Warde Manuel was a graduate student at Michigan during the emergence of the Fab Five. He was an associate athletic director when the group’s most prominent member, Chris Webber, was confirmed by U-M booster Ed Martin to have accepted money.
So Manuel has a unique perspective on the Fab Five as its 25th anniversary arrives next season.
And while he has said to reporters he’s interested in a discussion about their impact, that’s only related to the planned campus symposium Oct. 8, not an official athletic department’s position on the group.
The university had a 10-year ban with Webber and three other three players who took money from Martin, so the Fab Five did not have photos or public recognition for years, including the removal of the banners from their NCAA tournament runner-up finishes in 1992 and 1993.