The Road to Ann Arbor

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A history of recruiting ups and downs for the ever-faithful and expansive network of Michigan fans

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The Road to Ann Arbor

Incredible Twists and Improbable Turns Along the Michigan Recruiting Trail

By Tom VanHaaren / Foreword by Brian Griese 

Contact: Bill Ames, Triumph Books, 312-676-4256, b.ames@triumphbooks.com

Diehard Michigan fans follow their favorite players’ stories from their first snap at the Big House through the final whistle of their senior season. Rarely do fans realize that the real story starts well before kickoff. Rarely do they ask how those players found their way into a Maize and Blue uniform.

In The Road to Ann Arbor: Incredible Twists and Improbable Turns Along the Michigan Recruiting Trail (Triumph Books, September 4, 2018), ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren explores the remarkable circumstances that led some of Michigan’s most iconic stars to join the Wolverines. Through extensive research and interviews, VanHaaren uncovers untold recruiting stories that will add to the legendary lore of Michigan football’s biggest stars. The anecdotes and revelations in this book will delight Wolverines fans of all ages. Highlights include:

• A heartfelt foreword from former Michigan star Quarterback Brian Griese
• What parallels legendary equipment manager Jon Falk saw between Michigan’s recruitment of Jim Harbaugh as a player in the ‘80s and a coach in 2014
• Why Desmond Howard spurned Nick Saban and Alabama to become a Wolverine
• How Tom Brady got to Michigan, and why it took so long to start his recruitment
• Insights on the recruiting styles of Bo Schembechler, Lloyd Carr, Harbaugh and other fan favorites

College football recruitment has undergone an enormous shift in the Internet Age. Today, prospects enter the spotlight as early as their freshman year of high school. But before social media, these engaging and entertaining stories didn’t always come to light. Thanks to VanHaaren and The Road to Ann Arbor, fans will discover what it was about Michigan that convinced the greatest players in school history to call Ann Arbor home. No Wolverines fan’s library is complete without this great new title.

About the Author:

Tom VanHaaren is a college football and recruiting reporter for ESPN, which he joined in 2011.

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