The former Michigan head coach is responsible for the resurgence of Michigan football in the late 1960s after a period of down years. Despite Bo Schembechler never winning a national championship and having a losing record in the Rose Bowl, his coaching career in Ann Arbor is full of great moments that the fan base will never forget.
The Three Greatest Moments Of The Bo Schembechler Era
24-12
This is the game that springboarded Coach Bo’s career at Michigan. Coming into the 1969 matchup against the Buckeyes, the Wolverines were ranked #12 in the nation. The Buckeyes were ranked #1, undefeated, and considered by many as the greatest college football team of all time.
Ohio State came into the matchup as defending national champions and riding a 22-game winning streak. The Bucks took control early marching down the field on the game’s opening possession by taking a 6-0 lead. The Wolverines fought back with a score of their own. Late in the first half with Michigan nursing a 14-12 lead, they scored a late field goal and a touchdown on a punt return. They took a 24-12 lead into the locker room.
The second half was full of near misses and frustration for the Buckeyes. Neither team was able to score and the score of 24-12 held up for the final score. The game has often been called “The Upset of the Century “, but that’s really not accurate. Yes, it was a big upset and certainly unexpected given the strength of the Ohio State squad. It was however the turning point for the head coaching career of Bo Schembechler.
The 1981 Rose Bowl
Coach Bo began his bowl game career with seven consecutive losses in spite of all of his regular-season success.
The 1981 matchup didn’t look promising at the beginning as the Washington Huskies drove the ball to the Michigan one-yard line in the first quarter. But a Michigan goal-line stand rejuvenated the team and after falling behind 3-0, the Wolverines took the lead with a touchdown. A Husky’s field goal late in the half sent Michigan to the locker room with a slim 7-6 lead.
The second half was all Michigan. After getting a field goal early in the third quarter from placekicker Ali Haji-Sheikh (what a cool name), the Wolverines took complete control of the contest. Two more touchdowns including a receiving score by All-American Anthony Carter plus another tally from “The Sheikh” and the men in blue had secured a dominant 23-6 Rose Bowl victory. The second half was so dominant that Michigan outgained the Huskies by more than 200 yards in the second half alone.
Bo’s Record In The “Ten-Year War”
While The Ten Year War doesn’t include the game played the year before Schembechler’s arrival in Ann Arbor, it’s fair to say the game fueled the fire for “The War “. As previously stated, the Michigan team had some down years before Bo arrived which included a 50-14 drubbing at the hands of the Buckeyes in 1968. Former Buckeyes coach Woody Hayes famously went for two after scoring a touchdown late in the game that had already been decided. When asked why he went for two, Hayes quipped “Because I couldn’t go for three.”
Given the recent lopsided history between the two schools before Bo’s tenure in Ann Arbor, his 5-4-1 record in The Ten Year War is quite impressive.
The “Ten-Year War” included a victory over the hated Buckeyes in 1971 to conclude Bo’s only unbeaten regular season at Michigan. Unfortunately for Michigan fans, it also included the infamous 10-10 tie that resulted in a vote of the Big Ten schools which Ohio State won by the same margin of 5-4-1 as Bo’s record in “The War “. The biggest highlight of “The War” was Michigan winning the last three games (1978 being the last one) to give Bo a winning record against the Bucks for the decade. The first of those three contests was a 22-0 Michigan shutout win in Columbus that saw the Wolverines dominate the second half after a tense 0-0 struggle in the first half.
Bo’s tenure at Michigan is also known for the mantra “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions “ which he came up with right after being named coach of the team.
Not known to many is Bo’s “policy” of having seniors sit in the front of the plane on road trips. It made zero difference to Bo whether a senior was an All-American or never saw the field. Seniors sat in the front of the plane. Period. End of discussion.
Bo will always be remembered as the coach who resurrected the program after a long tradition of success before a period of mediocre performance. For that, the Michigan fan base will always be grateful. Go Blue!
