Who among us can forget the “Fab 5” of the 1990s Michigan Wolverines basketball team? Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, and Jimmy King were all first-team.
All-Americans in the 1991 recruiting class, and Ray Jackson rounded out the Fab Five as a top-85 prospect.
Despite the fact that none of the players won an NCCA championship, they will forever be remembered as an integral part of Michigan basketball history.
An ESPN video chronicling the phenomenal basketball skills of the Fab Five has become the network’s most popular documentary ever.
They shaved their hair, wore black socks with their baggy shorts, and otherwise posed a fashion challenge to the basketball world.
The Fab Five
The Fabulous Fab Five were a phenomenal recruiting class for the 1991 Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team.
They are “one of the greatest recruiting classes of the 1990s,” according to several experts. Starts a new window or tab.
Students in the team included –
A Powerful Step Forward by Chris Webber (#4 Detroit)
Guard Jalen Rose (Detroit Pistons, No. 5)
Center Juwan Howard (#3 in Chicago)
Jimmy King, Texas’s No. 9 Shooting Guard
Ray Jackson, Texas’s #24 and a small forward.
Later, in 2011, ESPN released a documentary on the squad that details their recruitment, glory years, time-out catastrophe, cultural effect, and subsequent scandal.
The film’s original premiere date of March 13, 2011, attracted 2.7 million viewers, making it the most-watched ESPN documentary in the network’s history.
Why Did They Named as “The Fab Five”
In a 1992 game against Notre Dame, Michigan Wolverines head coach Steve Fisher fielded a team that included five freshmen.
Fisher made his decision mostly because high schooler Michael Talley was absent from Friday’s rehearsal. The alternative at the time was Ray Jackson.
Perhaps even Fisher had no idea that this particular lineup would go on to achieve such widespread acclaim and commercial success.
The Wolverines, ranked 15th, beat Notre Dame, 74-65, thanks to an all-freshman starting lineup.
With 20 points, Jalen Rose is in first place. Chris Webber had an impressive double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.
Juwan Howard matched it with 13 points and 14 boards. With 4 points, Ray Jackson led the team in scoring.
Conclusion
Although there have been some infamous recruiting classes in college basketball, none compare to the 1991 University of Michigan men’s squad.
Over the course of two unforgettable years, superstars like Jimmy King, Jalen Rose, Chris Webber.
Ray Jackson, and Juwan Howard captivated the nation with a sequence of performances that altered the landscape of college basketball forever.
