Bye, Bo

[filkertom]

An outgrowth of the previous thread: U-M's beloved former football coach, Glenn "Bo" Schembechler, has passed away at the age of 77. Even if you don't like football at all (and I will admit to liking it some, just nowhere near as rabidly as some people), Bo was a powerful presence here in Ann Arbor, and pretty much universally revered.

The day before the Ohio State game for the #1 spot in the country. What, some greater power who's a football fan decided it wasn't already dramatic enough?

Do any of you U-M football fans have any particular memories of Bo? I remember how he and Woody Hayes used to go at it verbally before every game.

Comments

[wood-dragon.livejournal.com]

Oh no!

I grew up with Michigan football filling my southern Ontario Saturday afternoons. I'm still a fan all these years later. I was always impressed by Bo.

[wcg.livejournal.com]

Not a Bo story, but a Schembechler one.

Back in 1988 I was in LaCrosse WI, on liberty from Ft. McCoy where I was going through cold weather training. Several other Marines from my training company were with me. I remember this one character who was talking up a local girl, trying to impress her, by telling her that he was Bo Schembechler's son. She went over to get a bar napkin to get his autograph, and he leaned over to me and asked, "How do you spell Schembechler?"

No Mo Bo

[drzarron.livejournal.com]

Off to coach at the Big House in the sky.

Oh, Bo at his peek, nose to nose with Doctor Strange Haise, yelling about some bonehead things a Buckeye had done.

Remembering back to a Playboy article about the best party schools in the country, and in the listing for U of M, the entry for "Best Pickup Line" was "I play Ball for Bo"

[darthparadox.livejournal.com]

As a child in Ann Arbor in the 80s, Bo seemed legendary. Until Carr took over, he was the only Michigan football coach I'd ever known, and hearing this today, nearly seventeen years after his retirement from coaching, still hit me harder than I'd have expected.

My memories of him aren't specific - just of a great, legendary man, spoken about with reverence by my father and his best friend from college, who were between the two of them responsible for bringing me up as a Wolverines fan.

As someone else mentioned today, I'm glad that he went out strong, still doing what he loved. A lengthy convalescence before his death just wouldn't have suited him.

[rmeidaking.livejournal.com]

"What, some greater power who's a football fan decided it wasn't already dramatic enough?"

This was my thought. I was in the Michigan Union for U-Con (a gaming event) when I heard the news. I wasn't sure if they were telling the truth or not, you know? The timing is just too incredible.

I think he would have preferred to wait until Sunday, though.

I met him in person only once, when I got a book signed for my dad. My dad is a rabid Michigan fan, and Bo walked on water from his perspective (it didn't hurt that they could have passed for brothers). Bo was friendly and gracious, and my only regret is that I never did follow through on arranging lunch for the two of them.

If angels can influence football games, Michigan is in good shape for the game tomorrow.

[bardicwench.livejournal.com]

My maternal grandfather was a UofM alumni, and so was my maternal aunt. My dad was a HUGE Michigan fan also... but not as much as my grandpa... I don't think anyone could have been more of a fan than my grandpa... he had tons of school pride...

Anyway, growing up, I was taught to recite "Oh how I hate Ohio State" and Bo Schembechler was the only coach that I thought existed... in fact, he was the only coach that I knew the name of for the longest time... it took me the longest time to realize that Woody Hayes wasn't some sort of strange disease, from how my grandpa and dad mentioned him! Heheheheh.

My dad just called me (he lives in Arizona now) to ask me how Ann Arbor was handling everything, and what the general mood since Bo died. He has too many memories of Bo... and going to see games with my Grandpa when Bo was coaching... one of these days I need to sit down with him and listen to more of them.

[james-rayner.livejournal.com]

Every Ohio State Fan knows that while we owe half of the best Rivalry in all of football to Woody Hayes, we also owe the other half to Bo. Both men were larger than life, Legends, Giants of Football and still the best of friends.

Even Ohio State fans give their respect to Schembechler. I expect to see one of the most civil OSU/Mich games ever on Sunday. Despite the 1 v.s 2 Image going on, I think even Ohio State fans, notorious for their rowdiness are going to at least extend some awkward condolances.

And I think this game is going to be bloody close.

But I'm still going for my Buckeyes to take it all the way, on the strength of four Smith produced touchdowns. Buckeyes, 28-20.

[trdsf.livejournal.com]

Oh, the whole Woody/Bo rivalry, particularly through the middle 70s (mainly because '73 was the first year I was really *aware* of The Game). That's when the OSU-UofM rivalry was at its finest (and when I lived in the 'war zone' in Toledo, where the loyalties ran about half and half, rather than in Buckeye Central and it's really kinda dull).

If there's an afterlife, no doubt Woody is there to greet his former assistant, and they'll sit down to enjoy the game tomorrow... but likely not too close together. ;)

[mstrhypno.livejournal.com]

Every time I saw Bo And Woody go at it before the Big Game, all I could think of was Isaac Asimov and Harlan Ellison going at it at their infamous "debates" at Worldcon (and anywhere else that they'd appear together.

Except that the language wasn't nearly as erudite and the pyrotechnics were better for Woody and Bo - usually.

He was a Great Coach and a Great Man.

Lee Darrow