Northborough’s Greg Crippen savors celebrating Michigan’s crown

Junior center Greg Crippen of Northborough helped Michigan close out a win over Iowa on Dec. 2 to claim its third straight Big Ten championship.

Blue and maize confetti floated through the air as time expired, signifying the University of Michigan’s victory over Washington in the College Football Playoff national championship last Monday.

The on-field celebration then commenced at NRG Stadium in Houston with hugs all around and coach Jim Harbaugh hoisting the hardware. The Wolverines were 15-0 and national champs for the first time since 1997.It was a moment to savor for junior center Greg Crippen of Northborough, and one he gratefully and unforgettably soon shared with his dad, Tom.

“Seeing my dad on the field was really cool,” Crippen, 21, said via phone from Ann Arbor, Michigan. “I got one (field) pass, and he got to come down.

“It was very nice celebrating with him because he has always been my biggest supporter and done so much for me. So that was probably a great moment for him, and I know it was for me.”

Greg Crippen and his father Tom pose together on the field after Michigan won the College Football National Championship.

Crippen’s mom, Sue, and his sister, Karoline, a 2023 Algonquin Regional graduate and freshman at Northeastern, where she’s a member of the crew team and studying business, looked on from low in the stands with a host of blue-clad Wolverine backers.

It was a moment to reflect and relish for Tom Crippen, who was raised in the Main South section of Worcester and became a Michigan football fan through a friend-of-a-friend connection a few years after graduating from South High in 1988.

A proud dad remembering how Greg, then 14, left home to attend Milton Academy as a freshman, relocated to IMG Academy in Florida for 2½ years and headed to Michigan midway through his senior year as an…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/kind-crazy-national-champion-northboroughs-190031647.html

Author : Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Publish date : 2024-01-14 19:00:31

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.