Owner/Editor-in-Chief: Justin Potts

Justin started Maize and Go Blue in the fall of 2009 to combine his love for sports writing with his passion for Michigan football. He has a major in sports management and public relations and has worked in media relations for the Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, New York Jets, and the National Hockey League. He has also worked for the National Football League’s PR staff at Super Bowls XLI, XLIII, and XLIV and the 2008 NFL Scouting Combine.

Currently, Justin manages Verizon’s on-site activations at events across the country for a Chicago-based experiential marketing agency. The past two years, he managed Verizon’s on-site sponsorship activations of several NFL teams across the league. Work keeps him busy, and thus, Maize and Go Blue is a labor of love, not a full time job.

This season, Justin edited and partially wrote the Michigan football season preview magazine In The Huddle by Lindy’s Sports.

When not working or writing about Michigan football, Justin is an avid golfer. He plays to a sub-5 handicap and would play every day if he could, so if you have any connections to big time courses, hook him up. He also loves to travel, attend sporting events and live concerts, and read spy novels. He currently lives in the suburbs of Chicago with his wife Carrie and daughter Brooklyn, 1.

You can follow him on Twitter @maizeandgoblue

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Staff Writer: Josh

Josh has a diverse background in the business world with a current concentration in fixed income and estate planning. He studied Sports Business at St. John Fisher College in New York, and in 2007 graduated with a Bachelor’s in Science.

His early professional experience led him to the Rochester RazorSharks, a minor league basketball team playing in the Premier Basketball League, where he was directly recruited to work in the front office. After two successful seasons with the team, he then made the decision to attend Liberty University’s School of Law in Lynchburg, VA, where he put his strong analytical skills to use in the classroom with a primary focus on business law.

After leaving law school Josh decided to take his newly diversified knowledge base and apply it to the financial sector. In 2010 he was asked to become a member of Crown Investment Services, a 25 year old full financial services organization located in Orrville, OH to help them create a new subdivision that specialized in fixed income products, now known as Crown Fixed Benefits & Estate Planning. In May 2012 he helped establish another office for Crown Fixed Benefits & Estate Planning, in South Bend, IN where he currently serves as Vice President.

Originally from Rochester, NY, Josh grew up very active in sports and has been a die hard Michigan fan since birth. His father attended the University of Michigan for both undergrad and dental school. He currently lives in South Bend, IN with his wife Brooke, their two daughters Rileigh, 7, Lilli, 3 and their newborn son JJ.

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Feature Writer/Analyst: Chris

Chris is a former Division 1 quarterback at the Air Force Academy. Upon graduation, Chris served for four years in the U.S. Air Force. He then transitioned into the civilian world as a sales rep for Michelin Tires and now serves his country working for the Federal Government. Chris grew up in southeast Michigan following the Wolverines and is a huge fan of everything Michigan.  He currently lives behind enemy lines in Columbus, Ohio, with his wife Erin, and newborn daughter Sawyer. Chris will bring a former player’s perspective to the site and you can check out his work with the Monday Morning Quarterback feature.

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Staff Writer: Matt

Born and raised in Tipp City, Ohio, Matt was unfortunately raised on the Buckeyes, but in high school decided to change it up a bit and become a fan of a team with so much prestige and so much tradition. That’s right, Matt became a fan of the Michigan Wolverines.

Matt is now more die-hard about Michigan football than anything else. He is also a Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals fan, as well as a fan of professional wrestling, mixed martial arts, and video games.

You can follow him on Twitter @MattLytle

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Feature Writer: Katie

Katie is a recent University of Michigan graduate and longtime Wolverine fan. Born in Michigan, she moved to “that state to the south” when she was young and that cemented her status as a die-hard Maize and Blue supporter. She’s crazy about old movies and being outside in nature. If she could go anywhere in the world she would go to Norway to see the fjords. Her interests are far and wide, and what she likes most is learning, which is why she has made the decision to go back to school, hopefully to get a MFA.

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Basketball Lead: Sam

I am a 22-year-old graduate of the greatest school in the world, Michigan (2012). I majored in Communication Studies with the hopes of turning my writing abilities into a profession when I am a little older. While I grew up a Michigan fan in Grand Rapids, I’m not particularly sure what drew me to the school at such a young age. Perhaps it was the football helmets, or maybe it was my parents steering me in the right direction, but I am the first member of my immediate family to attend Michigan. My mother’s sister-in-law’s (my aunt’s) daughter from a previous relationship (I really don’t know what that makes us) also graduated from Michigan in the early 1990s and even dated the punter at the time (Chris Stapleton for you diehards), so maybe that played a role in my becoming a fan. I also just learned recently that she studied psychology in college and used me for some significant research projects – another plausible explanation for me being who I am today. Anyway, you get the picture.

So while his initial interest probably had something to do with football, he has grown up to be a basketball aficionado and paid more attention to college basketball than any other sport (not to say he doesn’t follow anything else). He was an assistant coach for a couple years at St. Thomas the Apostle’s basketball team and was also the president of the Maize Rage his senior year after being heavily involved for the previous three.

Sam still calls Ann Arbor home for now and works in Southfield. His family, consisting of three older brothers ranging from 24 to 28, a sister of 14 years, and two loving parents, is the most important thing in his earthly life with Michigan basketball and football close runners-up. In his spare time he obviously enjoy watching sports, but also enjoys reading, watching movies, writing about both sports and films, and playing sports. He’d be lying if he said he liked exercising but he tries his best to do it on a regular basis. You will certainly get to know him better through his writing and he looks forward to this new opportunity.

You can follow him on Twitter @samgoblue