Watching him on TV on Sunday Morning Michigan Replay, you wondered how people could dislike the guy. If you ever had a chance to meet him, you were somewhat taken aback by his presence - he was bigger than life. And if you had the opportunity to see him and watch him in practice, you were stunned by some of the stuff that came out of his mouth. I had the opportunity while I was at Michigan to be a football student manager for a short period of time, and it was, looking back, one of the most memorable experiences of my life. On my first day, I got to meet the Coach and he asked me what I was studying, why I wanted to be a manager, and some other stuff. Frankly, I can't remember a word I said to him that day. I guess I was kind of in awe. But my answers must have been OK because he didn't throw me out.
You're probably going to read and hear a lot about what a great guy Coach Schembechler was - and it's all true. What you won't get to read or hear, or maybe you will if some players come out with some good stories, is how this guy could get fired up in practice. All it took was a dropped ball, mis-read defense, or a blown coverage and he would go ballistic on somebody. Truly old school....
I will never forget Jim Harbaugh was running a drill and he was supposed to make a read on the defensive backfield formation and look for a specific coverage. Now, I am no expert, but I can tell you that after about the 10th time, I was getting pretty good at spotting the defensive formation and the "key" to the coverage where Jimmy was supposed to make an audible and run a specific play. I was standing next to Gary Moeller - I was his assistant that day - the student manager's rotated coaches - and he was the receiver's coach at the time. I remember Harbaugh blew the read again and Coach grabbed him by the cage and started yanking him around and cussing using every word in the book. I started to grin and chuckle a little when Coach Moeller said under his breath, "You'd better turn around and not let him see you smiling." It was about the same time that Coach Moeller turned around and started laughing, too.....
The day that I realized that I was accepted by Coach Bo was when I was responsible for making sure there was a ball ready to go for practice scrimmage. You managed three balls at a time, putting one down at the line, carrying an extra, and then retrieving the third from the receiver or running back that had to run a full 60 yards after the play to the end zone, whether he was tackled, or even if he missed the ball. So, as the manager, you did a lot of running. I was doing fine until Jamie Morris ran up and handed me a ball and I had 3 footballs in my hands - I shouldn't have had any more than 2. It dawned me that I forgot to put one at the line of scrimmage. Coach Bo was screaming for a ball and I thought I had escaped when I zipped in and put one down on the line. Then, a foot, connected to Coach Bo's leg, found the seat of my pants and sent me and the other two balls flying. I picked myself up off the ground and I grabbed up the other two balls as he was yelling, "IF THIS JOB IS TOO @#$$#%% HARD FOR YOU GO DO SOMETHING ELSE!" I scampered back behind the line to my spot and told him I could handle it. The team ran the play and he turned to me and asked, "I didn't hurt you, did I?" I just smiled and told him no, you didn't. He slapped me on the back and said, "Everybody is treated the same around here when they screw up......So don't let it happen again."
He was the last of the one name, Legendary coaches, he was a great guy, and he will be missed.........
MMQ
"What the Mind can Conceive and Believe, the Mind can Achieve...
And Those Who Stay Will Be Champions!"
-Bo Schembechler, University of Michigan Locker Room
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