Red Simmons, a local icon and fixture on the Michigan athletic campus, recently told Greg Dooley at mvictors.com that his desire to attend the university stemmed from a hitchhiking trip to see Michigan Stadium open in 1927. He was 17 at the time.

As Simmons approaches his 100th birthday on Jan. 5, Dooley sat down with him for a magazine piece and unearthed a lot of good anecdotes.

Among them: Simmons' plans to run for the Wolverines were derailed - by the stock market crash of 1929. You can find more on Dooley's blog by clicking here.