And Father John called together his Wolverines and all those who are their friends and he preached to the Team, saying unto them, “Gather yourselves and I will tell you what will happen to you in the days to come.”
Gather yourselves and hear, ye Maize and Blue; yea, listen to the Voice of truth and BELIEVE:
Big John Navarre, you are the leader, the strength and the stamina of our destiny; you bear excellence of dignity and excellence of might. Your voice is like a thunderclap for its truth cannot be hidden.
Like the wind of a storm, you shall excel, for you shall break forth with lightning strikes and the thunder of the crowds’ roars will follow.
Shazor and Woods are like brothers; their weapons are instruments of violence.
Let the enemy come into their camp; let the spirit of the team be joined to their wrath. For in their anger they will lay low all who oppose them and their courage will instill fire in the hearts of their compatriots.
Blessed be their anger, for it is fierce; and their wrath, for it is controlled. They will divide them in Oregon, and they will scatter them in East Lansing.
McClintock, Reid, Manning, and Woods, your brothers will praise you for your hands will be on the neck of your enemies. May those who have doubted your skills bow themselves before you.
Perry is a lion's whelp. Once a cub, you rise up from the fray; you stoop, you crouch like a lion; and you spring forth with strength and speed; the enemy cannot abide you.
The Cougar cannot find you, nor the Wildcat slow your feet, until cometh the end (zone), and the obeisance of the peoples to you.
Pape and Bass, Pearson, Lentz, and Stenavich; you are like the walls of the City, tall and mighty; thick and strong; none shall penetrate your defense.
Those who dare attack you shall fall back upon themselves, bruised and battered; you shall open your gates and the Team shall rush forth over and through them and victory shall be assured because of you.
Jackson, you are the Hawk; you shall swoop across the field, striking your prey with talons of steel; the prey you knock down shall not arise. You shall steal the swallow from the air and fly home with it to feed the host and it will give them strength.
Stevens and Kashama, Bowman and Heuer; you are strong as oxen, yoked as one. What you pull shall be pulled and what you push shall be pushed. And the field shall be plowed before you; and those who oppose you shall be plowed under you.
Woodley, Diggs, Mundy, Burgess and Crable; you are the Rams of the flock, swift and sure footed; you shall use your head to knock aside all enemies; their swiftest runners shall not evade you and their king shall fall at your hands.
Let Finley be the mule; nothing shall deter him; none shall move him if he wishes not to be moved; steadfast and strong, his kick is swift and powerful, his direction true. Be wary, all ye foes, of the kick of the mule!
We have waited too long for the return of the Championship, O Team!
Massaquoi and Mignery race before you. They prepare the way and set the table. Their hands are sure and the victories they carry shall not fall to the ground. The field is cleared for the battles at hand.
Edwards and Breaston are as antelope at play upon the meadow; their joy is palpable; their speed unmatched. They dart about, yet move with grace; none can catch them. They tantalize and tease and the enemy is confounded.
Butler, Gonzalez, Avant, and Bell are swift as arrows from the bow; they find the target in flight and strike quickly and silently. Their effect is deadly to the enemy. Strong and true, they return to the quiver time and again to bring Victory over the foes.
Navarre’s bow abides in strength, and the hands of his arms are made agile; he stands tall and strong and his aim is true. His armor is you, oh mighty warriors! The battles are won by your hands; his voice leads you on!
From the Big House to the West Coast, may you know your strength! And may all those of the Maize and Blue bless you with songs of the Victors; blessings of the joy that comes from the Team as it flies swiftly to the riches of victory!
The blessings of the AP and the Coaches are above the blessings of my words, to the very City of New Orleans; may they be for the Lloyd and for the crown of the leaders and best.
All of you are the Team, the Team, the Team! And this is what I, Father John, proclaim to you.
”You must BELIEVE! Know your strengths as I have proclaimed them to you; know each other and trust each other as brothers in the battle.
“For you alone hold the destiny in your hands! The battles are many and the enemies varied, but the Lloyd is with you and I am with you also, even unto the end of the Season.
“And if we are with you, who can be against you? Who can stand against the power of the TEAM that BELIEVES in Victory?
“Verily, I say unto you, BELIEVE and it shall come to pass!
“The Chippewas and Illini, Spartans and Hoosiers are already vanquished warriors! The Cougars and Wildcats have no claws with which to harm you! The Ducks shall feather your beds and you shall trample small gophers under your mighty feet! The Irish will turn fight into flight and the nuts will be crushed. None can abide you! None can defeat you! Victory is in your hearts and your minds and your souls!
“BELIEVE in your destiny! BELIEVE in Victory!
“BELIEVE and it shall come to pass!
And Father John finished commanding the Wolverines, and he gathered his heart into his hands. And he quietly left them to contemplate their future.
DO YOU BELIEVE?
BELIEVE!!!