When Charles Woodson realized Michigan's Adidas contract was about to expire, his brain began churning.
Woodson, who endorses the Jordan "Jumpman" brand, thought: Why not have Michigan become the first Jordan brand football school?
So he texted the only person who could answer that: Michael Jordan.
Jordan told Woodson he could approach Michigan with the idea. So Woodson brought it to interim athletic director Jim Hackett.
"I ran with it from there," Woodson recalled Tuesday, leading to the nearly $174-million, 15-year deal signed with Nike in July 2015.
Fast-forward to Tuesday afternoon, when Woodson, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh and other Michigan dignitaries helped reveal the Jumpman uniforms, coaching attire and other players' gear at a private event in Detroit.
More specifically, it was at the Ford Piquette plant, where Ford rolled out the famous Model T more than 100 years ago, and Tuesday was a chance to launch another innovative product, according to organizers.
The uniforms and gear were presented on mannequins, each in its own blue highlighted box, creating a blue glow through the dark rooms as if it were a fashion show or a wax museum. The dignitaries took reporters from room to room with a brief introduction in each.
The uniforms look similar to last year, including all-white road uniforms, only they now have a Jumpman logo above the number on the front. Though the traditional winged helmet returns, it now has a matte finish.
Harbaugh said there is no plan to alter the traditional uniform, but he's open to discussions in the future, given how impressed he is with the initial product.
"I'm definitely going to keep an open mind to what their thoughts are and what their ideas are," he said.
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis mentioned that Harbaugh has half-joked about all-maize uniforms, but didn't seem entirely plausible.
"You walk by the product in the aisles and, what else can you say?" Harbaugh said. "It's great."
Harbaugh said he has never hesitated in the process, quite a bit because he has such a high respect for Jordan the man.
"I look at Michael Jordan as one of humanity's most evolved human beings of all time," Harbaugh said of the star he shared Chicago and a billboard with in the late 1980s. "The chance to be a team with Michael Jordan, share a sideline, pour our hearts and soles into Michigan football being great, that was something that was going to be a win all the way."
He said it all exceeded his expectations.
When Harbaugh took the U-M coaching job, he told officials on his second day he wanted to be a part of Nike. Then, his son and future assistant Jay Harbaugh mentioned U-M should try to be a part of Jordan's "Jumpman" brand. Combined with Woodson's earlier initiation, that pushed the future partnership forward.
Harbaugh repeated the mantra "Who's got it better than us? Nobody."
"Except possibly future us."
