Matt Lester, founder and CEO of Princeton Enterprises, a real estate acquisition, development, and property management company in Bloomfield Township, will release his first book, “Blue Blood: An Insider’s Journey Through Michigan Football’s Past, Present, and Perfect Season,” in December.
The hardcover book, to be released on Dec. 8 by Greenleaf Book Group, chronicles “a rare behind-the-scenes account” of the University of Michigan’s national Division 1 football championship season (2023-24), while “exploring the leadership, relationships, and traditions that have defined one of college football’s most storied programs.”
Produced with ghost writer Jim Sloan, the book draws on Lester’s decades of involvement with the football program and provides firsthand insight into the culture, accountability, and leadership principles that transformed Team 144 into national champions (15-0 record).
Among the topics covered in the 386-page book are:
- The untold story behind Michigan’s 2023 national championship season
- Leadership lessons from elite athletic organizations
- Building team culture, accountability, and trust
- The intersection of sports, business, and philanthropy
- Five decades of Michigan football history, from head coaches Bo Schembechler to Jim Harbaugh
- What championship programs can teach leaders in any field
“Michigan football has always been about more than wins and losses,” Lester says. “It’s about culture, accountability, leadership, and people committed to something larger than themselves. This book tells the story of those principles in action during one of the greatest seasons the program has ever experienced.”
A lifelong supporter of the University of Michigan, Lester mentors student-athletes, supports the athletic department, and cultivates relationships with coaches, players, and university leadership.
The book includes a foreword by Harbaugh, who graduated from U-M and was quarterback on the football team (1983-86). Today, he is head coach of the Los Angeles Chargers.
“The foundation of that (championship) team was our players and coaches, who were unselfish, gifted, and committed to winning for each other,” Harbaugh writes. “When we recruited players for that team, we looked for talent, speed, strength, and the physical skills athletes need to excel. But we also thought about what kind of people they were.”
Lester’s Princeton Enterprises operates a portfolio of multifamily, office, storage, and other commercial properties nationwide. He is a 1987 graduate of the University of Michigan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, and a 1990 graduate of the University of Southern California Law School.
Lester transitioned from a brief legal career into real estate investing, building Princeton Enterprises into a nationally recognized firm known for acquiring, repositioning, and operating assets across the country.
In 2017, Lester and his wife, Nikki, endowed U-M’s defensive coordinator position with the football team, and donated $6 million for the renovation and expansion of the university’s football locker rooms in Schembechler Hall, the Team 144 Player’s Lounge, and Mike’s Barbershop (in the lounge).
Lester also is a longtime honoree of DBusiness magazine’s Detroit 500, an annual listing of the top business leaders in metro Detroit and Michigan.
For more information, visit princetonmanagement.com/.
