My Michigan Timeline: Mal Washington
7/20/2018 3:09:00 PM | Men's Tennis, Features
NOTE: This feature originally appeared in the spring issue of M Magainze.
By Mal Washington
In April 2018, I had the great privilege of joining a small group of former University of Michigan student-athletes being recognized and inducted into the Michigan Athletics Hall of Honor. Being honored was not the culmination of my Michigan experience, but rather another great experience along what I call my personal "University of Michigan timeline."
Being on campus in April for the Hall of Honor induction reminded me of why I will always love the University of Michigan. If I could sum up the experience in one sentence it would be, "The University of Michigan reminds me of what is possible."
When I am on campus I continue to get the overwhelming feeling of greatness and what is possible. Whether I was touring the latest athletics Performance Center or being in the presence of other inductees and their families, I get the feeling that this is the place you should want to be if you want to fulfill your potential in anything. It was similar to the feeling I got as a freshman over 30 years ago.
It's exciting to be on campus knowing that at any given moment discoveries are being made, business ideas are being created, future leaders are being developed and great student-athletes are honing their skills. That is not a feeling I get in my everyday life, but it's the sense I get when I am on campus in Ann Arbor.
My Michigan timeline and journey to the Hall of Honor began long before I ever set foot on campus. It was my senior year of high school when my tennis coach, Victor Amaya (U-M tennis, 1973-75), told me that the U-M head coach was interested in me. Not long after, I found myself in Ann Arbor on an official visit, being ushered around campus by Brian Eisner, the most accomplished head coach U-M tennis has ever had, and one of the most successful coaches of any U-M sport.
Soon after my visit I made a decision that put me on a course that would shape my future. It was the biggest decision I had made to that point in my life, outside of my Faith. I decided to become a University of Michigan Wolverine, not understanding at the time that my years in Ann Arbor would shape me as a man and an athlete and those years would impact me for decades to come.
Though I achieved a number of individual awards while at U-M, including the NCAA No. 1 national ranking as a sophomore, it was the hundreds of experiences that I had with my teammates that stand out the most in my mind. I will always cherish the memory of helping my team win a Big Ten title and reach the final four of the NCAA Tournament. Just as memorable, are the moments with my first doubles partner, Ed Nagel. It meant the world to me to have some of my teammates back for my induction, including Dan Goldberg, Jonathan Morris, John Karzen, David Kass, my head coach, Brian Eisner, and assistant coach Mark Mees. It has always been, and always will be, the people that made the difference to me at U-M and for that I am grateful.
My University of Michigan timeline continues to this day. My nephew, Immanuel Abraham (U-M Bachelor's and Master's of Music, 2009-15) is a part of my timeline. My son attended the Hall of Honor induction because I wanted him to meet some of my U-M family. He is a part of my timeline. He dreams of one day joining the U-M lacrosse team to make his mark on the timeline. My daughter wears her Michigan volleyball T-shirt hoping one day to be a U-M student-athlete so she, too, can make her mark on the timeline.
The Hall of Honor induction was like a reunion of my U-M family who I hadn't seen for some time, but we picked right up where we left off telling our favorite U-M stories. They are all a part of my Michigan timeline -- a timeline I hope will continue for generations to come.
