Foundation Trustee Jim Hackett stepped down from his role as interim athletic director for the University of Michigan in the spring of 2016, but one of his last decisions will be highlighted throughout Wolverine football games this fall.
Hackett had discussed earlier this year that there would be a hidden symbol in the new Michigan Wolverine football game jerseys, which are being produced by Nike. In a discussion with The Detroit News, The new jerseys were shown to the public on Tuesday, August 2, 2016 at the Ford Motor Company’s Piquette Avenue Plant in Detroit, Michigan.
As a former Michigan Wolverine football player, Jim Hackett knew first-hand of the historic story of Gerald R. Ford, Willis Ward, and the 1934 game against Georgia Tech. All of the numbers 4’s for 2016 Wolverine football team will have a special numeric number 4, which symbolizes the commitment and friendship between teammates, as well as diversity throughout the program. The number 4 will look exactly like the number 4 that Gerald R. Ford and all of his teammates wore in 1934.
Prior to the 1934 game, the Georgia Tech Yellowjackets requested that Willis Ward be benched because he was African-American. Ford, whose roommate was Ward, refused to accept the benching and voluntarily refused to play in the game. Ford would only go on to play in the game at the request of Ward.
Along with being teammates and roommates, Ford and Willis were life-long friends. In the 1934 Wolverine football team photo they were also positioned next to each other. Ford wore number 48 and Ward wore number 61. The hidden symbol, Hackett believes, reflects also that the number 4 Ford wore, points to his friend. In 2016, Hackett also believes that the number 4 will reflect the bond between teammates and diversity.
To read the full article from The Detroit News by Angelique S. Chengelis, please visit: http://www.detroitnews.com/story/sports/college/university-michigan/wolverines/2016/08/02/unique-4-new-um-uniforms-nod-ward-diversity/87961044/
