The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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THE WOLVERINE 2016 FOOTBALL PREVIEW ■ 37 When Schembechler laughed, everybody laughed. When he found himself in a fit of delight, everyone marveled. Dierdorf came to that stage with Schem- bechler, long after the terror wore off. He went from fear to deep friendship. "Later on, you got to realize what a won- derful person he was," Dierdorf said. "I didn't know Bo the person when I played for him, because that's the relationship between player and coach. There's a clear line of de- lineation that you don't cross. "But after that, all of a sudden you get to see him in a social situation, and he's a different person. You've graduated, and it's not that player-coach relationship anymore. As the years went by, I can't describe what he meant to me, in terms of being a mentor, a friend." During Schembechler's retirement, he'd meet up with former players Dick Calder- azzo, Garvie Craw and Dierdorf for a few days of golf. To be around him in that setting, the former All-American insisted, was "one of the great blessings of my life." Schembechler wasn't a good golfer, by his own admission. He used to tell old friend Howard Wikel, "I had a great day on the golf course today. I shot two under." Wikel, the former U-M athlete and leg- endary Michigan insider himself, knew bet- ter, and looked with skepticism on his dear friend. Dierdorf explained: "Wikel, who was a very good player, went: 'Two under? Are you serious?' And Bo said, 'Yeah … I had a 98.'" Schembechler could certainly appreciate the sheer joy of a well-struck shot, because it rarely occurred. To witness him in unre- served ecstasy proved a bit unnerving to those used to his sideline severity. "It's a par three, and he hit the best golf shot he's ever hit in his entire life," said Dierdorf. "He almost had a hole in one. It ends up about a foot from the hole. "He looked like he was Michael Flat- ley, like he was doing Riverdance. He was going around the tee box, doing an Irish jig, with his arms flailing. To see him like that flew in the face of every- thing … it's little moments like that." Other little moments occurred when his wife/dietary guardian was out of town, Di- erdorf shared. Knight's Steakhouse in Ann Arbor occasionally became the site of por- cine pleasure. Once, Dierdorf noted: "He looks at my wife and he goes, 'Cathy is out of town. I'm going to have the pork chop and dressing.' She used to really ride hard on him after his heart problems, that he shouldn't eat stuff like that. "He just got the cat-that-ate-the-canary look, over a pork chop and some dressing. Moments like that, it was just fantastic. The guy could be really funny." Hard Realities Set In There wasn't anything funny about the weekend that began so shockingly on Nov. 17, 2006. There's no comparing the loss of a friend and mentor to the loss of a football game, but Carr felt deeply about the players on his team that season. He knew the opportunity they had, for something they could revel in the rest of their lives. To see it all slip away so frustrat- ingly (including a subsequent 32-18 loss to USC in the Rose Bowl), hit the Michigan coach very hard. The aftermath of the Ohio State game remains almost a blur. "When the game ended, they took me through what seemed like a maze to get me to where the press was," Carr said. He then grew emotional himself — not over the loss of a single game, but for those who had invested blood, sweat and their own tears into an effort that ultimately wasn't rewarded, or at least wasn't rewarded ulti- mately. "I felt so bad for that team," Carr said, tearing up. "That was a great team. They were going to have a chance to win the na- tional championship. Schembechler: By The Numbers 2 The highest final ranking among Bo Schembechler's 21 Michigan squads, in both the coaches' and Associated Press polls. The 1985 team, quarterbacked by Jim Harbaugh, reached that mark. 5 Schembechler's victory total in the "Ten-Year War" with Ohio State and Woody Hayes, from 1969-78. Hayes came away with four wins, and the teams tied, 10-10, in 1973. 11 The number of Michigan squads under Schembechler that captured 10 or more victories in a season. 13 The number of Big Ten championships won by Michigan under Schem- bechler. Only the legendary Fielding H. Yost (10) came close in this cat- egory. 14 Schembechler teams lost two or fewer games in a season. In other words, he hit .667, in regards to not suffering a trio of defeats over the course of his 21 years. 39-3-1 The combined record of the four Michigan teams under Schem- bechler that did not play in a bowl game. Those squads were prevented by conference rules of the time from competing in bowls. 194 Schembechler 's career wins at Michigan. No coach of the Wol- verines has ever won more. 234 His total number of victories as a head coach. That figure includes the 40 games he won as head coach at Mi- ami (Ohio), prior to coming to Michigan. .850 Schembechler 's winning percentage in Big Ten play, over the course of 21 seasons. 3,000,000 T h e n u m b e r o f d o l l a r s Schembechler turned down in 1982 from Texas A&M, in order to remain head coach at Michi - gan. "Frankly, I've come to the conclusion that there are things more important in this world than money," Schembechler said. "For that reason, I've decided to stay at Michigan." — John Borton Schembechler won 13 Big Ten championships and posted a .850 winning percentage in con- ference play over his 21 seasons in Ann Arbor. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS