Rank Your Top 3 Michigan Head Coaches of All Time
It's a slow day on the board so I thought it would be good to start a discussion. A few days ago I saw someone on the board refer to Harbaugh as the greatest Michigan coach of all time. It's hard to put anyone ahead of Bo but I can't say I disagree. Although I'll admit I'm very biased toward Harbaugh because in my lifetime I had only witnessed the end of the Carr era and the down era.
My top 3 Michigan head coaches of all time are
1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Bo Schembechler
3. Fielding Yost
November 1st, 2023 at 5:27 PM ^
Yost
Schembechler
Crisler
November 1st, 2023 at 5:36 PM ^
Anyone that doesn’t have Yost at the top of football coaches at Michigan needs a history lesson.
November 1st, 2023 at 7:17 PM ^
He didn't just change Michigan forever, he changed college football forever.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:31 PM ^
The OP never said it had to be football:
Red Berenson
Cliff Keen
Matt Mann
November 1st, 2023 at 5:35 PM ^
Dang it. I previewed the post at least 5 times before posting. How could I forget to add football.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:47 PM ^
Bev Plocki's 25 Big Ten titles in 34 years is pretty incredible and merits mentioning. Hutch too, as others have noted.
November 1st, 2023 at 6:13 PM ^
Jon Urbanchek. Attention must be paid.
November 2nd, 2023 at 7:40 AM ^
i went to Tappan and Huron with his daughter Kirsten (Kristen?) she was very cool. Attractive as well. Cliff Keane's grandaughter Carolyn was another very cool attractive Michigan descendent of UM legends. Yes I am old.
November 1st, 2023 at 7:39 PM ^
I had Cliff Keen wrestling shoes as a kid. Always seemed like Matt Mann should have been a wrestling coach.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:32 PM ^
1. Harbaugh
2. Hutchins
3. Bo
4. Beilein
(OP didnt say it had to be FB)
November 1st, 2023 at 5:33 PM ^
Hutchins definitely belongs on the list - my bad
November 1st, 2023 at 6:35 PM ^
OP did say Top 3 :)
November 1st, 2023 at 6:48 PM ^
I tried to slip one in there thinking no one would notice. 😊
November 1st, 2023 at 8:13 PM ^
You're forgiven. 3 was too small a number. 😉
November 1st, 2023 at 6:35 PM ^
1. Hutchins
2. Yost
3. Beilein
4. Harbaugh
November 1st, 2023 at 5:33 PM ^
1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Fielding Yost
3. Lloyd Carr
November 1st, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^
The correct three, wrong order.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:38 PM ^
Got to have Lloyd on that list.
November 1st, 2023 at 6:47 PM ^
I have mixed emotions on Lloyd. During his tenure as coach he certainly deserves to be on the list. The way he handled his retirement and the subsequent handoff of the program was awful and I’m convinced deserves a large amount of blame for our pain and suffering.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:40 PM ^
Mike Hart/Jay Harbaugh
Jesse Minter
Sherrone Moore
In no particular order.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:45 PM ^
I have to say it is nice to have a slow day on the board after the last 10 days or so.
Yost has to be on the top.
Bo
Carr
If Jim wins NC this year, he is 2nd on the list for me.
November 1st, 2023 at 6:11 PM ^
This is what happens when we get public support from our leadership and release positive news on Harbaugh's contract extension. Everyone's reconsidering their strategy/material. Stay offensive.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:46 PM ^
1. Jim Harbaugh
2. Bo Schembechler
3. Fielding Yost
November 1st, 2023 at 5:54 PM ^
1. Bo (most wins despite bowl record)
2. Carr (1997)
3. Harbaugh (bowl record hurts)
November 1st, 2023 at 5:47 PM ^
Beilein
Harbaugh
John Cooper
November 1st, 2023 at 8:02 PM ^
Harsh. But funny.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:49 PM ^
Harbaugh, Moeller, Lloyd
November 1st, 2023 at 5:49 PM ^
How can Lloyd Carr not be on here?
November 1st, 2023 at 5:52 PM ^
Because he tanked the program over a personal vendetta.
November 1st, 2023 at 6:23 PM ^
Please don't make us have this debate again.
I'm on your side Catchafire. But surely you've seen the anti-Carr argument before.
November 1st, 2023 at 6:29 PM ^
I want to hear this argument because honestly I've never heard it before.
November 1st, 2023 at 6:53 PM ^
Sigh. I'll do this because you asked so nicely.
TBH I'm not positive which part Truferblue means. Maybe all of it. I assume since he said "personal vendetta" he's talking mostly about Carr's rocky relationship with Miles, although despite any objections Carr may have had over Miles, Bill Martin still was going to do it. He just failed at it. Possibly as he tried to placate Carr as much as possible.
The rest of it you can read from Brian's Three and Out review:
https://mgoblog.com/content/three-and-out-takes-carr-rodriguez-martin
November 1st, 2023 at 7:19 PM ^
thank you for your service
November 1st, 2023 at 8:13 PM ^
Partially this, although Lloyd dragged his feet on his retirement announcement. Because of this, we basically had a lame duck coach for half a season, got started on a coaching search later than we should’ve, and this basically destroyed that recruiting class. After he announced his retirement he aided in the transfers of numerous players. I don’t think Lloyd had a vendetta, it was just an extremely poorly handled changing of the guard that was the first domino in what became the lowest years of our Michigan fandom.
November 1st, 2023 at 9:43 PM ^
Sure, Lloyd did not handle his retirement from coaching in the best possible way.
However, let's not absolve the AD at the time from blame. Any professionally run AD office at a major football program should have some kind of basic contingency plan and regularly updated short list of candidates should something sudden happen to the HC.
Given the way the Michigan AD acted at the time, in my eyes, it's not clear they had much of a plan at all.
November 2nd, 2023 at 11:55 AM ^
I don't absolve ANY blame from Bill Martin. 2 (or more) people can be guilty of the same crime.
November 2nd, 2023 at 1:13 PM ^
Not to change the topic, BUT:
3 WORST A.D.'S IN MICHIGAN HISTORY:
1. Brandon (unanimous, first ballot selection)
2. Martin
3. Schembechler
(Manuel has not had enough years to qualify or he might be on that list. )
November 1st, 2023 at 6:56 PM ^
Carr was not nice to RichRod, hence we sucked at football.
(Then RR went on to be fired at UofArizona for fostering an environment of sexual harassment, but that's neither here nor there.)
November 2nd, 2023 at 11:56 AM ^
HAHAH just going to ignore all the shit Lloyd did before RR even got here?
I'm not Jim Stapleton, I don't STILL think RR is a good coach despite all evidence to the contrary. I do think that he was never given a fair shake here, but that doesn't matter at all now, and is the LEAST of my concerns regarding Carr.
November 1st, 2023 at 10:40 PM ^
In an alternate universe where he doesn’t mess this up, I probably wouldn’t have to see Devin Gardner flat on his back on dumpsters all around town.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:50 PM ^
No comment, for now, on who should be in the football list, but here's a suggestion: Use an 80:20 approach when evaluating the coach. Specifically, if you have enough years, remove the top 10% and bottom 10%.
Example of this thinking: Remember how people used to beat Harbaugh over the head with James Franklin's single (and flukey) win over OSU? I didn't think that was fair.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:51 PM ^
Yost is the GOAT but literally none of us were alive when he coached and probably the vast majority of us never overlapped on this planet with him.
Which is a weird way for me to say I agree with your list, as is.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:56 PM ^
Craig Ross is older than dirt and was middle aged when Yost was coaching at UM. He could give you some peronsal insights.
(hoping the sarcasm tag isn't necessary here)
November 1st, 2023 at 6:22 PM ^
Craig Ross watched the glaciers recede, and saw the creation of the beautiful peninsulas we now call home. He knew even then that the greatest university and football team known to mankind would someday come to be in that place.
November 1st, 2023 at 6:34 PM ^
Speaking of Craig Ross, but can somebody explain what his position/role is on mgoblog? Investor? Or just a friend of the blog? Something else? Excuse my ignorance. I've always liked him but am just curious what exactly he does.
November 1st, 2023 at 11:17 PM ^
Ancient Statesman.
November 1st, 2023 at 7:56 PM ^
He's also got a funny story about the glaciers receding that he can somehow tie in to Michigan football.
November 1st, 2023 at 5:55 PM ^
Not to thread jack, but when the F is someone , anyone going start doing some MF damage control here? Insiders? Enough of the BS already , unless there is some insane plot twist that suddenly flips the script coming it’s time to start doing something already. The fact that absolutely no one is frankly is really starting to make me think we are screwed here. Everyone’s convinced themselves this is no big deal but perception is reality and the narrative has turned this into a huge F’n deal getting worse by the day
November 1st, 2023 at 5:58 PM ^
Sir, put down the phone..
Take up drinking or something. You will live a far better life