“I started football at age eight and grew up a Pitt fan. I could literally see the campus buildings from my mother’s office, so I thought I would go to Pitt” Denson remembered of his youth. The Denson family would make a short move to Baldwin, PA, just south of Pittsburgh when Damon was three years old, but fair to say he had the football genes of those Aliquippa.

When Denson started at Baldwin High School his freshman year, he was already on the radar of colleges; however, the football team at Baldwin was a program of limited success. The son of a pastor, perhaps faith was on Denson’s side though as a change in their head coach was taking place just as Denson entered his high school playing days. Baldwin, a perennial bottom-dweller in football standings, had hired, Don Yannessa, as its new head coach and athletic director. Yannessa’s previous school: Aliquippa High School of all places.

“Coach Yannessa turned the whole culture from perennial losers to winners,” Denson laughs with pride. “We called him ‘Hollywood Don’ for his flamboyant style, but he had us in the playoffs by my junior year—even beating top schools like North Hills.”
Though he also excelled at basketball, Denson’s focus shifted fully to football as colleges began showing interest during his junior year. At Baldwin, he started as a freshman (only the second player ever at the time), playing offensive tackle and linebacker while accolades poured in nationwide. He was named a USA Today All-American and invited to the prestigious Big 33 game his senior year, joining future Wolverines Rob Swett and Jon Ritchie.

Denson narrowed his college choices to Notre Dame, Penn State, Syracuse, Michigan, and Ohio State—with UM and OSU as the final toss-up. “As I weighed my decision, I recall my father telling me he prayed and thought I should go to Michigan. It helped that my recruiting host was Ty Law (Aliquippa HS, 1992), who was already there along with a high school classmate of mine, Kelly Kovach (Baldwin HS, 1991), who was on the Michigan softball team. So, I had some comfort. I remember Ty telling me that Michigan was tough, challenging, and grueling—but that I would succeed,” Denson said of his recruiting experience.

When Denson arrived for freshman workouts, Law’s advice proved true. Michigan was, once again, deep with talent, but Denson still found the field as a freshman and would start four games in 1993 season. Denson was quick to mention that “A lot of the older guys like Buster Stanley, Matt Dyson, Tony Henderson, Steve Morrison, and others were ‘true blue’ about helping me learn. They just wanted us to win. That mentality went a long way toward my success and confidence.”

Denson’s “Michigan moment” came a few games into his freshman season in a road loss that fans across the country remember. “We went out to Wisconsin and lost for the first time in years to a team that would ultimately win the Rose Bowl. It was a hostile environment—from the game itself to fans rushing the field afterward. Players had bottles and even batteries hurled at them as we came off, but I held my own that game, and the coaches noticed,” recalled Denson on the Wisconsin game that resulted in changes in crowd safety afterwards.

Change soon came for Denson as well. Despite starting in 1993 and 1994 on Michigan’s stacked defensive line, he switched to offensive guard in 1995. “Coach Carr, in his first year, called me into his office and explained that with some injuries on the O-line, Michigan needed me on the other side if I was willing,” remembers Denson on the discussion with Coach Carr.

The switch paid off: By his senior year, Denson earned All-Big Ten honors in 1996 alongside fellow guard Zach Adami and All-American center Rod Payne. While his Michigan career was complete, more football awaited. Projected as a late first or second-round NFL draft pick, Denson injured his hamstring before the combine, hurting his stock. “The first three rounds went by without me being selected, and I was depressed—not even wanting to watch the final day. My dad convinced me to keep watching, reminding me that God had a plan. I was glad I listened, because I was the first pick of the fourth round,” Denson said, recalling the 1997 draft on ESPN.

Drafted by the New England Patriots, Denson reunited with high school friend and Wolverine, Ty Law, who called Damon shortly after being drafted and joked that Damon seemed to be following him around in football. Now teammates again, the two joined forces under first-year head coach Pete Carroll.

The NFL was a major adjustment, but Denson felt he transitioned well. “I leaned on my faith in the unfamiliar environment of the NFL, but I also appreciated how much respect veterans had for players coming from Michigan.”

After a learning year, Denson broke into the starting rotation in his second season. Following three years in New England, he left as a free agent following the 1999 season and signed with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000. But injuries caught up, and midseason he was released. For the first time since age eight, football was no longer part of his daily life.

“I was newly married, (Damon met his wife Camille at Michigan) and all I really knew was football. But now I was out of a job,” said Denson. Yet he had more to give. “I had talent with computers and found work first at a church, then later full-time in the Baltimore area for about a decade before moving to Dallas.” While in Baltimore, Denson also held leadership positions for prisoner re-entry programs, helping individuals transition successfully back into society. If Bo Schembechler was known for ‘The Team, The Team, The Team,’ Denson’s mantra became ‘Transition, Transition, Transition.’

That calling led to his next chapter. In February 2019, Denson was in Atlanta at the Super Bowl supporting the Patriots as they faced the Rams. He also sang with the NFL Gospel Choir, for a group called, Super Bowl Soulful, during the Super Bowl week. “I don’t know exactly why, but I felt a calling to Georgia during that time,” he explained. In 2021, the Denson family of four moved to Northeast Atlanta, where Damon launched his own congregation: Transition Church.

Today, Damon serves as founder and lead pastor, with a vision of helping people transition to their best lives in Christ. Since his Michigan freshman year, faith has guided his path, reminding him that there is always more to life than football. Nearly thirty years after running down the Michigan tunnel, Denson has built a new kind of legacy—one for others to join indefinitely.

Rapid-Fire with Damon Denson

Advice to a current Michigan player:
“Enjoy every single moment. Four years will zoom by, and you don’t realize how valuable it is until later.”

Favorite spot to eat in Ann Arbor:
Amer’s Deli on State Street

Dorm roommates:

• Freshman year: Will Carr
• Sophomore year: Terrence Quinn

Most difficult away venue:
Wisconsin (1993); Ohio State (1996)

Toughest players faced:

• On defense: Eddie George
• On offense: Simeon Rice (Illinois)

Favorite play call:
Sweeps as a pulling guard—“because I had open space to run and hit blocks.”

Favorite games (tie):

• 1995 comeback vs. Virginia on Mercury Hayes’ last-second TD (“The loudest I ever heard Michigan Stadium”)
• Back-to-back wins vs. Ohio State in 1995 and 1996

— Brian Resutek