General Beilein speaks to football team about his D-Day intel
No, Beilein never fought in WWII, but his upbringing and family relations gave him some unique knowledge on the historically altering war. This is great to see JB helping to motivate the football team all while giving a history lesson
https://247sports.com/college/michigan/Article/John-Beilein-and-the-deeply-personal-D-Day-message-delivered-to-the-football-team-119041201
Thanks for sharing - WW II has always fascinated me and the D-Day invasion remains one of the most impressive military operations in history.
Whoa, pretty cool stuff. John Beilein rules, he's an amazing dude. Comes from a family of American heroes!
Lets just all hope he gets the players he needs to win a Natty before he has to leave because of age or health. Best coach in NCAA basketball right now.
Can we have a constitutional amendment to stop calling it a natty?
Reminds me of Natty Ice, the preferred douchebag beer, and then Matty Ice, the preferred nickname for Matt Ryan when announcers were busy slobbering his knob. Seriously: every completion was "an NFL throw" and every incompletion was "he put it where only his receiver could get it." Hell, even a throwaway was "amazing decision making."
Fuck that guy, I guess that's my point. Oh yes, and stop - for the love of almighty Flying Spaghetti Monstrosity - STOP calling it a Natty.
The malfunctioning counter module will not let me up vote this enough. Anyone who says 'natty' in relation to a national championship should be put out of our misery with a trip to Bolivia!
You have a weird hatred of the most milquetoast starting QB in the NFL.
Beilein's uncle Tom Niland was also a legendary basketball coach. Fritz Niland, the Private Ryan who was saved, was good friends in Tonawanda with Skip Muck of the "Band of Brothers"--there's an offhand reference to Fritz Niland in Band of Brothers, during the Battle of the Bulge, when Muck tells a story about swimming across the Niagara River on a dare from Fritz.
There's another, much closer Michigan connection in Band of Brothers. E Company Commander Moose Heyliger is the brother of Vic Heyliger, who was Michigan's hockey coach.
That is awesome to read!
Thank you for sharing that on this Blog.
Not gonna lie... I'm pretty dissspointed at the small amount of replies in this thread!
One reason for the lack of replies is that Beilein spoke to the team before they went to Europe, not just now. So either this story is dated wrong, or 247 is woefully behind the times! If memory serves as it should, he spoke to the team the weekend prior to them leaving for France.
Nonetheless, it is a very cool story about one of the bravest collection of men my life has ever known.
Yes, and Belein's family connection to WWII and the movie Saving Private Ryan was discussed at that time.
Another of many reasons to admire Coach Beilein.
I’ll be visiting Normandy for the first time this summer. I’m really looking forward to it. Thanks for posting this link.
I and my family were there some years ago when visiting France. Visiting Normandy is a very sobering experience.
I am good friends with a 96 year old veteran who landed on D-Day. If I may share an excerpt from when he received the Legion of Honor medal a few years ago from France.
HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP — On June 12, 1944, six days after D-Day, George Zwahlen landed on Utah Beach on the Cotentin Peninsula in France. He remained in Europe for the next year and a half, fought in five major battles during the course of the war and received a slew of medals, including the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart and the Good Conduct Medal.
And just a couple of weeks ago, 70 years after the end of World War II, Zwahlen received the National Order of the Legion of Honor, which is the "highest honor that France can bestow upon those who have achieved remarkable deeds for France," according to the letter that accompanied the medal from the French consulate in Chicago.
God bless George and the brave soldiers who did so much to keep us free. Truly, the greatest generation.