ufer award

Since 1981, the Ufer Award has been presented annually to a Letterwinners M Club member in recognition of their outstanding service to the University of Michigan and the Letterwinners M Club. Our 2023 Honoree, Amy McCormick Stevens, has exemplified “outstanding service” and was instrumental in the success of the club during her time on the board, serving multiple different roles on the executive committee before being elected president.

Amy’s journey to Ann Arbor began in the small town of Carleton, Michigan. Originally planning to attend the Air Force Academy to study aerospace engineering, she chose to stay close to home and enroll in Michigan’s world class college of engineering on an academic scholarship.  A chance encounter with (now retired) coach James Henry orchestrated by her high school coach Barb Kohn led to a walk-on opportunity with the Michigan Women’s Track team.  She was hesitant about the offer, but her father’s encouragement helped seal the deal. 

Amy competed in the high jump. Despite a redshirt freshman year due to injury, she completed her Michigan career as a three-time All-Big Ten finisher in Outdoor Track (1990, 1991 & 1992) and once Indoors (1991).  She also served as a Team Captain for her final two years. She recalls too many memories to pick just one favorite; she acknowledges that it wasn’t about the coaches or facilities, but about the people and the team and the connections she made along the way. It was those moments of being together that made the biggest impact. “We didn’t win a team Big 10 Championship but I found teammates for life.”

It's those friendships that kept her close to Michigan even while starting a career and family in Jackson, MI.  In fact, a group of more than a dozen track alumni traveled to the 2022 Track & Field World Championships last year in Oregon together. 

After graduation Amy (BSE Aero ’92) married her husband, Mark (BA Political Science ’89), a Michigan Men's Golf team member.  They took over the family manufacturing business and launched a second successful company in 1995.  After 30 years, they sold both in 2021 and traveled North America in a camper van for the next year.

Distance, work, and raising their family, sons Nick, a 2016 Michigan grad (BS Kinesiology), and Brody, a 2021 Michigan State grad (BS Sustainability) and scholarship hockey player, kept her busy, but a move to Ann Arbor put the Letterwinners M Club back on her radar. Amy had always appreciated the relationships she developed with many former athletes from her time as a student-athlete and when she joined the M Club Board in 2015 she used those connections to help the M Club.

During her seven-year service to the board, the last 3 ½ were as President, making her the longest serving President in club history.  She guided the Club during a global pandemic, where an event focused organization had to stay connected when its members were prevented  from gathering in person. One of the initiatives she is proud of is expanding the use of the M Club banner beyond just football games. It has made appearances at almost every sporting event and helped to expand the M Club’s brand identity. She helped to provide better exposure for the running on the field, rewarding  M Club members with that opportunity, and making it more accessible. “Standing on the 50 yard line in front of 115,000 fans can be overwhelming and emotional. It’s such an iconic part of the M Club experience.” 

Amy increased the M Club’s digital presence with addition of Athlete Network and laid the groundwork for a meaningful fundraising platform. The culmination of Amy’s hard work was the unveiling of the Letterwinner Wall in Crisler Arena in 2022, ensuring that Michigan Letterwinners are honored in an appropriate and enduring way. 

“One of the things I learned to appreciate from serving on the board and understanding everyone’s story is that it’s really hard to earn a Michigan Varsity Letter. It takes real determination and commitment.  I used to personally downplay the accomplishment but my work with the Letterwinners Club gave me an appreciation of what that Block M means and the connection it creates to the people around me.”