"We cannot live for
ourselves alone. Our lives are connected by a thousand invisible threads, and
along these sympathetic fibers, our actions run as causes and return to us as
results."
– Herman Melville
– Herman Melville
I’m sorry to report that Frank Gusich passed on April 1,
2014. Frank just turned 64. Frank was a 1971 Co-captain on the University of
Michigan football team. He played the position as Wolf man and Sports
Illustrated featured him in an article titled Superman.
Frank grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, and unfortunately lost his
father prior to the age of six. In grade school, Frank loved all sports and
played, when he could, football, basketball and Little League baseball. In the
eighth grade, he wanted to attend St. Ignatius high school. He applied, but was
not accepted. Because of his and his mother’s perseverance, he was eventually
accepted and even given a tuition grant.
At St. Ignatius, Frank lettered in basketball, track and
football. For football, he played on the offense and the defense and was a Co-Capt.
In his senior year. His team then won the city championship. He was recruited
by such notables as Woody Hayes, Lou Holtz, Bob Devaney, Marv Levy and Lee
Corso. However, Don James and Bump Elliott sold him on attending the University
of Michigan.
Even though his three siblings attended Ohio State
University, they became Michigan fans when the two teams played each other. In
Frank’s sophomore year, he broke a bone near his wrist. He wasn’t allowed to
play in the games with the cast. So, his trainer, cut off his cast, padded and
taped his arm and hand so he could play in the games. So each week during the
season, after each game, Frank had a new cast made. Unfortunately, in one of
those practices, he also broke his thumb because the thumb wasn’t protected.
Finally, the following January or February, after the season, his hand healed
and he didn’t have to wear a new cast. Frank actually, still retained one of
his special maize and blue casts as a memento. Frank became a starter in the
Wolf man position as a junior. His teammates called him the “toughest.”
Frank is one of the men that I interviewed in my upcoming
book titled “Bo’s Warriors.” It was a real honor for me to get to know this
fine spiritual man. As far as coincidences go, his wife is named Linda. Linda
grew up in East side of Detroit, and attended Dominican high school. I passed
her high school each day while attending
Denby high school.
I know that Frank is still rooting for his beloved
University of Michigan teams. Go Blue!
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