February 17, 2017 Happy Birthday Steve Rekowski

Posted on February 17, 2017 by Barry Gallagher

Today is a great day to wish a Happy Birthday to Michigan Man Steve Rekowski.  Stephen “Steve” Rekowski was born on this day in Dearborn, Michigan. He grew up to be an excellent high school football player at Dearborn Divine Child High School in Dearborn, Michigan.

Technically, Steve Rekowski was recruited by Bo Schembechler’s staff. However, when Steve arrived in Ann Arbor he was redshirted in 1989 which turned out to be Bo’s last season. Rekowski came back in 1990 to play for Coach Gary Moeller.

Steve Rekowski played on the 1992 Michigan Football team that went 9-0-3 and won the 1993 Rose Bowl! Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library.

Steve Rekowski must have been a fast learner because he played a lot of football in 1990. He was high on the depth chart and logged enough playing-time to earn his first varsity letter in his first year on the Michigan varsity. He recorded twelve tackles and added three assists for a total of fifteen. Mo’s first team finished with an overall record of 9 wins and 3 losses. They posted a record of 6-2-0 in the conference and tied for the Big Ten title for the third straight season.

Michigan continued to play well in the early nineties and so did Steve Rekowski. Steve’s persistence and hard work paid off with four starts in his senior year. He finished his career with thirty-six tackles, two pass break-ups and one fumble recovery. He earned four letters and played on three Big Ten Championship teams!

Steve Rekowski was also part of some important Michigan football “firsts.” Check them out:

• Played on the first Gary Moeller Team in 1990.
• Played on Gary Moeller’s first Big Ten Championship Team (1990).
• Played on the first, and only, Big Ten football team to win at least one Big Ten Championship in every decade of conference play (1896-1990) in 1990.
• Played on Gary Moeller’s first and only undefeated team (9-0-3) in 1992.
• Played on Gary Moeller’s first and only top 5 ranked team (5^th in AP Poll and 5^th in CNN/USA Coaches Poll) in 1992.
• Played on Gary Moeller’s first and only Rose Bowl winner in January 1993.

Today is a good day to remember the contributions of Steve Rekowski to Michigan Football. He, and his teammates, added thirty-six wins to the all-time Wolverine victory total. They also won three of four bowl games which is something to be proud of! Thanks for the Maize and Blue memories Steve Rekowski and Happy Birthday! I hope you enjoy your special day today. Go Blue!

http://bentley.umich.edu/athdept/football/fbteam/1993fbt.htm