35 years ago today a Michigan head basketball coach was fired
Remember when people said that Warde Manuel was good because he was doing a bunch of stuff in the background that we weren't seeing.
What? He’s playing Brickbreaker on a Blackberry?
Nice throwback.
I can think of only one thing he's doing a bunch of stuff in the background...
35 years ago today
Why did I read this in the voice of Large Marge? "On this very night, 35 years ago, along this same stretch of AD office..."
It's the anniversary of my engagement to my wife so I always remember the date. It was the big sports news story on the radio (long before we had phone notifications). It's also the Ides of March so beware.
Congrats on the anniversary! But watch out for guys in togas.
Congratulations… marriage is a beautiful thing…
In retrospect, pretty obviously one of Bo's best decisions. I'm with the people who believe they would've advanced no farther than the third round with Frieder at the helm.
I honestly don't blame Frieder for disliking Schembechler. His dismissal always seemed like the culmination of building tension, and Frieder has even said that if he had known Bo was going to leave, as he did months later for a job with the Tigers, he would have stayed. Of course, I don't think they win it all with Frieder there, so yeah....
Definitely one of those decisions that looks good in retrospect because it worked out. In a vacuum, it seems kinda petty and assholish from Bo (especially since he was probably at least considering his own exit from Michigan at the time).
Bullshit. Has nothing to do with Bo leaving. It was about the university. Bo did right thing. He learned Frieder signed deal to leave, so he booted him on spot. Bravo Bo... Be glad we had someone strong at the time, because a snowflake would have done the exact opposite and have had an exit parade.
The decision worked out because it was the correct move.
It was kinda petty and asshole-ish but it was also the correct decision. Friedel had a couple of teams with massive talent, and some unimpressive tournament results, and we all wondered what he was doing. It just made sense, of course he was interviewing because he certainly wasn't getting the team ready for Xavier.
Frieder left Michigan for more money. That’s it. He followed his mentor Johnny Orr’s example. He was offered the ASU job after Gene Keady turned it down and was given 20 min to make a decision. This was not years of frustration.
Sure, Michigan as a program, including Canham, Chrysler, and Bo as ADs, didn’t feel it had to pay competitive compensation and has since changed. But Bo, Frieder, Orr, and others were offered more to leave and only Bo didn’t take it.
Frieder only started blaming Bo after Bo died and couldn’t defend himself. And that alone is a week assholish thing to do just because he wanted to change the one blemish on his legacy.
He said at the time in 1989 that he did it for his family (more money and better weather) and that “his reputation will probably suffer for it”. That’s not a guy who left because of Bo. He left for the money and once Bo was dead he started trying to fix his reputation by throwing the other guy under the bus.
“A Michigan man will coach Michigan.”
I get what Bo was going for with that statement. If you don’t want to be here, go. But this mantra ended up getting a little crazy. When most of us were underwhelmed with the Brady Hoke hire, Lloyd’s former players were over the moon because, unlike RichRod, Hoke was a Michigan man.
But 35 years? Can’t believe it’s been that long. My dad still has the championship book Sports Illustrated sold for Glenn Rice & Company. Some great pictures of the championship ceremony at Crisler as well.
Yeah. Pretty ridiculous how that statement went from “I don’t want anyone here who isn’t all-in” to “if you don’t have a preexisting Michigan connection, you ain’t shit”.
Michigan Man only ever meant to Bo and people in the building as someone with character and integrity and who is all in on Michigan. The idea it meant someone with Michigan ties is fan fiction. I think you are saying the same thing
Whenever I see the term, I hear it in the grainy voice of 58 year old men calling into the Jeff Defran show on WTKA, whining about Rich Rodriguez's lack of Michigan-Manliness
Comments made by guys who willfully chose to forget that Bo wasn't a "Michigan Man" prior to his hiring, and that Bump Elliot took him around and smoothed out ruffled feathers in his behalf all over the place.
Bump was a class act.
Mostly only Ricky Leach demonstrated that kind of class during the Rich Rod fiasco.
Michigan Man never meant Michigan connection. It did mean character and integrity, which is one place where Rich Rod certainly was lacking based on what came out later in his career.
That statement has been so blown out of proportion over the years that the original context has been completely lost.
There isn't an AD in America who would have let Frieder get away with what he was trying to do. The audacity of telling your boss that you're leaving to join a competitor but will stay on and be the elephant in the room for an indeterminate period of time was ridiculous. Bo did what any AD would have done.
Any AD?
I have my doubts.
Had Frieder won in the years before, I think he more likely could have completed 1989.
And with today's day and age, much more likely for a Frieder to stay as well through the post season. Its more about money, smooth recruiting cycles and player retention (which is so tight with neverending transfers), winning etc etc.
Back then it was more Bo ego plus recruits/players already on campus being trapped.
Happy with 1989, it was glorious. But not sure even 50% of ADs would have done the same as Bo even then.
Largely agree, but I'd say that firing Frieder under those circumstances is what any AD should do.
34 years, 9 months, and 24 days later, a Michigan man coached Michigan to a college football championship
Just fired him
Beware The Ides of March!!!
Bo's own quote would be incorrect if you use the media's definition of what a "Michigan Man" is.
This aged well.
Kind of proof that having prior Michigan ties does not guarantee success.....