17th
November
2006
posted in Random |
The former Michigan football coach who needs no last name, Bo Schembechler passed away this morning. He worked for a short period of time for the Tigers in the early 90s.
RIP, and go blue.
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I didn’t expect that this news would hurt me so much. I miss him badly already and I know that tomorrow at 3:30pm EST I’m going to hurt even more.
Bo was not a great football coach, but then again he was a great college footbal coach. What the $%@& do I mean by that?
Bo’s stubborn refusal to aknowledge the passing game infuriated me and was the reason he failed so often to win Bowl games. It became apparent to me, however, that winning was not his primary concern. Educating college students was. And at that he was unsurpassed!
I believe Integrity was the main message to his charges. During the 70’s, when many other big-time, big spending college football powerhouse programs were punished for NCAA recruiting violations, Michigan’s program remained squeeky clean. That’s because Michigan’s program was Bo’s program. He was not the kind to tolerate any funny business.
More evidense: In my eyes, his defining moment came in 1989, as Michigan AD, Bo made this unforgettable quote, “We will not have an Arizona State coach coaching a Michigan team in the (NCAA) Tournamnet”, referring to Bill Freider, whom he fired after learning, right before the start of the NCAA Colege Basketball Tournament, that Freider had accepted the head coaching job at ASU. I don’t think I need to remind anybody what hapenned in the six games that followed. Steve Fischer was the National Championship coach that year, but I really believe that championship belonged to Bo.
Farewell Big Guy. You are well loved!
Thanks for the thoughts.
I didn’t think I would be in shock, being an MSU alum. But before I was an MSU alum, I was a fan of Michigan football. The first sports book I read was about Bo.
It just really hangs heavy on you.
Bo was a great coach, a great leader, and he built the Michigan program into the perennial powerhouse it is today — while maintaining a squeaky-clean reputation in the often dirty business of college football.
His “short period of time” working for the Tigers was by far the worst item on his resume. He was team President during the ownership of Tom Monaghan. Bo’s tenure is most remembered for two unfortunate things:
– He fired Ernie Harwell, and brought in two stiffs to replace him. The move was so universally reviled, that Ernie was brought back after a one-year absence.
– He aggressively campaigned for a new ballpark in the suburbs. He issued a constant barrage of negative comments about the ballpark, the dangerous neighborhood, and the lack of public support for a new stadium. There were threats to move the team out of state. He made a memorable comment to the effect that he didn’t want to be “chained to a rusty girder” in Tiger Stadium.
When Bo came on board, he voiced a commitment to rebuilding a farm system that had fallen into disrepair in the 80s. He failed. The Tigers didn’t hit rock bottom until after his departure, but he certainly did nothing to prevent it. Sorry to speak ill of the departed, but Bo was a great football man who was miscast as a baseball executive.
yeah you said nothing unknown, your timing could have been WAAAAY better.