Harbaugh's Pre-Game Challenge: 'We Win This Game, This Team 144 is Legendary'

Loveland, Sainristil, Grant discuss message that resonated, and was connected to Jansen's team talk detailing the need for another Michigan national champion

Photos Courtesy of University of Michigan Photography

Michigan captain Mikey Sainristil holds high a sign recognizing the Wolverines as national champions after Monday night’s 34-13 win over Washington. ESPN’s Rece Davis (left) and teammate and Offensive Player of the Game Blake Corum (right).

Wolverine coach Lloyd Carr celebrates the 1997 national championship victory over Washington State in the Rose Bowl. He’s flanked by captain Jon Jansen (left) and linebacker Rob Swett (right)

By Steve Kornacki

HOUSTON – Jim Harbaugh told his team something prior to Monday night’s national championship game win that resonated with the Wolverines.

Michigan tight end Colston Loveland recalled the words that hit home: “Coach Harbaugh told us before the game: ‘We win this game, this Team 144 is legendary. They’re in the books forever.’ ”

Wolverine defensive back Mikey Sainristil, whose 81-yard interception return wrapped up the 34-13 victory over Washington, said, “Jon Jansen told us two days before we played Alabama. He said to be a champion from the ’97 team, he’s tired of people bringing up that that was the last [Michigan] team to win, and that he can’t wait to talk about Team 144 as the next team to pass that.

“Probably 20, 30 years from now, this win is going to give us that legendary feeling. I mean, we really won this national championship, and we hadn’t won it since ’97. It’s just amazing to bring this school more history to add onto it.”

Wolverine edge rusher Braiden McGregor was beaming when asked about the legacy this Team 144 leaves behind.

“I mean, we’re legends, really,” said McGregor. “You know, everybody said we couldn’t do it. When Coach Harbaugh got suspended – ‘Oh, we’re going to put an asterisk if we win the national championship.’ So, we go out here and we did it. Nobody can say anything now.

“I mean, we proved the doubters wrong all year, just kept going, kept our heads down, kept grinding, cared about each other. We didn’t care what the press said, ESPN, all that. I care about what this team, my family, says. So, look where we are – national champs.”

After the 26-0 win over Iowa in the Big Ten Championship Game, Sainristil stood near the victory stage at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, and said, “’97 team, we’re comin’ for y’all.”

McGregor laughed and said, “Yeah, I mean, that’s what we’re going for. For people who are living, they’ve only seen two Michigan national championship teams in 75 years.”

The Wolverines have 12 national titles, but since 1948, only two such championships have been won.

“And both teams are legendary,” said McGregor.

Jansen -- the two-time Wolverine captain and current Michigan radio analyst – touched on the need for another championship and new legends when he spoke to the team prior to the Rose Bowl national semi-final win over Alabama.

“When I got a chance to talk to the guys,” Jansen said, “I told them that this moment will change their lives. It’ll never be the same. When you tell people that you were on a national championship team – whether it was ’48, ’97 or 2024 – it’s something special, it’s unique. They will recognize it as such. It will open doors.

“It’s an unbelievable moment, and it’s something that when you go into job interviews, you put this on your resume because it’s unique and it talks about the camaraderie you have with a team, and the sacrifice you made. All those things employers know, and you have that because you were on a championship team.”

Calling the game with play-by-play announcer Doug Karsch was special.

What did it mean to Jansen?

“It’s been way too long,” he said. “Actually, way too long. And I love this team. There’s something special about this team because they don’t care about the individual stats. For us, Charles Woodson was happy to win the Heisman Trophy, but that wasn’t his goal. We had other guys – [quarterback] Brian Griese – they won a lot of awards. But that wasn’t their goal.

“It was the national championship. And the relationships I have with those guys, I was so excited to see in this team, and the fact they’re able to have those relationships with the players and with the coaches…It’s unbelievable. A great feeling.”

Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant – who ran over 6-foot-6, 327-pound Washington lineman Nate Kalepo to get to quarterback Michael Penix, Jr., throwing him down for a sack – said what Jansen told them connected with everybody on the team.

Grant said: “Probably 20, 30 years from now, this win is going to give us that legendary feeling. I mean, we really won this national championship, and we hadn’t won it since ’97. I mean, it’s just amazing to bring this school more history to add onto it.”

Harbaugh’s message to his perfect team after winning by 21 points?

Grant noted: “He said, ‘Soak it all in.’ We celebrated like we usually do, and we definitely prayed. Then he let us know that we went down in the history books.”

Loveland said Harbaugh added this sentence to his post-game speech: “Everyone’s a jolly good fellow.” That was in reference to “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow,” the celebration tune from the 18^th century that Harbaugh sings in post-game celebrations to honor a few select players from each game.

“We just put in a lot of work,” said Loveland. “He’s the best head coach in the nation. I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else. He’s such a loving guy to his players, staff. The guy’s just straight business.

“He knows how to win.”

And Harbaugh attained legend status, too, winning something that was the only thing that eluded his mentor, Hall of Fame coach Bo Schembechler, in his 21 seasons at Michigan. Lloyd Carr, a Schembechler assistant coach, led the ’97 champs to the summit. And there they stood for 26 years – Woodson, Griese, Jansen and the rest -- waiting for company that came wearing maize and blue.