Michigan football countdown to kickoff: 79 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 the 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.
Michigan football’s season is now just 79 days away, which puts us just a little over 11 weeks until the season opener. The No. 79 brings us back to former players that went through the program with today’s look at offensive tackle Jeff Backus.
Backus has a unique throughline locally both from his college days and as a professional. Born in Midland, Michigan, Backus attended Norcross High School and was a USA Today All-American as a senior.
He redshirted in 1996 with the Wolverines, then went on to start 49 straight games over the next four years, which included the 1997 National Championship. He crossed paths with several Michigan legends, including defensive back Charles Woodson, guard Steve Hutchinson and quarterback Tom Brady.
Backus never missed a start once he hit the field at Michigan, making him an ironman of sorts. He would bring that patented longevity to the NFL.
The Wolverine product heads to Detroit
Backus was selected with the No. 18 overall pick in the 2001 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. While never a Pro Bowler during his time in the Motor City, Backus started all 191 games played in his Lions career. He held a streak of 186 consecutive starts broken late in the 2012 season, missing his first-ever NFL game on Thanksgiving Day against the Houstan Texans. He retired after the season.
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Backus was never able to find the team success in the NFL that he did at Michigan, but he does share a bond with a more recent Wolverine. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was selected with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and is the first Michigan player drafted in the first round by Detroit since Backus.
Hutchinson is the third first-round pick from Michigan in Lions history. The other two were fullback Bob Westfall (1942) and Backus. Wide receiver Terry Barr (third-round pick, 1957) is the only former Wolverine to make a Pro Bowl as a Lion. He was also on the last team to win a championship with the team as part of the 1957 roster.
Interestingly enough, Hutchinson wore 97 at Michigan. Backus wore 79. The Lions are hoping for similar longevity out of its recent draft pick.
Michigan football countdown to kickoff
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