Farewell Lloyd

1995 Virginia—Scott Dreisbach to Mercury Hayes. 1995 Ohio State—313. 1997. 2000 Orange Bowl—Brady, Terrell, Thomas. 2003 Ohio State—100th game. 2004 Michigan State—Braylon. 2005 Penn State—Henne to Manningham. Woodson, Jackson, Hall. Glen Steele. Foote, Irons, Jones, Sword. Hutchinson, Long, Baas. Terrell, Edwards, Streets, Toomer, Walker, Avant. Thomas, Perry, Hart. Griese, Brady, Henson, Navarre, Henne. 5 Big Ten Championships. One National Championship.

Only one man is directly responsible for all of this. Yet, even in the days after his retirement, Lloyd Carr still can’t get the respect he has earned. I guess it shouldn’t really surprise me… Michigan quarterbacks have encountered the same problem dating back to Elvis Grbac (yes, even Tom Brady). I guess I’m just an eternal optimist.

Growing up a Michigan fan, I have grown to expect two things—winning football games and winning football games with integrity. During his tenure, Lloyd Carr has done both. Has he been outcoached at times? Sure. So has Pete Carroll. But, there is so much more that goes into being a head coach than X’s and O’s. Joe Roberson, the man that hired him, recognized this. "I said to myself, 'I really want a coach who can be a role model to these young men in the educational sense,' " Roberson said. "Somebody who knows there are more letters in the alphabet than X and O. I felt Lloyd was that." On top of educating players, you have to get the right ones in the first place. Heck, Pete Carroll’s probably outcoached more than any of us will know.. . but his players just outexecute other teams. They’re just that much more talented. For thirteen years, Lloyd has gotten the right players. Sure, there’s a Kelly Baraka and a Johnny Sears every once in a while. More importantly, he’s found guys like Braylon Edwards, David Harris, and Mike Hart. Guys that others thought were too slow, too small, etc. Guys that, ultimately, make your program. And, when they step out of line, it is up to the coach to correct it. The stories of Lloyd handing guys like Braylon, Chris Perry, and Shawn Crable their transfer papers are told countless times. Meanwhile, Jim Tressel sits those same guys out for a play. Maybe I’m screwed up in the head, but I have no problem sacrificing a win here or there if it means running a clean program. Plenty of programs have taken a different approach—Miami, Florida State, Nebraska. They allow guys to play except in cases of murder. And look at where those programs are right now. Think that’s a coincidence? Michigan won’t see that sort of decline, and Lloyd Carr is directly responsible for that.

Lloyd didn’t have the impact of Bo, the fire of Moeller, or the charisma of either… but he produced better results. And, he’s done so much more. Adam Kraus described Carr at Lloyd’s last football bust as “not just a coach, but a maker of men.” Never have I seen a person command more respect from his inferiors than Lloyd Carr. His players thought so much of him that they gave him the Michigan ring that is given to each senior at the end of the year. The only other non-player to ever receive the ring? Bo.

Words can’t truly express how much I will miss Lloyd Carr. He has meant so much to the Michigan football family for so long. He was one hell of a coach. That, and most importantly to me, he represented the University of Michigan as well as it has ever been represented—something all Michigan fans, should be eternally grateful for. Goodbye Lloyd, you will be missed.