I will never forget November 17. 2006. I woke up before class and checked to see if there was any news before the big game. That’s when I first found out. Bo Schembechler was dying. It was the day before the biggest game in the history of the biggest rivalry in all of sports… and one of the rivalry’s legends was dying. I called my mom, dad, and brother to see if they had heard anything. Everyone was calling everyone. About a half hour later, it was official. Bo had passed away. I’m not sure that I can put into words what Bo meant to me, to Michigan… but I’m sure going to try.
Non-Michigan fans just don’t get it. They don’t understand why so many people cared so much. That day, I cried for the first time in a long time. I felt like I had lost a family member. Suddenly, the next day’s game just didn’t mean as much. A national championship just didn’t seem that important anymore.
Sure, Bo was a great coach. He won 13 Big Ten championships and won 2 Rose Bowls. He went 5-4-1 against Woody Hayes and 11-9-1 against Ohio State. He put Michigan football back on the map. He pulled off the greatest upset in Michigan football history in 1969. But, he was so much more than that. Bo is Michigan football.
Michigan football is everything. It’s the winged helmet, the blue jerseys, and the maize pants. It’s tailgating at 8 am for Ball State, Eastern Michigan, and Appalachian State. It’s seeing the team run through the tunnel and touch the M Club banner. It’s 107,501 people cheering for a common cause on fall Saturdays. It’s a 235 member band marching across the field playing the Victors. It’s the claw, “You suck,” and (as much as I hate it) the wave. It’s Tom Harmon, Desmond Howard, and Charles Woodson. It’s Dan Dierdorf, Elvis Grbac, and Jarrett Irons. It’s Dreisbach to Hayes, Biakabatuka for 313, and Braylon owning Michigan State. It’s Fielding Yost, Fritz Crisler, and Lloyd Carr. It’s 849 wins, 42 Big Ten championships, and 11 national championships. It’s Bo Schembechler.
Michigan football is something that hundreds of thousands of people have in common. It creates a connection between so many people. On a more obvious level, it gives us students of the university an amazing connection. Michigan football will keep me connected with some of the amazing friends I have made at Michigan. But, it goes much further than that. Other schools think they have it, but no one has the widespread fan support that Michigan has. Michigan football fans don't travel... they're just everywhere. Walking down Hollywood Boulevard a week before the Rose Bowl, there were people yelling “Go Blue!” from across the street. Go to people in California, Florida, Texas, or wherever else you want and ask them who their “second favorite” college team is. An overwhelming number of people will tell you it's Michigan. There's just this love of Michigan football all across the country. Some of it can be attributed to the largest alumni base in the world. Some of it can be attributed to the success of the program. And almost all of it, directly or indirectly, can be traced back to Bo Schembechler.
Bo's impact is lasting. There's so much evidence of this. The building which holds football practices along with the football coaches' offices is named after him. He was even allowed to keep an office in that building. Bo is a large reason that Lloyd Carr is the current head coach. And Bo is the reason that I will defend Lloyd Carr to the death. You see, Lloyd Carr continues to do what Bo began. Bo made Michigan football about so much more than just the game on the field—he made it an attitude. He instilled such passion within his coaches and players. They were passionate because he was passionate. He made each and every freshman he ever coached learn the Victors before they played a game, and made them earn the right to sing the same song after games by winning(two traditions that still exist today).
Bo coined several phrases in his time at Michigan. My two favorites, and the two that continue to have the most impact on the current program, are “Those who stay will be champions,” and “The team! The team! The team!” Needless to say, I was upset when I saw that a more prominent version of the latter was not voted onto the 2007 football shirt. In regards to the former quote, it is a large reason that Michigan football players don't seem to go pro early very often. The team/family concept is instilled in them as freshmen, and it is the reason that they don't have a desire to leave Michigan early. Sure, you get the occasional Alan Branch or Charles Woodson, but they graduate at the very least. And when they do leave early, they leave not just better players... but better men. Desmond Howard talked about this right after Bo's death when he said, “In 1988, I was an 18-year-old kid going off to college and leaving home for the first time. In just a few short years, Bo prepared me to be a man ready to take on the world.”
If nothing else, Bo brought integrity. And that integrity still exists today. It may be cliche, but Michigan does things the right way. Lloyd Carr continued this, which is another reason that I will defend him to the death. Michigan graduates players. Michigan recruits cleanly. Michigan expects as much academically as they do athletically. Like the commercial says, Michigan shows integrity “before, during, and after the game.” If that means an extra loss each year, so be it. I refuse to see Michigan turn into the “other schools.” I refuse to watch Michigan bend and/or break the rules for a high school player that may never amount to anything. I refuse to support a team that will give their star players beneficial treatment. Michigan does things the right way. Michigan does things with integrity. Michigan turns out Michigan Men.
I think the term Michigan Man is a Bo phrase as well. As far as I'm concerned, being called a Michigan Man is the highest honor an individual can receive. Michigan's basketball program has had trouble because they haven't had Michigan Men. They don't bring in the right guys. That was beginning to change with Tommy Amaker, who is the epitome of a Michigan Man. He was not the greatest coach, and he deserved to be fired, but he is and always will be a Michigan Man. He brought integrity to a program that needed it so badly. The next basketball coach will be a Michigan Man, as will Lloyd Carr's successor. I don't agree with a lot of the thing Bill Martin does... but bringing in Michigan Men is one thing that he does well. Bo was the original Michigan Man... and he is the standard by which all others should be measured.
I think the ultimate sign of success in a particular profession is gaining respect from your colleagues. If that is true, then Bo is the most successful coach ever. I'll never forget coming back from class the day Bo died. I turned on ESPN, and was treated to hours of other coaches and players (current and former) talking about the amount of respect that they had for Bo. I turned on the radio... same thing. Even Bobby Knight said that Bo had the biggest impact on him of any coach he had ever encountered. An Ohio State alum and basketball coach said that about the old Michigan football coach. Bobby Knight wasn't alone. Lou Holtz said it. Lee Corso said it. Kirk Herbstreit said it. Jim Tressel and Bobby Bowden said it. Hell, George W. Bush said it. Yeah, the President of the United States felt the need to comment on it. He said, “Bo Schembechler was a true legend of college football. I was saddened to learn of his death. He inspired generations of players and fans by insisting that his teams play hard, play fair, and bring honor to themselves and their school by finishing their educations and contributing to society. He was an extraordinary leader and role model who will be missed. Laura and I join fans of the Big Blue in extending our sympathies to his wife, Cathy, and his family and friends.”
People often wonder why we cared so much when Bo passed away. Sure, he brought integrity and success to a program that had been down at the time. He helped inspire the greatest rivalry in all of sports. But, he did so much more than that. He is, in all likelihood, the reason I am a Michigan fan today. Because of that love for Michigan football, I fell in love with the school. Bo is quite possibly the reason that I am attending the University of Michigan on a full scholarship. He is quite possibly the reason that I have made some amazing friendships in the past two years. All of this because one man took a job in 1968. I love Michigan because Bo loved Michigan. On November 17, 2006, I lost someone who had a lasting impact on my life. I will never forget him. Thanks Bo... for everything.
