Lou Kovacs was a bit skeptical when his son Jordan called from fall camp to tell him he was working on the second team defense for Michigan’s football team.

Privately Lou questioned whether his son was really second on Michigan’s depth chart. Perhaps Jordan was just naive and overstated his rank on the team, or maybe the coaching staff was just experimenting for a few practices. The only way for him to know for sure was if there was injury to a starter and Jordan inserted in his place.

On September 12, with the University of Michigan in a fierce battle during the second half with Notre Dame, Lou was watching the game from Michigan’s Big House. Like his son Jordan, Lou also was a walk on (1980-82) for the Wolverines, and then stayed on to be a graduate assistant. Even if Jordan wasn’t playing he would be at the football game. And no way an unknown freshman is going to play. Right?

Mike Williams, free safety, got cramps while on the field. He needed a rest, providing a moment of truth. So Lou stole a glance at Michigan’s sideline. He saw the defensive coaches giving his son Jordan instructions. He was going into the game.

That was the beginning of a heartwarming story.

The story actually began two years before when Jordan was a thriving senior for Clay High School. By all accounts he was outstanding and earned first team honors for the district team and City League.

Lou said, he was a very good ballplayer.

However, he was going to have to pay his way to college. A few schools from Division II and III pursued Jordan. Interest was expressed by University of Toledo but not enough interest for extending him a scholarship offer. If the University of Toledo or any other Division I programmed offered a scholarship to Jordan, he would definitely have accepted. It would have been a complete no brainer.

Jordan said, I am happy they didn’t. I am happy that I ended up at Michigan.

The feeling is mutual. Through the first seven games for Michigan, Kovacs (5’10″, 194 pounds) is the second ranked player for tackles with 45, including 17 tackles in their Michigan State loss, despite the fact that he didn’t start until the team’s fourth game versus Indiana.

Success stories for walk ons don’t usually start to materialize until the player has been with a team for four to five years. However, Kovacs has only been with Michigan since this spring. However, in many ways he has been a Wolverine for his whole life. He’s attended games with his father Lou, listened to his dad’s stories about appearing in the Rose Bowl and about Lou’s limited playing time. In 2005 Jordan was at the game when Michigan defeated Penn State for their only loss that year. Tomorrow No. 13 ranked Penn State (6-1, 2-1) will visit the Wolverines (5-2, 1-2).

Jordan said that he always believed he would play football for Michigan.

His dream was almost shattered when Jordan honestly answered a question. He was too honest.

After it became obvious that no Division I scholarships were going to be offered to Jordan, Lou made a video with highlights of Jordan and mailed the video to the Michigan coaching staff. Right away they were interested. Jordan was invited to a 2008 tryout at the start of the academic year. He sort of made the team. He was told to return the next day for what he thought was a background check, just a formality before being handed a locker combination and team jersey.

However during the interview Jordan made a fatal mistake. He revealed that his knee that had been surgically repaired the year before was not entirely healed. The coaching staff responded by saying no thanks.

Jordan said he realized he was digging himself into a hole.

Lou, a lawyer in the area and 1978 grad of Clay, said that his son was completely demoralized. He was as high as can be then in the pits the next day.

Jordan did have a plan though. He underwent an additional surgery. It was an operation of twenty minutes for fixing a meniscu tear. Then he planned on making the team during the next season. Jordan received inspiration by watching the movie Rudy. It was the same film he watched the night before trying out for the team the year before. Lou and Jordan were both confident that he would have a different fortune this time around. Jordan showed no lingering affects after the surgery and excelled during his tryout. He got an invitation to spring practice and realized his dream.

Rich Rodriguez, Michigan head coach, said I hope every year we have a story like Jordan Kovacs.’

Rodriguez was himself a walk on for West Virginia before he earned playing time in his second year due to a few guys leaving, getting hurt, moving over to other positions, and a player getting injured during the game.

The rise of Kovacs wasn’t nearly as dramatic. When he has had the chance, Jordan has outplayed Williams. In another obvious sign of him playing well, Jordan was moved over to strong safety prior to the Iowa game, allowing Troy Woolfolk to play cornerback.

His father Lou was nervous, just like everyone else attending the Notre Dame game and the Wolverine’s thrilling victory.

The cell phone for Lou died in the middle of the game from all the calls of congratulations he received. There were later apologies from Jordan’s friends who had tried to convince him that that best move for his career would be at University of Toledo. Stevie Brown, Wolverine linebacker, who kept confusing Kovacs with Matt Cavanaugh, freshman safety, was embracing him now.

Jordan admits he has been surprised at just how fast his career has taken off. He thought he was going to need to be patient and then finally earn a promotion maybe when he was a junior or senior.

I never thought it was not ever going to happen though, Jordan said.

Bill Martin inherited an athletic department at Michigan when the basketball program and finances were in complete shambles and the facilities for the school were outdated.

Now, a decade later, Martin is calling it a career after he fixed the books, restored pride on Michigan’s basketball court, and made almost $300 million worth in improvements to the infrastructure of the basketball and football programs.

In his resignation letter to Mary Sue Coleman, University of Michigan President, the sixty nine year old Martin wrote that being the Athletic Director at Michigan wasn’t just a job, but a way of life. It is one I have fully embraced, Martin said in the letter that was made public on Wednesday.

Martin will be stepping down on September 4, 2010. At that time the Wolverines will be hosting Connecticut and the school rededicating Michigan Stadium once the renovation of $226 million is completed.

Martin was named as the interim Athletic Director for Michigan in 2000. He inherited a $2.8 million deficit along with one of the biggest financial scandals in intercollegiate athletic history, which stemmed from a former ex-booster providing Chris Webber and other Michigan basketball players with a loan of $616,000.

Later Martin agreed to a commitment of three years and dropped the interim label.

He ended up staying a lot longer.

Martin helped to improve the Athletic Department’s facilities and finances, help their basketball program rebound and hired Rich Rodriguez to be Michigan’s new head football coach. Rodriguez appears to have the winningest college football program headed back into the right direction, following his debut season where the team lost a university record nine games.

Rodriguez, whose Wolverines team is 5-2 as they head into their game on Saturday versus No. 13 ranked Penn State said, we’ve had lots of laughs and a few tough times as well.

Martin and Coleman previously discussed his retirement and Martin agreed to stay until Michigan Stadium renovations were complete.

The renovation is set to be completed in August 2010. Another $23.2 million major project for the practice facility for the basket team adjacent to Crisler Arena, received approval in January. In August the football team of Michigan started to take advantage of the $26.1 million improvements to their practice facility.

Rodriguez told reporters that Martin was always a very big supporter of Michigan’s football program. What he has done fiscally and facility wise for the Athletic Department has really been amazing. It will be sad seeing him leave.

Lloyd Carr, who retired January 1, 2008 as Michigan’s head football coach and is a senior AD, said the facilities at Michigan were far behind those of our peers at the time that Martin was hired.

A statement from Carr said, today we’re on the forefront. All of the monumental changes orchestrated by Bill and his group have given Michigan Athletics an excellent position that will be in place for many decades into the future.

There are, however, two issues at least lingering as Martin prepares for his retirement.

An internal investigation was launched by the school in August regarding allegations that their football program had violated NCCA rules regularly in terms of the limits on how much time that players could spend practicing and training. The Athletic Department need to also find enough well off corporations and fans in a very tough economy in order to fill the Big House luxury boxes which cost up to $85,000 per season.

President Coleman stated that Martin would stay on as Athletic Director until his successor had been selected, and that he would stay as a special adviser for Coleman until he retired.

Some of Martin’s potential replacements might include David Brandon, CEO of Domino’s Pizza, Brad Bates, Athletic Director for Miami of Ohio, and Warde Manuel, Athletic Director for Buffalo. All were members of the Michigan football team when Bo Schembechler was the head coach. Another possibility is Arkansas’ Jeff Long, whom Schembechler hired to start out his career in athletic administration.

Brandon, in an Associated Press interview said, I have worked with Bill as a member of the board of regents for the stadium as well as other projects. But today should be about Bill and the great job that he has done.

When he as asked if he was interested in taking over for Martin Brandon said, I love my jobs as C.E.O. for a public company. I wish all the best for Mary Sue Coleman in her search.

Long, Manuel and Bates did not comment.

Martin made his fortune with real estate and is an ex acting president for the U.S. Olympic Committee as well as president for the U.S. Sailing Association. The wealthy Martin, who is also down to earth, could have just spent his sixties enjoying time on a sailboat. Instead he took on Michigan’s tough challenges.

In an 2003 AP interview Martin said, no I do not need this. But I do thrive on challenges, absolutely. I also do not mind working. There are nights when I do go home burnt out and collapse. I didn’t ever sleep out on the coach before. Now some nights at about 9 o’clock I will watch some TV. Before I know it, the David Letterman show is on, my clothes are out on the couch and my wife’s in bed.

Practice has started in Ann Arbor with the University of Michigan’s football team hard at work. The season starts on September 5 against Western Michigan at home. The team will soon start to increase the workload to double sessions practice on a daily basis.

Following last season’s 3-9 year, everything at Michigan is wide open. Rich Rodriguez, second year head coach, says that he is impressed with the squad’s talent level overall. He added that he won’t be happy unless the team is competing for a Big Ten title every Saturday.

As far as any win-loss record, Rodriguez says he doesn’t like to make predictions, which is probably a smart move. And even smarter, Rodriguez says he doesn’t want to discuss last season’s record. Rodriguez is constantly upbeat and not the type to dwell on plays that did not work or calls he didn’t get. He looks ahead constantly, which is one of his better qualities.

The early focus for Wolverine fans, like with most football teams, is on the quarterback. This is especially true for the 2009 team. Anyone half paying attention last year was able to realize that play at the quarterback position was a very big problem for the Michigan team. After head coach Lloyd Carr resigned, Chad Henne, the four year starting quarterback left to play for the Miami Dolphins.

Ryan Mallet was a capable backup for Henne. He had been able to step in and win two years ago when Henne was injured. However Rodriguez and Mallett clashed. Mallett stated that the spread offense wasn’t what he wanted to run, which was Rodriguez’ calling card.

Mallett, who is a classic drop-back quarterback, sat out last season and then left for the University of Arkansas where it is expected that he will start this year.

Last year two quarterbacks who had no prior college experience led the Michigan team. Nick Sheridan and Steve Threatt both looked like nervous freshman who had been thrown out to the wolves on the field. The Michigan offense was so bad it was scary. Threatt ended up leaving Michigan while Sheridan is now fighting for a chance to be a starter once again.

Some help has arrived in Michigan. Tate Forcier, who is a freshman out of San Diego, California, came to Michigan last January, participating in the team’s spring football and yearly spring game. During spring ball Threatt was injured but Forcier was dazzling. He threw for scores, ran for scores, and played with a lot of ability and confidence. He looked like a leader when he was out on the field and was very well spoken. However, Rodriguez quickly punctured his balloon. Michigan’s head coach told everyone that it was unfair to expect that a freshman quarterback playing on the Division 1 level could do too much. He should be given time to learn.

Michigan fans unfortunately have already seen Sheridan play and are not too excited about repeating the experience, despite talks of how much he has improved since last year. Dennard Robinson is another quarterback Michigan is introducing. He is a speedster from Florida who had been recruited as a defensive back by the national championship Gators team. He did not enroll at Michigan early and like Forcier is still not familiar with the offense.

Devin Gardner out of Inkster, MI, who is another top rated quarterback, is committed to coming to Michigan next year. However, in the meantime, Wolverine fans are hoping that Forcier will get off to a quick start and lead them from the wilderness.

Michigan only garnered one vote from the coaches’ preseason poll. Just one vote. You have to wonder who the coach was that voted for Michigan as one of the top 25. That pretty much tells you all you would ever need to know when it comes to preseason polls. The only thing is polls actually do matter when it comes to college football because championships are not won on the field.

Michigan certainly doesn’t justify anyone’s vote in the preseason’s top 25. Perhaps the Wolverines will play their way into the top tier and warrant discussion about playing like the big boys. However the Michigan team and Rich Rodriguez have a lot of work ahead of them.