Michigan's Desmond Howard had another celebration in mind before famous OSU Heisman pose

One of the most iconic moments in the decorated history of Michigan football began with a gymnast.

Wolverines legend Desmond Howard joined ESPN’s “ManningCast” during the network’s broadcast of the Packers-Raiders matchup on "Monday Night Football." During his apperance, Howard was asked by co-host Eli Manning about his famous striking the Heisman pose in the end zone after a touchdown against Ohio State in 1991.

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As Howard began recounting how the moment came to be, he set the scene, noting that he was dating a gymnast the previous summer. From there, the story took a quick detour.

“You should always date a gymnast,” Howard said, drawing laughs from Peyton and Eli Manning. “They’re very smart.”

The unnamed gymnast, however, was more than just the setup for a joke. Howard relayed how she taught him how to do a backflip, something Howard thought would be fun to deploy as part of a celebration in a game. In the Wolverines’ season finale against archrival Ohio State, he came across what he believed would be the perfect chance to do something nobody in the history of major college football had.

“I was like, ‘This would be the coolest thing to do, if I break out in the open, stop like on the 1-yard line and do a backflip into the end zone. Here we are, Michigan-Ohio State, good game, biggest rivalry in college football and I’m like, ‘This is my opportunity,’” Howard said.

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With Michigan leading the Buckeyes 17-3 late in the first half, Howard had the most enduring moment of his 1991 Heisman Trophy-winning season, returning an Ohio State punt 93 yards for a touchdown. As he sliced through the Buckeyes’ punt return team and broke into the open field, Howard said he began second-guessing his plans.

“'If you do it and you mess up, you’ll be on SportsCenter for the wrong thing,'” he recalled thinking.

By the time he got to the 8-yard line, Howard admitted he “kind of chickened out,” forcing him to improvise once he got into the end zone. After crossing the goal line and quickly deliberating what he should do in honor of the moment, he settled on imitating the Heisman Trophy’s signature pose, knowing his score likely clinched the award for him in a season in which he had 19 receiving touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and two return touchdowns.

“I did that and the rest, as they say, is history,” Howard said.

Howard, who works for ESPN as a college football analyst, joined the “ManningCast” because another famous return: a 99-yard kickoff return for the Packers in their Super Bowl XXXI victory against the Patriots that helped Howard win Super Bowl MVP honors.

There’s no word, though, on whether a gymnast was involved in that play.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Desmond Howard recalls famous Heisman Trophy pose after Ohio State TD