Schembechler: Michigan Man to the end
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- It almost seemed like one last piece of gamesmanship aimed at the hated Buckeyes.
You could almost hear Bo Schembechler cackling in heaven Friday afternoon, "Heh, heh, let's see them deal with this."
If only there were humor. On the eve of the biggest game in the 103-game Ohio State-Michigan rivalry, the great coach died. Schembechler collapsed putting his stamp on the game until the end -- taping his weekly contribution to a Big Ten preview show in Detroit.
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| Bo Schembechler gets a lift after Michigan's Rose Bowl victory on Jan. 1, 1981. (AP) |
Woody and Bo presiding from on high. Together again.
There are few coaches who define a university. Bo is one of them. His influence transcends football. As athletic director he uttered the famous words, "A Michigan Man will coach Michigan."
Former basketball coach Bill Frieder was talking to Arizona State in 1989, and Schembechler promptly fired him. Assistant Steve Fisher took over and won the national championship that season.
As late as Wednesday, Schembechler was his old self on a conference call, ripping the quality of the turf in Columbus. "The worst playing surface in the America is right there in Ohio Stadium," he said.
Schembechler created the hard-hitting style that produced countless All-Americans. Even in death, there was a reminder of his toughness. Two bypass surgeries, two heart attacks. A couple of weeks ago he had new pacemaker installed after an episode taping the same show.
Typical Bo, he insisted on finishing the show before going to the hospital.
At the College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in August, it was Bo, not any of the inductees, who got the largest ovation.
On the sidelines, his battles with Woody Hayes gave rise to "The 10-Year War." It started in 1969, Bo's first year at Michigan, when the Wolverines upset the defending national champion Buckeyes 24-12. In the next 10 years, Bo gained a slim 5-4-1 advantage, but the memories from those games are burned into every Wolverines and Buckeyes fan.
Bo was best known for his irritable style. He wasn't as bombastic as Hayes and in later life was friendly and revered figure. Once asked his weight by a nurse, he blurted, "205 pounds of twisted blue steel."
As part of a "Michigan Hate Rally" in downtown Columbus on Friday night, a band named The Dead Schembechlers was scheduled to play. The punk band dresses up like Woody Hayes and sings song after song cursing Bo and the Wolverines.
Not on Friday. Calling Schembechler "OSU's most valiant foe," the band posted this tribute on its website:
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"The band is crushed to learn of the death of Bo Schembechler. We named
this band after Coach Schembechler to honor him as the face of Wolverine
football. We have never wished ill will upon him in any way and have
always wished him the best. When we learned that Bo had seen our web
site and was amused by it we were delighted. We were simply delighted.
He said to those with him as he read it, 'See, I still matter in
Columbus!' That may have been the greatest understatement in football
history. We believe that he took the band's name as the compliment that
it was meant as and that he was flattered by it. We wish to extend our
deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to his family. We are truly sorry
for their loss."
Two days ago, Bo was asked about the band that bore his name.
"If they have that name 'Dead Schembechlers' and they're making money," he said, "God bless them."
Apparently, with Bo gone, they will be gone, too. The band's lead singer announced that after Friday night's concert, "This will be it for us as a group," the Detroit Free Press reported. Proceeds from their last performance will be donated to the charity of the Schembechler family's choice.
• Earlier in the week, Bo got fired up thinking about Michigan's last visit to Columbus. Upon arrival at Ohio Stadium, the team's bags were searched by bomb-sniffing dogs in 2004, in a move that many Wolverines still think was intentional.
"By God you better not do that to Michigan and you can take that back to them," Schembechler said at a press conference.
• Linda Robinson's voice was shaking with emotion.
She and her husband, John, had become close friends with Bo and Cathy Schembechler.
The two men had coached against each other in two Rose Bowls with Robinson winning both (1977, 1979). But the one-time rivals were close and vacationed together, most recently in the California wine country.
"I'm looking at the pictures now," Linda Robinson said by phone. "We had just called them. They were opening a bottle of wine together. I'm trying to call Cathy now."
John Robinson was flying cross-country to Columbus on Friday to do a radio broadcast but had spoken to Bo earlier in the week.
"You told me to bet my house on Michigan," Robinson told Schembechler.
"If you go in there wearing blue, you'll never get out," Schembechler warned.
• Lloyd Carr's season started on the hot seat. At least that was the perception by some after a 7-5 record in 2005. Carr recalled for reporters at the Big Ten media days how his mentor had dropped by his office in 1995.
"(Schembechler) said this to me: 'Look, there's going to be times when you doubt yourself. The reason I know that is that I have doubts about myself. When you have these doubts just get rid of them because you're prepared and you know what it takes. Go do it,'" Carr said.
"Why that was such great advice is because here's one of the greatest coaches to ever coach the game, and he's telling me he had doubts."
