'A team worth celebrating': Four Michigan players to host 'Wolverine Weekend' in Traverse City

Four Michigan Wolverines football players are set to headline Grand Traverse Resort and Spa’s second annual ‘Wolverine Weekend’ June 9-11 in Traverse City, Mich. The Wolverines scheduled to attend are junior running back Donovan Edwards, junior linebacker Junior Colson, sophomore cornerback Will Johnson and sophomore tight end Colston Loveland. Valiant Management is representing the athletes in the NIL opportunity.

The players will meet and greet fans, speak at a Saturday night dinner and be on the course during the Sunday golf outing, a four-person scramble on The Wolverine course, one of three tracks on site. The Wolverines will also mingle with fans following the outing. Award-winning author John U. Bacon, who’s published four books on Michigan football, and former U-M quarterback Devin Gardner will serve as special guests.

It will cost fans $250 for golf and dinner, and $150 ($75 for children under 12) for dinner only. Hotel rooms with a special rate are available.

The first annual ‘Wolverine Weekend’ last summer included appearances from quarterback J.J. McCarthy, wide receiver Ronnie Bell and offensive lineman Ryan Hayes.

“We got such a great response from it, we just knew it was a no-brainer to do it again and continue doing it every year when we can,” Grand Traverse public relations manager Caroline Rizzo told TheWolverine.com.

Rizzo added that this year’s edition will be “bigger and better.” The events were compacted into one day in 2022 but will be spread out from Saturday to Sunday this time around. There will also be a tasting of former Michigan Heisman Trophy winner Charles Woodson‘s wine and whiskey brands, a separate ticketed experience.

RELATED

• Michigan RB Cole Cabana compares himself to Donovan Edwards

• Michigan football scholarship chart, breakdown following spring transfer portal window

The four Wolverines that will make their way to Traverse City this summer are budding stars who the fan base will be excited to see and spend time with.

“These names are growing within the program, and they’re going to be really big this upcoming season,” Rizzo said. “I think it’s fun to kind of look at some of those athletes who are looking like they’re going to be stars, and bringing them in now, giving them these opportunities to be with the fans and see everybody who’s surrounding them and backing them and cheering them on. 

“I mean, Donovan Edwards has already been a star, and you’ve got people like Colston Loveland, who shines during the Big Ten championship and becomes this big name. So it’s really great to find those athletes who are kind of climbing the ladder in the program and giving them this new stage with these NIL opportunities to be with their fans and connect with people. It’s a big learning experience for them, too. They really learn a lot from these events, personally and professionally.”

The Michigan team, of course, is coming off two-straight Big Ten championships and has made the CFP in consecutive seasons. The Wolverines are 25-3 during that stretch and have created as much buzz as there’s been around the program in over a decade.

“It’s great. It’s obviously a team and organization worth celebrating right now, and it just gets everyone pumped,” Rizzo raved. “They’re excited, they like being out with the fans, they like attending these kind of events. And the fans want to be there. That’s obvious when we have people fly in from all over the country to be at something like this. To have this momentum behind the team right now and for us behind the event now for a second year is extremely exciting.”

According to Rizzo, there are Michigan fans from Florida, Atlanta, Arizona, California, Texas, Kansas, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio who have already purchased tickets.

“It’s insane to see that we can bring people from all over the country to Traverse City for a Michigan event,” she said. “We’re not even in Ann Arbor! We’re four hours north in Traverse City, but we’re bringing Ann Arbor up north and giving people that Northern Michigan experience, too, which is a lot of fun.”

More details on ‘Wolverine Weekend’ can be found on the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa website.

Traverse City is a top-10 vacation destination in Michigan per U.S. News, and Grand Traverse has the largest convention and conference center in Northern Michigan.