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More Than a Game

By Meredith Herman | January 31

Dr. Meredith Herman, second-year Pathology resident, spends countless hours in the quiet hum of the pathology lab, peering through a microscope, searching for the smallest signs of disease. The work is meticulous, often lonely, but she never forgets why she had chosen this path. It wasn’t just about science. It was about family.

Meredith Herman with her uncle, Tom Slade, at Christmas 1997.Tom Slade wasn’t just a name in the family—he was a Michigan legend. The quarterback for Bo Schembechler’s 1971 team, he led the Wolverines to an 11-0 regular season record, falling just short of a perfect year when they lost the Rose Bowl on a last-second field goal. More than for his passing, Slade was known for being a tough run-blocker, clearing the way for Billy Taylor and Michigan’s powerhouse running game. He wasn’t just a quarterback—he was a warrior, a leader who played with grit, determination, and an unbreakable will.

But to Meredith, Uncle Tom was more than just a football star. He was the uncle who called just to check in, even when she was in middle school and barely understood what an "offense" or "defense" was. She’d tell him about her latest science project or how she aced a math test, and he would always respond the same way: “Keep up the great work and study hard. You’re going to do big things.”

Tom Slade, quarterback, with the 1971 UM Football TeamAt 54 years old, Tom was facing an even bigger challenge than taking on an opposing linebacker. He had been diagnosed with leukemia at the University of Michigan. His toughness—the same grit that had helped him bulldoze defenders on the field—was once again coming in handy. Even the strongest quarterbacks couldn’t outrun everything. At first, she didn’t understand what that meant but she saw the way his powerful frame thinned, the way his energy, once boundless, started to fade. The Tom Slade Marrow Donor Registration Drive, set for June 24, 2006, at the Braun, Kendrick, Finkbeiner Law Offices in Saginaw Township. His story spread, and Michigan fans rallied behind him, but he was unable to find a matched donor.


"Keep up the great work and study hard, Meredith!" Tom SladeYears later, as she studies each biopsy slide, she feels a deep sense of purpose. Every diagnosis she makes, every case she analyzes, was a chance to fight for someone else’s uncle, father, or friend.

And in those quiet moments, when the work felt overwhelming, she could almost hear Uncle Tom’s voice in her ear:

"Keep up the great work and study hard."

And she did. Every single day.

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Photo citations:
 1971 Football team: "1972 University of Michigan Football Team; BL001256." In the digital collection Bentley Historical Library: Bentley Image Bank. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-bl001256/bl001256. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed February 04, 2025.

Tom Slade 1972:  "Tom Slade, UM Football, 1972; BL007719." In the digital collection Bentley Historical Library: Bentley Image Bank. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/b/bhl/x-bl007719/bl007719. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed January 30, 2025.

 

 
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