Harbaugh Denies Interest in UT Job, Invokes Bo
As a (reluctant) 49'ers fan, Harbaugh to Texas is about the last thing I want to see happen. http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/10168117/jim-harbaugh-says-absolutely…
Rumors I have heard is that Harbaugh ultimately stayed in the Bay Area because his wife did not want to leave. Presumably that would cut against the Texas job as well.
I can't decide how these Bo quotes make me feel. Nostalgic for the 1980s? Proud of Michigan football? Bummed out on what could have been?
December 20th, 2013 at 8:26 AM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 8:43 AM ^
That part of the story is absolutely fascinating. Bo was fishing in Mexico and through a sheer comedy of errors couldn't fix it over the phone.
December 20th, 2013 at 9:24 AM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 10:27 AM ^
Either you're intentionally lying, or you're a complete idiot.
BO WAS ALREADY OUT OF TOWN when Moeller had his problem.
Here is the relevant section from "Bo's Lasting Lessons":
"When this happened, I was in Mexico on a fishing trip, oblivious to the whole thing. When I got back to the hotel, I had a message from one of our staffers to call the office. The guy was out, so I left a message, but I don't know if he ever got it. I waited a couple of days, then called again to find out the Michigan administration had decided to let Gary go.
Boy, was I hot! I hopped on the next flight, but when I got back there was nothing I could do. It was too late. I remember yelling at a staffer about it, trying to win a fight we'd already lost, then just collapsing in the chair in my office. I was spent, defeated. It just ate me up that they were going to let a great man go over one mistake, and there was nothing I could do about it."
The fact that you've arrived at the bizarre, half-baked, and completely unsupported notion that Bo Schembechler quietly slunk out of town to allow Moeller's firing is testament to your fundamental ignorance about what kind of person Schembechler was, or that you're simply a troll.
December 20th, 2013 at 2:20 PM ^
The damning detail Bacon left out of the book was that the message Bo left in Ann Arbor was with the child of a well-known Michigan administrator. The poor kid forgot to tell his parent Bo called for a couple of days. It was an honest mistake with huge implications.
December 20th, 2013 at 9:55 AM ^
1) I was under the impression that Moeller didn't typically drink much because things didn't work out well when he did (the excalibur is case in point).
2) I'm not convinced the University didn't just allow his head to roll. Trying to out-Florida State the Florida State team at home had left a bad taste in everyone's mouth (this comment dates me badly).
December 20th, 2013 at 2:26 PM ^
1) Um, that's exactly what I said. Moeller wasn't known as anything more than a social drinker.
2) If they were trying to let his head roll for Florida State, they waited almost four years too long to do so... And it's not like they limped through the rest of that 1991 season, either. Beat the hell out of everyone except Florida State and Washington. 10-2 with a Heisman winner and a conference championship ain't bad.
In other words, it was incompetent administration combined with a bunch of really bad coincidences that made the firing happen, not Moeller's record as coach. Bad AD at the helm of a department that had been dysfunctional and poorly managed since Bo took over (with all apologies to Bo, he was a pretty medicore AD), a new University president who didn't really have a feel for the University... Ergo, trainwreck.
December 20th, 2013 at 3:52 PM ^
Regarding (2), what was the issue with the Florida State game? Ugly loss, and the idea was that heads should roll?
December 20th, 2013 at 11:08 AM ^
Excellent write-up Bando. Also see Amaker, T.
December 20th, 2013 at 12:47 PM ^
you are correct about Coach Moeller and the incident.....
December 19th, 2013 at 9:22 PM ^
I love sitting back watching these big-time program coaching searches. Every time a top program has an opening the fans and media go nuts with possibilities and they all start speculating about other AQ coaches moving...but it rarely ever happens.
Most of these spots go to head coaches from smaller schools or coordinators. It's very rare to see one of these open spots go to a coach who is already a HC at an established program.
Dont get me wrong, it happens...Sarkisian (i guess), Miles from OkSt (i guess), Saban from MSU to LSU (i guess).
Look at some of the top coaches at established programs (aside from Meyer and Saban who were basically unemployed at the time)
- Stoops - DC
- Dantonio - DC
- Gundy - OC
- Fishcer - OC
- Sumlin - HC Houston
- Tressel - HC Youngstown State
- Malzahn - HC Ark State
- Chip Kelly - OC/HC @ New Hampshire
- Briank Kelly - HC Cinncinatti
- Pinkel - HC Toledo
- Briles - HC Houston
- Petersen - HC Boise
- Swinney - Clemson Asst. Coach
- Shaw - DC
While anything could happen...I doubt Sumlin, Briles, Fisher, Malzhan, or Shaw will be wearing burnt orange next season.
December 20th, 2013 at 2:14 AM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 10:41 AM ^
99% of the time a big time program is kind of taking a flyer on a head coach from a less established school or a coordinator from a 'big time' program.
I'll throw in a few more:
Richt, Georgia: OC at FSU
Alavrez, Wisconsin: DC at ND
Beilema, Wisonsin: DC at Wisconsin
Muschamp: DC at Texas
Some times schools strike it rich with the hire, sometimes schools don't.
December 19th, 2013 at 10:39 PM ^
Ha! Jimmy should remember that Bo told everyone as well that once they were done with college ball they would never again play for a team... "The Team, The Team, The Team!" applied to collegiate, not professional ball.
December 19th, 2013 at 11:19 PM ^
Harbaugh at least wears a headset and has input to the offensive side of the ball. Hoke will have to rely on DB to find him a new OC because Hoke doesn't know anything about offense. I think the decision to keep/fire Borges will break/make Hoke's tenure.
December 19th, 2013 at 11:38 PM ^
in a bar called "The Old Ox" in PB where I lived for 20 years, she's from San Diego, not SF.
The only place Harbaugh would leave SF for is here in San Diego in the future if he feels like it and McCoy (the Chargers HC) moves on, but he's a damn good coach and will be here a while.
Harbaugh will be in SF for a long time, don't kid yourselves, they're moving into a new stadium and that franchise is back for it's second round of glory days like the 80's and 90's.
December 20th, 2013 at 2:25 AM ^
We're making too big a deal out of this. Harbaugh wanted to coach for the 49ers over Michigan. It had nothing to do with DB sabotaging the hiring or anything.
December 20th, 2013 at 3:31 AM ^
indicated Harbaugh was on the way here right up to the point that the Niners backed up the Brinks truck for him. Brandon was waiting until after Stanford's bowl game at HARBAUGH's request. Unfortunately, the Niners offered him way more money than Michigan ever could, and combined with his wife not wanting to leave, it was just impossible for Harbaugh to turn it down.
December 20th, 2013 at 7:19 AM ^
I was told directly in person by a well-known UM alum player from Bo's era that DB made the decision to hire Hoke at the 2010 UM football golf outing, which meant that RR was a dead man walking during the 2010 season. Which means that there was no actual offer to Harbaugh by DB.
I can't prove this is true, and neither can you prove what you "heard" is true. Nobody knows the real story other than DB, Harbaugh, and Hoke, and they aren't talking.
December 20th, 2013 at 12:35 PM ^
I wouldn't put it past Brandon though as it took him two days to officially fire Rodriguez.
Part of me is convinced that any mediocirty that Michigan must now endure is because of bad karma over the treatment of Rodriguez.
December 20th, 2013 at 9:58 AM ^
Harbaugh is making five million dollars per year, Hoke is making $4.1m. I don't think money was the problem getting Harbaugh.
December 20th, 2013 at 10:29 AM ^
December 21st, 2013 at 11:50 AM ^
Harbaugh's making 5MM/year now, or in that range. We could definitely match that.
December 20th, 2013 at 4:18 AM ^
Can you imagine Harbaugh dealing with the Texas poltics that is UT?
Never gonna happen.
December 20th, 2013 at 9:36 AM ^
I'm of the opinion that Harbaugh is NFL all the way and probably a lifer there. That's just my gut feeling. I think if college was that much of an interest to him he would have stayed at Stanford after starting something good there where they could be competitive every year.
December 20th, 2013 at 10:30 AM ^
December 20th, 2013 at 11:39 AM ^
I think SF pays Harbaugh $5 million a year (5 yrs for $25m)
Bama pays Saban $7 million a year.
So what do you say, Texas?
December 20th, 2013 at 12:39 PM ^