Michigan teammate Tom Kuzma were struck with tuberculosis and spent 25 months in the hospital. This caused Franks to miss his senior season and ended his career at Michigan.
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A legacy after football
Franks graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from U-M in 1947 and earned his D.D.S. from Michigan’s Dental School in 1951. He would set up shop in Grand Rapids for over four decades.
He was a stalwart in the community, holding leadership roles in the Urban League, United Way, American Red Cross, Boy Scouts of America and Rotary Club and was also a member of Western Michigan University’s board of trustees. Franks was also a key figure in integrating Grand Rapids, purchasing 20 acres of land that would later become the Auburn Hills neighborhood.
Franks was named to the University of Michigan Hall of Honor in 1983 and was the 12th former football player to achieve the award. He passed away at the age of 86 in 2008.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
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