The Saline Reporter
A Heritage Newspaper
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Saline to host Michigan spring game
Game closed to public but 'an honor' for Hornets to play host
By Jerry Hinnen, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: March 27, 2008
It might not be the Big House. But that's not going to keep Saline High School's Hornet Stadium from hosting the biggest football game in the state of Michigan this spring.
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With legendary Michigan Stadium undergoing a substantial renovation, the Michigan athletic department elected last week to move its April 12 spring football game to Saline. The game is set for a 1:30 p.m. kickoff at Hornet Stadium and will be broadcast live over the Big Ten Network.
"This is a great opportunity to showcase our schools, our facility and our community," said Saline athletic director Rob White. "It's an honor for our athletic department to be able to host an event like this.
"It makes us proud of the community we live in, that they've committed to building a facility that could host this event."
The spring game will be the de facto debut of new Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez, part of the reason for a spike in media interest that will bring the BTN and possibly Fox Sports, which is currently expected to include live footage as part of a nationwide broadcast of spring games, among multiple other media outlets, to Saline.
The only downside to that interest, White said, is that the game has had to be closed to the general public. With the average Michigan spring game drawing approximately 20,000 fans and the stadium's total capacity not substantially more than 10,000 fans, White said that Saline and U of M were left with little choice but to limit attendance.
"It's going to be a big day for Saline. We would love for everyone in our community to be able to take part in an event like this," he said. "But logistically, it's just not possible. This is the only way we could host the event safely."
While many members of the Saline athletic department, school system and athletics teams will be able to attend, White said that attendance issues would ultimately be left up to Michigan and the U of M athletic department.
There are other concerns, both minor and major, to be smoothed out. A 25-second clock will have to be added. College hashmarks will need to be painted on the field. The biggest issue, White said, almost certainly will be a lack of parking space.
"It's an exciting time, but we've got a lot of work to do," he said. "We have one of the finest athletic complexes in the area, but we still do have some limitations."
Those limitations, however, weren't nearly enough to dissuade White and the Saline athletic department from pursuing the opportunity to host the Wolverines. When it became apparent that Michigan Stadium would not be ready in time, White began "putting out feelers" to see if Michigan might have an interest in coming to Hornet Stadium.
Although initial public speculation focused on the possibility of the game moving to Detroit's Ford Field, White was eventually able to meet with U of M athletic department staff, including Associate Athletic Director Joe Parker, and arrange for a guided tour of Saline's facility.
"When they came down and saw it for themselves, I think that obviously made a big difference," White said. "We've had a lot of different people who have told us that it isn't a high school site, that's it's comparable or better than Division III or Division II site."
In addition to logistical problems, having a Division I spring game on a high school campus also presents a number of compliance issues with NCAA regulations that deal with profit made from the game, recruiting guidelines and concessions revenue.
"We're honored to have them here. We in no way want to cause them any headaches," White said. "We just want to be a resource that's available to them."
In the end, White said, the benefits for both sides will far outweigh the potential issues.
"Our relationship with U of M has always been a positive one, and this will only strengthen that," White said, noting that Saline's coaches and players will have the chance to interact with Michigan's and that many past and present Wolverine coaches, including recent arrival Rodriguez, live in the Saline district.
The game also will be a homecoming of sorts for Michigan fullback Vince Helmuth and quarterback Nick Sheridan, both recent Saline graduates.
"It will do a lot for our athletic department, even besides the prestige or publicity," White said. "We just want to make ourselves available and maybe at some point in the future, they'll be able to help us out in some way."
For now, though, White's most concerned with dotting the I's and crossing the T's before the big day arrives.
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