AJ Mast/AP Photo
As Michigan prepares to face Georgia in the College Football Playoff semifinal, there is a noticeable yet familiar addition to their official Orange Bowl jerseys— a patch that reads “TM”.
Michigan wore the yellow patch during the Big Ten championship game in honor of the victims of the recent Oxford High School shooting. At the time, the program tweeted the symbolism of the addition: “The shape is of Oxford’s ‘Block O’, meant to honor all victims, survivors, and community members. The ‘TM’ and ‘42’ pay tribute to football player Tate Myre. Tate, Hana St. Juliana, Madisyn Baldwin, and Justin Shilling, whose lives were senselessly lost earlier this week, are represented by four blue hearts.”
On Nov. 30, a 15-year-old open fired at the school, killing the four high schoolers and injuring seven others. Among those killed was Myre, a 16-year-old junior running back/linebacker on the school’s football team. Toledo hosted him at one of their games before his death.
“We wanted to play for 42 and all those that tragically lost their lives in that community and everything," Michigan center Andrew Vastardis said, per the Detroit News, after the conference championship win. “It’s up to God, man. We scored 42 points, man. So it just kind of—gave me chills when I noticed that.”
