Steve Hutchinson had flown back from an overseas trip two days before the national championship game. His alma mater was playing in the event, so of course he was going to be in Houston to see Michigan play for it all for the first time since he was manning the trenches for the maize and blue.
 
Wolverines athletic director Warde Manuel had texted Hutchinson telling him that the National Football Foundation was wondering if he would be in attendance. As it turned out, Hutchinson was getting announced into the College Football Hall of Fame that morning — and he got to see Michigan beat Washington that night, to boot.
 
"I got home, did enough laundry to re-pack a bag, and I flew to Houston the next day," Hutchinson said, laughing. "So it worked out."
 
Hutchinson becomes the 34th former Michigan player to enter the Hall. Of those 34, a whopping 11 were offensive lineman.
 
A blue-chip prospect before the term had become so widespread, Hutchinson starred at Coral Springs (Fla.) High before taking his talents to Ann Arbor, choosing the Wolverines over Florida State and becoming part of Hall of Famer Lloyd Carr's (2011) first recruiting class as a head coach.
 
"You tell people this, and I tell my kids now, they can't really fathom this: But back in the '90s they didn't have 12 ESPN channels to choose from," Hutchinson said. "You had your networks and the games that were on, and that's what you had. So, Michigan was always on national TV. I kind of fell in love with the uniforms and the tradition and that as a kid. When I had an opportunity to go, I said, I think that's a good school, good football program, obviously tradition-rich. So, it kind of selected me I think."
 
Hutchinson started at guard as a redshirt freshman, helping to lead the Wolverines to the 1997 national title. He ended up starting 46 games for his career, won four bowl games, served as team captain twice and did not allow a sack across his final two seasons. He became just the second player in school history to earn First Team All-Big Ten recognition in four seasons. He was a part of three Big Ten championship teams.
 
"When Michigan won it again (in 2023-24), you realize how special it is to be the last team to do it in '97," Hutchinson said of his best memories. "I would say the national championship, and then I think the other one would've been my senior year winning in Columbus. That game means so much to everybody involved in it from both schools and both programs."
 
The 6-foot-5 Hutchinson was drafted 17th overall by the Seahawks, the first of three NFL franchises he played for during a 12-year career that landed him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He remains a consultant for Seattle, scouting college offensive linemen for the franchise he spent his first five seasons with. As he enters yet another Hall of Fame, Hutchinson can't help but reflect all the way back to the very beginning of his blessed football life.
 
"My mind doesn't go to my college career so much as it does to what were the things that led me to get there, right?" Hutchinson said. "So really, my mind goes back to 7-year-old, 8-year-old Pop Warner football. I grew up in South Florida, so the heat in the summer, you're playing a game and at that age you're playing because you love football and you watch the guys on TV and my eyes were glued to the TV on Saturday, and then on Sunday they were glued to the TV watching pro ball.
 
"And you just did it because you loved it, not because you thought it was ever going to take you anywhere. And you're out there and you're sweating and you're out there playing when all your other buddies are maybe at the pool or hanging out at the beach in Florida or something and you're like, Why am I doing this, you know? And then you stick with it, and I think it's the choices, what was going through your head.
 
"And then obviously getting to high school and it's a little bit more organized, you kind of see there's a chance you could potentially go on to college, and then you get a scholarship and then you think back and really the teammates, the guys that you shared the college experience with."
 
STEVE HUTCHINSON: UP CLOSE
 

• Named a unanimous First Team All-America selection in 2000 and a First Team All-Big Ten selection four times.
• Started 45-of-47 career games, helping the Wolverines compile a 41-8 overall record, never finishing lower than 12th nationally.
• Led the Wolverines to three Big Ten Championship, four consecutive bowl wins, including a victory in the Rose Bowl to claim the 1997 national title.
• Played for College Football Hall of Fame Coach Lloyd Carr.
• Becomes the 34th Michigan player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.