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Adam Shibley '17 Earns Full Scholarship for Spring Semester at Michigan

By Joe Ginley '12, 03/25/20, 3:30PM EDT

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Shibley has made quite an impact at the University of Michigan after a great career at Saint Ignatius.

Adam Shibley's faith has paid off.

In the fall of 2017, Adam Shibley set out for the University of Michigan. Shibley decided to enroll at Michigan and join the football team as a preferred walk-on after a wonderful career as a student-athlete at Saint Ignatius High School. 

Midway through his junior year at Michigan, Shibley's faith has been rewarded with a full scholarship for the spring semester.

It's a nice achievement for Shibley, but not one that's come easy. Playing a sport at the Big Ten level is never easy, and particularly not so simple when you're playing football at one of the most prestigious programs in the country. Balancing a sport and academics is hard work.

But Shibley has perfected his balance, and has gone above and beyond. All throughout his time in Ann Arbor, Shibley has notched good grades. And in impressive fashion, he's founded his own non-profit, The Uniform Funding Foundation (TUFF). Just two months ago, Shibley worked with Jake Ryan '10 to provide new uniforms to the Cleveland Muny Football League

Not one to brag, Shibley calls himself blessed. 

"I’m so blessed to have had the opportunity to attend the University of Michigan," Shibley said. "God truly had my back during the recruitment process because nothing was coming my way. Then after my senior season, I received a PWO offer from a Big Ten school that is one of the best academic public universities in America. It is most definitely a dream come true. Each day I become more thankful for the way that my education and experiences at Michigan are molding me into the man I want to become. There is zero chance that I would be playing at Michigan and be put on scholarship for the semester without my faith. AMDG."

His coaches and teachers are Saint Ignatius are plenty proud of the man Shibley has become.

"I am thrilled with the news, but not surprised," said the Wildcats' defensive coordinator and linebackers coach, Ryan Franzinger '02. "Adam has always been a guy who understands that gets as his works deserve. This will undoubtedly motivate him to work even harder and to show his coaches that they made a wise decision."

And as for Shibley, he'll never forget his time wearing the blue and gold and wandering the hallowed halls of Wildcat High. 

"When practicing or training, there aren’t many days that go by where I am not reminded of the 2016 Saint Ignatius State Runner-Up football team," Shibley said. "My time in Ohio City not only made me fall deeper in love with the game of football, but my teammates taught me how to have a lot of fun while playing it."

Congratulations again to Adam on this wonderful achievement!