Remembering James Earl Jones through Michigan football’s hype video

Each home Saturday, a few minutes before kickoff in the Big House, a bell sounds three times. 

Met with a resounding cheer from the stadium, students and Michigan fans alike turn their attention to the jumbotron. With all eyes watching, a camera pans over the Huron River and past Ann Arbor’s iconic landmarks, from the Law Quad to the Diag. 

Then, James Earl Jones puts on the headset. 

With his two-minute monologue, Jones sets the tone inside Michigan Stadium. He muses about the defining characteristics of the Wolverines’ program — “Midwestern values, hard work, determination and an enthusiasm unknown to mankind.” And as Jones finishes speaking and the roar of the crowd reaches its peak, the Michigan football team runs out of the tunnel, ready to defend how Jones just defined the Wolverines.

“It gets your blood flowing,” Michigan sophomore wide receiver Kendrick Bell said Tuesday. “Especially whenever that video is playing, when it cuts off, you’re ready to run through a brick wall, you know what I’m saying?. You’re ready to play, touch that banner, get ready to play on Saturday.”

Each week, the video changes a little bit. Some new highlights are added, usually key plays from the previous season or recent games. This year, that includes clips of the Wolverines’ Rose Bowl and National Championship wins. Even as the content on the screen changes, though, Jones’ booming monologue never does. 

Jones sadly died Monday morning, surrounded by his family at his home in New York. But in his 93 years of life, Jones’ iconic voice made him a household name. He’s the voice of Darth Vader from “Star Wars” and of Mufasa from “The Lion King.” And since 2015, when his voiceover first debuted at Michigan Stadium, he’s become the de facto voice of the Michigan football team. 

As a University of Michigan alum himself, Jones was deeply proud of his alma mater. He was raised in the state of Michigan and originally applied to a premed track. Upon getting to Ann Arbor, however, Jones switched to drama, putting himself on the path to eventually becoming an EGOT winner. 

“I happened to meet James Earl Jones at the White House about 15 years ago, and he could not have been more gracious to everyone,” University Regent Jordan Acker (D) told The Michigan Daily. “But when I went up to him and said, ‘Hi, my name is Jordan, I’m a Michigan alum, Go Blue,’ the smile on his face, and the fact that for that moment, everyone else in the room didn’t quite matter as much as another Michigan alum.”

“To me, that showed what kind of person he was and what importance he put on this place. It showed to the very end with him.”

Each Saturday, as his voice plays to a crowd of over 100,000 people, Jones is surrounded by Michigan alumni. From those watching in the stands to those appearing alongside him in the video — Darren Criss of “Glee” fame, ESPN’s Adam Schefter and former President Gerald Ford, to name a few — Jones shares the screen with people who share the same reverence for the university that he speaks of. 

So when Jones’ death was met with an outpouring of love and support throughout the world, those associated with Michigan made sure to chime in, too. University President Santa Ono shared on X how Jones’ words, heard at every home game, inspire the Michigan community. The official Michigan football account paid tribute by calling Jones “the greatest voice in acting history.”

On Saturday, when that voice rings out across the Big House for the first time since Jones’ passing, the Wolverines’ hype video will hit a little bit different for the thousands of fans in attendance. Perhaps there will be a special tribute to Jones’ legacy at some point during the game, remembering his life and his career. 

But every time hordes of maize-and-blue-clad fans join Jones to scream the words “We are Michigan” as the band chimes in with “Hail to the Victors” and the Wolverines storm out of the tunnel immediately after, that’ll be Michigan’s way of paying tribute to Jones’ life, too. 

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