Tom Slade

Slade (No. 17) with Jim Brandstatter (No. 76) and Fritz Seyferth (No. 32), 1971 Thomas A. Slade (April 6, 1952 – November 12, 2006 ) was an American football quarterback who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1971 to 1973.

Saginaw High School Slade was born in Manotick, Michigan, but was raised in Saginaw, Michigan after being adopted. He played football, basketball and tennis for Saginaw High School and earned All-State honors in football as the quarterback at Saginaw High.

Quarterback at University of Michigan

After graduating from Saginaw High in 1970, Slade attended the University of Michigan where he played quarterback under coach Bo Schembechler. As a sophomore in 1971, Slade helped lead the 1971 team to an undefeated 11–0 record in the regular season. The Wolverines narrowly missed a national championship that year, losing the 1972 Rose Bowl game, 13–12, on a late field goal by Stanford. More than for his passing, Slade was known for being a tough run-blocker who cleared the way for Billy Taylor and the other Wolverine running backs after he handed the ball off. Dennis Franklin took over as quarterback in 1972, and Slade spent his junior and senior years as a backup for Franklin.

Professional career After graduating from U-M, Slade returned to attend the U-M School of Dentistry and received a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1978. He taught at the U-M School of Dentistry for three years before starting his own practice in 1981 in nearby Ypsilanti Township, Michigan. Bo Schembechler was one of his dental clients. Slade was also the dentist for the Eastern Michigan University athletic teams. At the time, Slade noted that he was unable to do the things he loved, like playing golf, running, and enjoying the outdoors. He offered this advice: "You do everything, live every day the fullest. Today could be the last day of your life." Terry Camp, "Mid-Michigan football legend needs help," WJRT-TV. Slade died on November 12, 2006, in Ann Arbor at age 54.

Though Schembechler was ailing himself, he attended Slade's funeral. That night, Bo delivered his traditional Thursday night pep talk before the Ohio State game. According to the Detroit News: "Bo's speech was not about Ohio State, the Big Ten title or a national championship. The whole speech was about Tom Slade and how, if the players worked hard, listened to their coaches and stuck together as teammates, one day they might be as good a Michigan man as Slade. That was the goal at Michigan, not national championships." The next morning, Schembechler collapsed and died of heart failure before taping his weekly television show.