No one can ever accuse college football of being under-awarded. Not with individual awards for players and coaches and, in the Big Ten, conference awards for every position.
But leave it to Jim Harbaugh to put a new spin on an old idea.
Harbaugh is handing out a Michigan Football Employee of the Year award, given to "an A+ player" who "attacks each day and each task with an Enthusiasm Unknown to Mankind."
https://twitter.com/coachjim4um/status/677199628073345024
This accomplishes four tasks:
- Shares love around the building.
- Pushes external praise to those -- like the custodian and secretary -- who would never otherwise receive it.
- Lets every Wolverines football employee know their hard work is noticed, appreciated and rewarded.
- Fosters a "we're all in this together" feeling inside the building. Again, how many programs sandwich the accomplishments of the defensive coordinator between the custodian and secretary?
And, as the pamphlet Harbaugh tweeted showed, all it takes is Microsoft Word to create your own Employee of the Year award.