meta_pixel
Tapesearch Logo
Log in
MGoBlue Podcasts with Jon Jansen

Defend the Block 53 - Franz Wagner

MGoBlue Podcasts with Jon Jansen

The Varsity Podcast Network

Football, Ncaa, College, Wolverines, Michigan, Jon Jansen, Sports

4.8754 Ratings

🗓️ 16 June 2021

⏱️ 30 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Brian catches up with now former Wolverine Franz Wagner about his decision to enter the NBA Draft (9:00), his time in Ann Arbor as a student and a player (14:30), his experiences with Head Coach Juwan Howard (20:00), and some of his favorite memories during his time at Michigan (23:30).

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

May 13th, 2019 was, of course, a critical pivot point in Michigan men's basketball history.

0:06.7

John Beeline officially left the Wolverines to take the Cleveland Cavaliers head coaching position,

0:12.2

prompting a wave of emotion throughout the Wolverines fan base.

0:15.8

And understandably so, John Beeline's tenure in Ann Arbor was tremendous.

0:20.4

So if that was how fans were feeling,

0:22.6

just imagine what was going through the mind of Franz Wagner. Wagner was getting ready to board a flight

0:28.4

to the states for a visit in Ann Arbor with Michigan men's basketball. One of the final things

0:34.8

that Coach Beline did, acting as the Wolverines head coach,

0:37.9

was to call Franz and break the news to him.

0:40.8

Now, as we've learned throughout recruiting and coaching tenures and hirings and firings and

0:45.5

just college sports as a whole, in the recruiting process, committing to a school solely because

0:50.9

of the head coach is a risky proposition.

0:53.5

But still, that role, that person is vital.

0:56.3

It is an important part of that commitment of that recruiting process.

1:01.7

And just before Franz's phone went to airplane mode,

1:04.6

he got a phone call from the man he thought he was going to go visit

1:08.0

as the head coach of the program.

1:10.6

Instead, that call changed everything.

1:13.1

Now, we think about May 13, 2019, as the start of the transfer from John B-line to

1:18.2

Joanne Howard, and deservedly so that they could have changed a trajectory of this program

1:23.8

downward.

1:25.1

Few have seamlessly transitioned from one successful head coach to another

...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Varsity Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of The Varsity Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.

Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.