Bo Schembechler
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Bo Schembechler | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Title | Head coach | |
| Sport | Football | |
| Born | April 1, 1929 | |
| Place of birth |  Barberton, Ohio |
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| Died | November 17, 2006 | |
| Place of death | Southfield, Michigan | |
| Career Highlights | ||
| Overall | 234-65-8 | |
| Bowls | 5-12 | |
| Coaching Stats | ||
| College Football DataWarehouse | ||
| Championships | ||
| 13 Big Ten titles | ||
| Awards | ||
| 1969 Paul "Bear" Bryant Award | ||
| School as a player | ||
| 1948-1951 | Miami University | |
| Position | Tackle | |
| Coaching positions | ||
| 1952 1954 1955 1956-1957 1958-1962 1963-1968 1969-1989 |
Ohio State assistant Presbyterian assistant Bowling Green assistant Northwestern assistant Ohio State assistant Miami University Michigan |
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| College Football Hall of Fame, 1993 (Bio) | ||
Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler (April 1, 1929 – November 17, 2006) was an American college football coach best known as the head coach at the University of Michigan, where he coached the Wolverines from 1969 until 1989. Schembechler won a total of 234 games; only Joe Paterno and Tom Osborne have recorded 200 victories in fewer games. A consummate "coach's coach", Schembechler combined superb technical command of the game with a fiery disposition. Schembechler's Michigan teams were known for their fundamentally sound, physical, and fierce style of play. Under his watch, the Wolverines traditionally featured strong defense, dominating offensive lines, and a power-running attack. In the words of one commentator, Schembechler coached a "remorseless and punishing" brand of football.[citation needed] If he perceived a weakness in the opponent, his teams hammered at it time and time again. Though somewhat combative during games — he was prone to sideline outbursts — Schembechler was widely regarded as a coach of great personal integrity.
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[edit] Early life
Schembechler was born and raised in Barberton, Ohio. His nickname "Bo" came from his sister's attempts to say "brother" when they were little children. Schembechler's father was a firefighter. One of Schembechler's seminal experiences was seeing his father refuse to accept a stolen copy of a civil-service exam -- despite the fact that the other applicant was reported to have received a stolen copy himself. Schembechler's father took the exam without having received the answers, missed one more question than the other applicant, and did not receive the promotion he coveted. Schembechler often told the story, saying the experience taught him more about integrity than any lecture ever could have. Hard work and integrity were two themes of Schembechler's career.[1]
Schembechler attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio where he played football under two legendary, and completely different, coaches. Sid Gillman, his first coach at Miami, was an innovative offensive mind and one of the fathers of the modern passing game. His concepts helped to form the foundation for football's West Coast offense. Prior to Schembechler's last season, Gillman departed to become head coach at the University of Cincinnati. He was replaced by the renowned and fiery 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. Over the next forty years, Hayes' impact on his young protege was clearly evident. Schembechler's teams at Michigan were molded in the spirit of Hayes' Ohio State teams.
Schembechler graduated from Miami in 1951 and earned his master's degree at Ohio State University in 1952 while working as a graduate assistant coach under Hayes, who had become OSU's head coach. After a tour of duty in the U.S. Army, Schembechler served as an assistant at Presbyterian College in 1954, followed by a year as freshman coach at Bowling Green. When Schembechler's former college teammate Ara Parseghian, Hayes' successor at Miami University, was hired as head coach at Northwestern in 1956, Schembechler joined him and spent the next two seasons there as a defensive assistant. In 1958, Hayes hired Schembechler to serve again on his staff at Ohio State. Schembechler spent five more years at Ohio State and became one of Hayes' most trusted assistants. During that time the two cemented their lifelong friendship. They also engaged in famously explosive arguments, going so far as to throw chairs at one another during film sessions[citation needed]. Schembechler was fond of recounting the number of times that Hayes "fired" him, only to send a graduate assistant to fetch him after tempers had calmed.
Schembechler, Hayes, Parseghian, and several of their "Cradle of Coaches" compatriots are the subject of the book Fields of Honor, written by coach John Pont's niece, Sally Pont.
[edit] Miami (of Ohio) University
In 1963, Schembechler returned to Miami University to become head coach. Over the next six seasons, Schembechler led the team to a 40-17-3 record, winning a pair of Mid-American Conference titles and finishing second twice.
[edit] University of Michigan
Schembechler became Michigan's 13th head coach after the 1968 season, succeeding Bump Elliott. At Michigan, Schembechler became one of college football's greatest coaches. He won a school-record 194 games, lost only 48, and tied five for a winning percentage of .796. His teams never posted a losing season. In Big Ten Conference play, he had 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 a total of 17 bowl games in 21 years, placing him ninth in all-time bowl appearances. He was voted national coach of the year in 1969 by both the American Football Coaches Association and the Football Writers Association of America.
Schembechler's greatest victory came in his first season, when he led the Wolverines to an upset victory over a standout Ohio State team coached by his old mentor, Woody Hayes. Hayes' Buckeyes dominated the series during the late 1950s and for most of the 1960s as Michigan fielded a number of uncharacteristically mediocre teams. Hayes' 1968 team made it clear how far Michigan had fallen behind its traditional rival, when 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. Legend has it that when Hayes was asked why he "went for two," he responded "Because I couldn't go for three." The embarrassment of that outcome set the stage for the 1969 rematch.
In 1969, the Buckeyes came into the game as defending national champions and 17-point favorites with the top ranking in the country and a 22-game winning streak. Many observers regarded Hayes' 1969 squad, which included five first-team all-Americans, among the best college teams of all time. But Schembechler's 7-2 Wolverines dominated what Hayes later admitted was his best team, 24-12. 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 maintained ever since. Both Schembechler and Hayes, who remained personal friends until Hayes' death in 1987, agreed it was Hayes' best team and Schembechler's biggest victory. Many consider Michigan's win over Ohio State in 1969 one of the greatest upsets in college football history and the most significant win for a Michigan team ever.
After that game, the Wolverines and Buckeyes proceeded to engage in a fierce "Ten Year War" that elevated the already storied Michigan-Ohio State rivalry into perhaps college football's greatest annual grudge match. For ten years the two dominated the Big 10, splitting ten conference titles between them and finishing second eight times. 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 games, however, Schembechler was less successful. Perhaps it was an omen that he suffered his first of two heart attacks the night before his team's first Rose Bowl appearance. The Wolverines lost to the University of Southern California the next day while he was hospitalized. Schembechler's Michigan went on to lose their next six bowl games before winning five of their last ten.
Following the 1980 season, Schembechler gained the first of his two Rose Bowl victories by beating the University of Washington. The 1980 Michigan team featured the talents of Anthony Carter, a three-time consensus All-American and one of the greatest wide receivers in college football history. In 1980 Michigan stumbled early in the season, losing two of its first three games. As a result of the two losses, Michigan was eliminated from consideration for college football's mythical national championship, finishing 4th in the end-of-season polls. But Schembechler -- with some justification -- maintained that his first Rose Bowl champions were the country's best team by season's end. They did not allow a touchdown over the course of their last five games, giving up just 9 points total during that stretch.
Perhaps spurred by Carter's success, Schembechler's teams began to pass more during the 1980s. But Schembechler never completely shed his image as a slightly anachronistic offensive coach. At the same time, his teams continued to enjoy consistent success throughout the decade. Jim Harbaugh, a future NFL All-Pro quarterback and current head coach at Stanford, led Schembechler's 1985 team to a 10-1-1 record, a 27-23 win over Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl, and a #2 ranking in the final polls, the highest finish ever for one of Schembechler's teams. Schembechler's last two teams went to the Rose Bowl, splitting two games with USC.
Schembechler retired from coaching after the 1990 Rose Bowl. He decided to retire at the relatively young age of 60 because of his history of heart problems.
Schembechler was also the athletic director at Michigan from 1988 until early 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, effective at the end of the season. To the surprise of many, Schembechler immediately fired Frieder, 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. Fisher led Michigan to six straight victories in the tournament and the 1989 national championship.
[edit] After Michigan
From 1990 to 1992, Schembechler was president of the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball. In 1991, he presided over the firing of Tigers' longtime broadcaster Ernie Harwell. The move was 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.[1] Upon leaving the Tigers after Monaghan sold the team, Schembechler 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 was also active in numerous private charities.
Schembechler also hosted a pre-game show on the Detroit ABC affiliate, WXYZ-TV along with Sports Anchor Don Shane named "Big Ten Ticket". It was devoted to his analysis of the Wolverines, the Michigan State Spartans and other Big Ten Conference teams.
On April 30, 2005, at Michigan's annual spring commencement, Schembechler was awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree.[2]
[edit] Health Problems
During a taping of the WXYZ-TV program Big Ten Ticket in late October, 2006, Schembechler collapsed and was taken to the hospital. Following the episode, he had a heart pacemaker implanted into his chest to regulate his heartbeat. As late as a week before his death, he had stated his doctors were still adjusting the device, which covered about half his chest.[3] Schembechler had a long history of heart trouble. On December 31, 1969, the eve of his first Rose Bowl appearance, he suffered a heart attack, and had another in 1987 while he happened to be at University of Michigan Medical Center for tests.[citation needed] He had two quadruple heart bypass operations, the first in 1976 and the second following his second heart attack.
[edit] Death
On November 17, 2006, Schembechler collapsed in a men's room at WXYZ-TV just prior to the taping of Big Ten Ticket around 9:15 AM. He was taken to Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan where he was pronounced dead at 11:43 AM. At a press conference a few hours after his passing, it was reported by his doctor, Dr. Kim Eagle of the University of Michigan Health System, that his death was from the terminal stage of heart disease, where the heart muscle itself simply does not respond to the pacemaker, a common cause of death for persons afflicted with severe heart disease.
Schembechler died the day before one of the biggest games in the history of the Ohio State-Michigan rivalry. He was not planning on attending the November 18 game in Columbus, as his health prevented him from traveling. On Thursday, November 16th -- the day before he died -- Schembechler addressed his beloved Wolverines one last time. He exhorted them to remember "the team, the team, the team!"
Coincidentally, the University's Board of Regents approved a plan for the renovation and expansion of Michigan Stadium on the day of Schembechler's death.
On November 21, 2006, University of Michigan held a memorial service for Schembechler in the Big House. Approximately 20,000 fans, ex-players and coaches turned out during the middle of a work-day to pay their their respects to Schembechler and to celebrate his life. Fittingly, former Ohio State head coaches Earle Bruce and John Cooper attended, along with current coach Jim Tressel and his entire staff.
Before his death Schembechler had agreed to be an honorary pallbearer for President Gerald Ford. In his honor a University of Michigan stadium blanket was draped over a pew during President Ford's private funeral service held at Grace Episcopal Church in East Grand Rapids.
[edit] Coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl Game | Bowl Opponent | Outcome | Rank# |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miami University Redskins (Mid American Conference) (1963 — 1968) | ||||||||
| 1963 | Miami | 5-3-2 | 4-1-1 | 2nd | ||||
| 1964 | Miami | 6-3-1 | 4-2 | 2ndT | ||||
| 1965 | Miami | 7-3 | 5-1 | 1stT | ||||
| 1966 | Miami | 9-1 | 5-1 | 1stT | ||||
| 1967 | Miami | 6-4 | 4-2 | 3rdT | ||||
| 1968 | Miami | 7-3 | 5-1 | 2nd | ||||
| At Miami: | 40-17-3 | 27-8-1 | ||||||
| University of Michigan Wolverines (Big Ten) (1969 — 1989) | ||||||||
| 1969 | Michigan | 8-3 | 6-1 | 1stT | Rose | Southern California | L 3-10 | 8 |
| 1970 | Michigan | 9-1 | 6-1 | 2nd | 7 | |||
| 1971 | Michigan | 11-1 | 8-0 | 1st | Rose | Stanford | L 12-13 | 4 |
| 1972 | Michigan | 10-1 | 7-1 | 1stT | ^^ | 6 | ||
| 1973 | Michigan | 10-0-1 | 7-0-1 | 1stT | ^^ | 6 | ||
| 1974 | Michigan | 10-1 | 7-1 | 1stT | ^^ | 5 | ||
| 1975 | Michigan | 8-2-2 | 7-1 | 2nd | Orange | Oklahoma | L 6-14 | 8 |
| 1976 | Michigan | 10-2 | 7-1 | 1stT | Rose | Southern California | L 6-14 | 3 |
| 1977 | Michigan | 10-2 | 7-1 | 1stT | Rose | Washington | L 20-27 | 8 |
| 1978 | Michigan | 10-2 | 7-1 | 1stT | Rose | Southern California | L 10-17 | 5 |
| 1979 | Michigan | 8-4 | 6-2 | 3rd | Gator | North Carolina | L 15-17 | 19 |
| 1980 | Michigan | 10-2 | 8-0 | 1st | Rose | Washington | W 23-6 | 4 |
| 1981 | Michigan | 9-3 | 6-2 | 3rd | Bluebonnet | UCLA | W 33-14 | 10 |
| 1982 | Michigan | 8-4 | 8-1 | 1st | Rose | UCLA | L 14-24 | 15 |
| 1983 | Michigan | 9-3 | 8-1 | 2nd | Sugar | Auburn | L 7-9 | 9 |
| 1984 | Michigan | 6-6 | 5-3 | 3rd | Holiday | BYU | L 17 - 24 | |
| 1985 | Michigan | 10-1-1 | 6-1-1 | 2nd | Fiesta | Nebraska | W 27-23 | 2 |
| 1986 | Michigan | 11-2 | 7-1 | 1st | Rose | Arizona State | L 15-22 | 7 |
| 1987 | Michigan | 8-4 | 5-3 | 4th | Hall of Fame | Alabama | W 28-24 | 18 |
| 1988 | Michigan | 9-2-1 | 7-0-1 | 1st | Rose | Southern California | W 22-14 | 4 |
| 1989 | Michigan | 10-2 | 8-0 | 1st | Rose | Southern California | L 10-17 | 8 |
| At Michigan: | 196-48-5 | 143-24-3 | ||||||
| Career: | 234-65-8 | |||||||
| National Championship Conference Title | ||||||||
| †Indicates BCS bowl game. #Rankings from final Coaches Poll of the season. | ||||||||
^^Note: Prior to 1975, Big Ten teams were not permitted to participate in any bowl other than the Rose.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Bo: Bo Schembechler, 1929-2006, Foreword by Jack Ebling, published by Sports Publishing L.L.C., 2006
- College Football Hall of Fame
- Profile at University of Michigan Athletics History
- Bo Schembechler Profile at Rosebowl Legends
- Video of Schembechler speaking at the April 30, 2005 University of Michigan commencement
| Preceded by John Pont |
Miami University Head Football Coach 1963–1968 |
Succeeded by Bill Mallory |
| Preceded by Woody Hayes |
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award 1969 |
Succeeded by Alex Agase |
| Preceded by Woody Hayes |
Walter Camp Coach of the Year 1969 |
Succeeded by Bob Blackman |
| Preceded by Bump Elliott |
University of Michigan Head Football Coach 1969–1989 |
Succeeded by Gary Moeller |
| Preceded by Don Canham |
University of Michigan Athletics director 1988–1990 |
Succeeded by Jack Weidenbach |
Fauver • Merrill • McIntyre • Branch • Hazzard • McPherson • Smith • Parmallee • Foster • Iddings • Sweetland • Donnelly • Roberts • Little • Rider • Ewing • Pittser • Wilton • Holcomb • Gillman • Blackburn • Hayes • Parseghian • Pont • Schembechler • Mallory • Crum • Reed • Rose • Walker • Hoeppner• Montgomery
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| NAME | Schembechler, Bo |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Schembechler, Glenn Edward |
| SHORT DESCRIPTION | American college football coach |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 1, 1929 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Barberton, Ohio, United States |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 17, 2006 |
| PLACE OF DEATH | Southfield, Michigan, United States |
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