Ex-Wolverines help current players plan for life after football

Ann Arbor ? Former Michigan and NFL linebacker Dhani Jones had a simple message for the current junior and senior football players ? don't stray far from Michigan.

Jones was the keynote speaker during Tuesday's sixth Michigan Football Alumni Network dinner. The function, developed by former lineman Clay Miller (1981-85), this year attracted 60 former Wolverines who have been successful in their chosen professional fields.

The objective of the function, which is coordinated with Michigan associate athletic director Shari Acho's M-PACT program that helps student-athletes transition from college to professional life, is to encourage the players to begin networking now.

"You get to the real world, and that's ground level," Jones said. "You don't know what obstacles are coming."

He encouraged the players to begin planning their futures and utilize the Michigan alumni base.

"That which is needed in life is right in front of you," Jones said of his message. "Everybody who's been here wants to take care of you and they want you to be successful. Don't go so far as to leave behind all of the necessary people, resources and investments, energy and time that have been built over time that's right here."

Michigan coach Brady Hoke addressed the former players in the team meeting room before they participated in a reception with the current players. The players later visited individually with former players who are working in various fields.

Earlier in the day, the freshmen and sophomore players met with the former players.

"We just felt the earlier we can get guys involved in the program, they'll take a little bit out of it," Hoke said. "By the time they're juniors and seniors they'll have a better idea what the whole thing is about."

Linebacker Cam Gordon, who will be a senior this season and will be take graduate school classes in social work in the fall, said he found the event helpful for planning his future.

"These are guys who were in your shoes when they played here," Gordon said. "You can be like those guys who went out and became successful. It kind of motivates you. Being a senior, I'm thinking about my future after football. I think a lot of us think about how this networking event can help us in the long run."

Source: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20130214/SPORTS0201/302140432/1131/rss17

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