Mike DeBord suffers stroke, in ICU
Per the family. https://t.co/ErphthHyDF
Obviously a controversial figure here, but also a long time coach. Obviously wish him and his family the best.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:38 PM ^
That's awful, hopefully he recovers quickly.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
Controversial for his play calling. I've never heard that he was a bad guy or anything. Needless to say, this is just awful. Hopefully he can make a full recovery and get back to calling offense like it is the 1980s.
September 21st, 2021 at 3:10 PM ^
it was entirely possible to extend wishes for a recovery without a shitty joke about "offense like in the 80s." do better.
September 21st, 2021 at 3:48 PM ^
it's also entirely possible for you to relax.
DeBord likes 80s style football. Everyone knows this.
September 22nd, 2021 at 10:42 AM ^
this is true.
i know i'm being overly sensitve here...i've got no problem with making jokes about mike debord's acumen and tendencies as an offensive coordinator if we're talking about football. i might have even made them myself, back in the day. i would rather not hear them if we're discussing him being in a life-threatening situation. those jokes just feel icky to me.
September 21st, 2021 at 4:04 PM ^
You should calm down, Matt.
September 21st, 2021 at 4:24 PM ^
It may not have been in great taste, but at least he didn't make a joke like, "I heard the doctors have recommended an advanced and aggressive treatment regimen, but Mike has vehemently refused and opted for traditional approaches from the 1970s..."
My thoughts to Coach DeBord and his family. Strokes are terrible and really tough to recover from.
September 21st, 2021 at 4:29 PM ^
My "joke" was certainly not meant to be shitty. I also wasn't joking that I hope he makes a full recovery and is able to have the capacity to still be involved in football if he so desires. That was what I meant by my last line.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:44 PM ^
Get well soon, coach.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:45 PM ^
Sad. Hope he gets better.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:47 PM ^
Awful news. Echo what tomer says; the fact that we didn't always like his offenses doesn't mean that he's controversial. He's a part of the family.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:52 PM ^
Well said.
Hope he gets well soon.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:48 PM ^
Damn. Get well, coach.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:49 PM ^
Sad.
For all his detractors Mike was the OC for our last national championship so he'll always be a big part of Michigan football history.
I had some interaction with him 93-94 when I was recruiting and can say he was one of the nicest people I've ever met. He definitely made it easy for a novice like me to help.
Get well Mike.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:53 PM ^
Often criticized, but lest we forget, he was the OC in 1997. Get well, coach D!
September 21st, 2021 at 2:39 PM ^
Awful to hear this. Wish him a full recovery and God speed. He has a significant history with Michigan football as you point out.
September 21st, 2021 at 5:38 PM ^
During the five years DeBord was our OC (1997-99 and 2006-07), we went 12-0, 10-3, 10-2, 11-2 and 9-4. Maybe he wasn’t the most cutting-edge playcaller but still, his offenses usually scored enough to win.
September 21st, 2021 at 8:09 PM ^
Very sad. I have had the benefit of spending some time with him. He is a very fine man. Not self impressed. Generous.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:52 PM ^
He lived down the street from my parents. His son Kyle was friends with my brother David. Coach was in our house once. Nice guy.
This is real sad.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:57 PM ^
His final stint as OC here was 2006 and 2007, and his final game was that Citrus Bowl vs Urban, Tebow, and Percy Harvin, which objectively was some of the best Michigan offense I've seen in a single game.
Hope he recovers quickly and calls zone left for his next team.
September 21st, 2021 at 4:29 PM ^
I agree that was a great game plan in that Citrus Bowl. I remember thinking Michigan didn't have much of a chance in that game, given how they had underperformed that year. They came out and spread Florida's defense out with multiple WR formations and moved the ball at will, putting up 41 pts on the Gators.
Prayers for Coach DeBord and his family!
September 21st, 2021 at 5:21 PM ^
I didn't follow Michigan football as closely and intelligently back then as I do now (because my kids are older and I found this blog!), but I remember watching that game and thinking, "where the fuck was this offense all year long?!?"
Best wishes to Coach DeBord for a speedy and healthy recovery.
September 21st, 2021 at 6:46 PM ^
but I remember watching that game and thinking, "where the fuck was this offense all year long?!?"
Ditto...
I was shouting that at the TV.
Objectively the most complete performance on offense we've seen since as well.
The ironic thing is Hart fumbled (including on the goal line) more in that one game than like all season.
September 21st, 2021 at 8:29 PM ^
The ironic thing is Hart fumbled (including on the goal line) more in that one game than like all season.
Mike Hart fumbled twice in that game but came in having fumbled only once in his entire college career.
September 22nd, 2021 at 3:16 AM ^
On the trainer's table. Tough injury luck that year.
September 21st, 2021 at 1:59 PM ^
that's very sad to hear.
Best wishes to Mike and his family/friends and I am hoping for a speedy and full recovery.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:00 PM ^
I hope he has a quick and full recovery. Strokes are scary stuff.
ALSO: Saying anything other than nice things about Mike Debord on this thread, I'm sure, will result in a quickly booked one way ticket to Bolivia. SO. DON'T. DO. IT! It's mean and unnecessary.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
Says the guy who called him Mike Deborah...
(Yeah, I know - autocorrect. But damn if I didn't have to call it out!)
September 21st, 2021 at 2:16 PM ^
GODDAMMIT AUTOCORRECT!
September 21st, 2021 at 2:03 PM ^
Well, this is a sad thing to learn on an otherwise bright day. I hope he has a full, quick recovery with no lasting impacts.
Get well, soon, coach.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:04 PM ^
"Controversial" only in that Carr was setting him up to be the HC and he wasn't a great OC nor a good HC for CMU, and we didn't want him to be Michigan's head coach. But it's universally agreed that DeBord is a very fine person, and was quite beloved by all who played for him. There's a reason he kept getting rehired by people who respected Carr's opinion, and in any context when he wasn't getting a job beyond his capabilities at Michigan he's the kind of guy we always wanted to be around the program. I was openly excited when he was supposed to be an OL analyst for us this year, because he was a great line coach, who learned from Bo and was took over after Les Miles. Really hoping he comes through. He wasn't done with football, but he deserves a happy retirement where he can be a well-liked guy around Ann Arbor.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:13 PM ^
Prayers up for DeBo and his family. Let's all hope for a full recovery!
September 21st, 2021 at 2:22 PM ^
Thankfully he's at Michigan Hospital so getting good care. As we know, ICU availability is not uniform currently. Best thoughts for recovery coach!
September 21st, 2021 at 2:25 PM ^
From someone who lost their mom to a stroke...best of luck coach. Thoughts and prayers with the family.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:28 PM ^
Sorry to hear it. Get well soon, Mike.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:31 PM ^
Hopefully he recovers, and best wishes to him and his family.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:36 PM ^
Get well soon coach
September 21st, 2021 at 2:39 PM ^
Wishing him the best…full and fast recovery.
The football program hasn’t won anything of significance in nearly 2 decades so we could label any head coach, coordinator, or position coach from the past 15 years “controversial”
Of course we fans didn’t like his play calling…that’s our job when the team doesn’t get the results we want, but he was OC in 97 national title year and for numerous B1G championships, which we haven’t achieved since.
The fact that he became the first face of UM being a stale, dinosaur program in Carr’s final years is unfortunate as plenty have come after him and achieved nothing near his prior success.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:51 PM ^
I hope he gets well soon.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:54 PM ^
Praying for a full recovery
September 21st, 2021 at 2:58 PM ^
Damn, typically not a great prognosis with that. GL.
September 21st, 2021 at 2:59 PM ^
Oh no. So sad to hear. Get well soon coach.
September 21st, 2021 at 3:01 PM ^
Hoping for a full and speedy recovery
September 21st, 2021 at 3:06 PM ^
He is a great part of the Michigan family and got a bad rap in these parts. Godspeed to him.
September 21st, 2021 at 3:07 PM ^
Awful and scary. I hope he recovers. This terrifies me because I suffer from hypertension, and it's been a bitch trying to get my BP under control.
September 21st, 2021 at 3:23 PM ^
I didn't realize he was on staff as recently as 2020 as an analyst. Get well soon, coach.
September 21st, 2021 at 3:30 PM ^
Definitely not good news. The next 48-72 hours are key for him.
Best wishes for a strong recovery Coach!
September 21st, 2021 at 3:44 PM ^
He was also program caretaker (though I don't think he held the title of coach) in 2014 during the period between when Hoke was let go and Harbaugh was hired (which was almost a month).
September 21st, 2021 at 3:34 PM ^
Horrible news. Hope he recovers quickly.
September 21st, 2021 at 3:36 PM ^
That's terrible. My father suffered a stroke in 2014. It wasn't a severe stroke, but he hasn't been the same since.
Prayers and best wishes for Coach DeBord and his family.