(Note-Denard Robinson (#16) is shown above with the 2011 Michigan Football team. He is seated in the middle of the third row. Photo courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library at The University of Michigan.)
Denard brought his big smile, a great nickname (Shoelace) and a ton of talent from Deerfield Beach, Florida to Ann Arbor. Like many Floridians before him, the mystique of playing for Michigan in the Big House was a big attraction, even though it gets cold in Ann Arbor in November. Shoelace started bringing Wolverine fans to their feet on his first play when he turned a fumbled snap into a touchdown against Western Michigan in 2009. He saw a lot of playing time that season as he backed up Tate Forcier.
By the time the 2010 season rolled around, Denard was Michigan’s starting quarterback. Mr. Robinson had a ton of “Heisman” moments that season. Unfortunately, the defense had trouble defending their opponents so every game demanded that Denard and the offense put up some big numbers. The offense was also pretty predictable so Denard was a marked man on almost every play. Despite it all, he was able to put up some stunning numbers and led his team to the only winning season (7-6) in the Rich Rodriguez Era. Of course, it wasn’t enough and Rodriguez was fired after a blowout loss to Mississippi State in the 2011 Gator Bowl. Shoelace earned a ton of awards in 2010 for his stellar play: All-Big Ten, All-American, UM team MVP and Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.
Denard Robinson’s last two seasons were the first two years of the Brady Hoke Era. Shoelace continued to play his heart out for Michigan, but he didn’t quite fit into Brady’s Pro-Style Offense. He did lead his team to an outstanding record of 11 wins and 2 losses in 2011 and helped make Brady Hoke look like a turnaround genius in his first year. After getting routed by Alabama in the season opener in 2012, Denard had mostly good games winning five of the next six. The beginning of the end for Denard came in the first half of the Nebraska game when he was injured on a short run. Unfortunately, he was never the same and could not return to his “jaw dropping” play that marked most of his career.
As always, Michigan Quarterbacks are judged by two things:
1) How many Big Ten Titles did you win?
2) How many games did you help Michigan win on your watch?
With those two questions in mind, here is a quick look at Denard “Shoelace” Robinson’s “important numbers.”
| Year | Starts | Overall | Conference | Big Ten Finish | Remarks |
| 2010 | 13 | 7-6 | 3-5 | 7th (Tie) | All-Big Ten, All-American, Team/BIG MVP |
| 2011 | 13 | 11-2 | 6-2 | 2nd (Legends) | Team MVP |
| 2012 | 8 | 5-3 | 3-1 | 2nd (Legends) | Team Co-Captain w/Jordan Kovacs |
| Totals | 34 | 23-11 | 12-8 | 0 Big Ten Titles |
Denard’s “team” numbers were not as good as he would have liked. But, think how bad things would have been if not for Denard? His individual numbers were stunning and he still holds many, many Michigan football records. The good news is that he did everything his coaches asked him to do and played as hard as he could when he was on the field.
There are a ton of Denard Robinson highlight videos on You Tube. You could spend hours watching Denard do his amazing Michigan football “thing.” I only included one link to what is my “favorite” Denard Robinson moment. This is the eighty-seven-yard run – the longest run in the history of Notre Dame Stadium – that Denard made to seal the deal on September 11, 2010. The coolest thing about this run is that the yardage on this run was the same as the number that Michigan Legend Ron Kramer wore. It was also the day that Ron Kramer died. This play links two great Michigan players forever! Go Blue!
Happy Birthday Denard “Shoelace” Robinson! Thanks for all the great memories and the wonderful way you played the game! Thanks to the Michigan Athletic Department for this great video.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denard_Robinson
