| Bo Schembechler |
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MIAMI UNIVERSITY AND EARLY COACHING JOBS Schembechler grew up in Barberton, Ohio. He graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he played football under two legendary (and completely contrary) coaches. Sid Gillman (his first coach at Miami) was a remarkably innovative offensive coach and is one of the fathers of the modern passing game. His concepts helped to form the foundation for today's "west Coast" Offense. Gillman took another coaching job before Schembechler's last year and was replaced by Wayne Woodrow ("Woody") Hayes -- who could not have been more unlike Gillman. Hayes embraced the run, eschewed the pass, and demanded tough, physical play from his linemen. Rather than innovation, Hayes stressed repetition -- he wanted his players to run each play flawlessly. And over the next forty years, there was never any question whether Gillman or Hayes had a bigger influence on Schembechler. Schembechler's teams at Michigan were almost carbon copies of Woody Hayes ' Ohio State teams. Schembechler graduated from Miami University in 1951 and served as a graduate assistant coach for a year on Hayes' staff at Ohio State University . After serving in the Army and earning his Master's Degree , he moved on to serve as an assistant at Presbyterian College in 1954 , followed by a one-year stint as freshman coach at Bowling Green State University the next year. When Ara Parseghian (a team-mate of Schembechler's at Miami University) was hired as head coach at Northwestern University in 1956 , Schembechler joined him and spent the next two seasons as a defensive assistant. In 1958, Hayes hired Schembechler to serve on his staff at Ohio State. Schembechler spent five years at Ohio State and became one of Hayes' most trusted assistants. During that time, the two cemented their lifelong friendship. HEAD COACH AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY In 1963, Schembechler returned to Miami University to become head coach. Over the next six seasons, Schembechler would lead the Redskins to a 40-17-3 record, winning a pair of Mid-American Conference titles, while finishing second twice. HEAD COACH AT UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN Schembechler became Michigan's 13th head coach after the 1968 season. He succeeded Chalmers W. "Bump" Elliot . While at Michigan, Schembechler became one of the greatest college football coaches of all time. He won a school-record 194 games, lost only 48, and tied five for a winning percentage of .796. In Big Ten Conference play, he was better still, with a record of 143-24-3 for a winning percentage of .850. His Michigan teams won or shared 13 Big Ten titles, and made 10 Rose Bowl appearances. Schembechler led the Wolverines to 17 bowl games in 21 years, placing him ninth in all-time bowl appearances, while never posting a losing season. He was voted national Coach of the Year in 1969 by both the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association Of America . Ironically, Schembechler's greatest victory came in his first season at the hands of his old mentor. While Hayes' Buckeyes feasted during the late 1950's and 1960's, Michigan fielded a number of uncharacteristically mediocre teams. Hayes' 1968 team made it clear how far Michigan had fallen behind its traditional rival, as the Wolverines lost 50-14. At the end of the game, Hayes decided to pursue a two-point conversion, rather than a simple kick for an extra point. When the conversion was successful, it brought the score to a full 50 points. Asked why he "went for two," Hayes responded "Because I couldn't go for three." That remark set the stage for the 1969 rematch. In 1969, the Buckeyes came into the game as defending national champions, 17 point favorites, ranked number 1 in the country, and riding a 22 game winning streak. Many observers regarded Woody Hayes' 1969 squad, which included five first-team all-Americans, as among the best college teams of all-time. But Schembechler's 7-2 Wolverines shocked the college football world by dominating what Hayes later admitted was his best team. In a single afternoon, Schembechler and his charges resurrected Michigan's grand but moribund football tradition and returned it to college football's elite -- a perch it has never left since. Michigan's upset of Ohio State's 1969 team is widely considered one of the greatest upsets in college football history and quite possibly the most significant victory in Michigan's storied tradition (the school has more wins in college football than any other). Both Schembechler and Hayes -- personal friends until Hayes' death in 1987 -- agreed it was Woody's best team and Bo's biggest victory. After that magnificent start, Schembechler's Wolverines and Hayes' Buckeyes proceeded to engage in a fierce "Ten Year War" that elevated the already storied UM/OSU Rivalry into perhaps college football's greatest annual grudge match. For ten years the two dominated the "Big 2 and Little 8," splitting ten conference titles between them and finishing second eight times. Hayes supposedly could not bring himself to speak the name of "that school up north." For his part, Schembechler savored nothing more than putting it to his old mentor. After a decade of memorable on-field stratagems, sideline antics, and locker room psychological ploys, the two coaches came out almost dead-even, Schembechler holding a slim 5-4-1 advantage. In Bowl Game s, however, Schembechler was less successful. His teams lost their first seven bowl games before winning five of their last 10. Following the 1980 season, he gained his first of two Rose Bowl victories by beating the University Of Washington . That team featured the talents of Anthony Carter , a 3-time consensus All-American and one of the greatest wide receivers in college football history. Perhaps spurred by Carter's success, Schembechler's teams began to pass more during the 1980's. But Schembechler never completely shed his image as a slightly (or perhaps not-so-slightly) anachronistic offensive coach. At the same time, his teams continued to enjoy consistent success throughout the decade. His last two teams went to the Rose Bowl, splitting two games with the University Of Southern California . LIFE AFTER FOOTBALL Schembechler was athletic director at Michigan from 1988 to 1990. Just before the 1989 NCAA Basketball Tournament , men's basketball head coach Bill Frieder announced that he was taking the head coach position at Arizona State University , starting at the end of the season. Schembechler immediately fired Frieder, famously saying that "a Michigan man is going to coach Michigan" in the NCAA tournament. He appointed assistant basketball coach Steve Fisher as interim head coach. To seemingly vindicate Schembechler's decision, Fisher improbably led Michigan to six straight victories in the tournament and the 1989 national championship. From 1990 to 1992, Schembechler was president of the Detroit Tigers professional baseball club. In 1991, he notably presided over the firing of aging but beloved Tigers' Hall of Fame broadcaster Ernie Harwell . The move was universally decried by fans and the press. Management at the Tigers' flagship radio station WJR later claimed responsibility for the sacking, but Schembechler and club owner Tom Monaghan were denounced for the decision. {Link without Title} Since leaving the Tigers, Schembechler has maintained an office at the University of Michigan's football facility (which is named "Schembechler Hall"). The Wolverines are now coached by Lloyd Carr , one of Schembechler's former assistants. Schembechler is active in a number of private charities. He also maintains the many friendships he established during his tenure as one of the country's most respected coaches -- especially those he forged with his former players and coaches. COACHING RECORD ''Miami (Ohio)'' ''Michigan'' ^''denotes shared championship'' ^^''Note: Until 1975, Big Ten teams were not permitted to participate in any bowl other than the Rose.'' |
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