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Sam Webb: Does it seem like it has been 10 years?”
Steve Hutchinson: “You know what? When you
say it like that, it has been 10 years… but we were just talking and it
just seems like yesterday. You know I was a sophomore when I played in that
game and it seems like that that was just yesterday. I guess good memories die
hard, you know.”
Sam Webb: ’97 that was your redshirt freshman
year (Steve, “Redshirt freshman year.”). So, explain to me what
it was like being thrown, basically being thrown in the fire like that.”
Steve Hutchinson: “Absolutely. You know, I
had just come over from defense that spring. I just went to offense spring ball.
We probably could not have had a worst spring as an offense line. We had Jansen
and Zach where really only the two guys that ever played on the line. We had
some different guys jumping in on the right guard spot until Chris Ziemann came
over later during camp and solidified the right guard spot. It was a shot in
the dark, and you know, we came together during camp. We played that first game
and the rest is history.”
Sam Webb: Is there a particular game or particular
moment that you look back on and say, ‘hey that was big, I am never going
to forget that’ or ‘that was the turning point?’
Steve Hutchinson: “You know somebody asked
me that earlier. I think the time for us was when we were playing at Michigan
Stadium against Iowa that year and we were down 21-7 at the half. Nobody panicked
at halftime and nobody was pointing fingers. Nothing like that. We just kind
of just came out cool as could be the second half, went to work, made the corrections
and ended up winning the game. That was the turning point. I think that was
one of the few times during the season that we were actually down. Like I said,
nobody panicked. We came back and did it. We built on that confidence. We went
into Penn State and that was another one. Nobody gave us a shot there and we
decimated them. So you know, so we kind of got some momentum going.”
Sam Webb: In talking to your former teammates and
Coach Carr, one of the things that really identified that was special about
that group was that it was not just one leader, it was not just one guy that
was the face of that team. There were a number of guys that stepped up into
the leadership role. Lets talk about that a little bit.
Steve Hutchinson: “Yeah. I mean we were a young
team. That was a senior class that was going to be one of the first classes
that had not gone to the Rose Bowl. I think it was just the younger guys playing
for the older guys. You know, realizing ‘hey, they have paid their dues,
they have done what they did and they have all stepped up.’ Eric got hurt
in the fourth game and he was done. But he was still out there every day and
we did not want to let those guys down. So you know, they just led and I was
one of the young guys, and we followed. That was the thing; everybody just kind
of looked to each other.”
Sam Webb: Moving on to your pro career. How is Minnesota
treating you?
Steve Hutchinson: “It is nice. I like it a
lot. You know, we made the transition last year, 1st season last year after
being in Seattle. I like it a lot.”
For the rest of this story on 1997 championship reflections, plus
features on Michigan Hockey, Mike Hart, Legal issues surrounding coaches breaking
contracts, and more, check out the next issue of GoBlueWolverine
The Magazine. Subscription to the annual pass currently includes 56
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