Charles Woodson took the victory lap. Brian Griese collected the Rose Bowl MVP trophy.
"I never wanted to be in the limelight," said Griese, who threw three touchdown passes in No. 1 Michigan's 21-16 victory over No. 8 Washington State in the Rose Bowl on Thursday. "I never wanted to be the all-star quarterback. I just wanted to be part of the team."Thanks to Griese's passing - 18 of 30 for 251 yards - his team is set for its first national title in 50 years when The Associated Press' final poll is released on Saturday morning.
"Brian played as good as he could have played today," Woodson said. "Without a quarterback like that, we wouldn't be where we are today."
And while Griese and his teammates were celebrating on the field, Brian's father Bob was up in the broadcast booth crying for joy.
Bob Griese, the Pro Football Hall of Famer, found it difficult to remain an impartial analyst the way he did in previous Michigan games he's called.
The younger Griese, a fifth-year senior who almost skipped this season so he could enter graduate school, had just played his final game - and made it a memorable one with TD passes of 53, 58 and 23 yards.
Bob Griese had just finished his work for ABC.
"Did his old man ever win this trophy?" Michigan coach Lloyd Carr asked with glee as his quarterback accepted the award.
Bob Griese reacted with a wave, then raised both hands as if to surrender.
"I knew that was coming," he said of Carr's good-natured jab.
"Now you're going to make me cry," said play-by-play man Keith Jackson, the elder Griese's broadcast partner.
Griese, who entered Michigan as a walk-on and lost his starting job last season to Scott Dreisbach before winning it back again, was not expected to be the star quarterback Thursday. Ryan Leaf was.
Leaf, third in the Heisman Trophy voting, was 17 of 35 for 331 yards, but had only one touchdown along with an interception.
Griese, valued more for his "pooch" punts and holding on kicks than for his passing throughout much of his Michigan career, almost quit before this season but decided to stay for a fifth year.
"I wanted to come back. I love this university, I wanted to be part of this team that I knew would be something special," he said. "I will cherish this game and this day and this university for the rest of my life."
Even though Griese doesn't have the strongest arm or the quickest feet, he is valued by coaches and respected by opponents as a guy who makes few mistakes and gives his team a chance to win. In the Rose Bowl, he did far more than that.
"I wouldn't trade Brian Griese for any quarterback in this country," Carr said. "If I were an NFL coach, I would take Brian Griese in a heartbeat."
As Griese ran off the field in celebration, he ran into his father - who led the Miami Dolphins to the NFL's last perfect season and now has seen his son lead the Wolverines to their first perfect season in 50 years.
They said little.
"I was kind of choked up," the younger Griese said. "I hugged him and I said I love him and he said he loved me, and that was kind of the extent of it."