Nice long article on Red Berenson today
Kidding, of course. Reading about his two years left gave me a taste of what it must have been like being a fan in 1987 or so. I can't even begin to think about Michigan hockey without Red (well to be fair he'll be involved, so a reduced Red presence is likely more accurate).
Was thinking about this the other day and really couldn't think of any player/coach who has Red's resume (at Michigan and elsewhere). Maybe one of the AD's? It would be like if Bo had been an all-American player at UM, gone on to win a Super Bowl and be a Pro Bowl NFL player, won the coach of the year award in the NFL, then came back to Michigan to coach for a few decades.
Red is an absolute legend.
Tom Brady a chance. He can add "supermodel" to the resume.
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<br>(Or Woodson).
For just coaches, I'd probably put Red as tops in the modern sports era. It'd probably be:
- Red
- Hutch
- Bo
- 2025 John Beilein?
I think only Bennie Oosterbaan can beat Berenson for having a great resume as both a player and a coach at Michigan.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennie_Oosterbaan
What Berenson has over Oosterbaan is that Red also had success as a player and a coach at the professional level, while Oosterbaan did not play or coach in professional football.
Bennie coached basketball and football.
And freshman basketball. Red only coaches one sport.
A man with a bushy beard, shirtless and muscular, sits in a wooden canoe admiring the beauty of a Canadian waterway. It's 1972, and this 190-pound Red Wings center needed a break after a 33-win season that kept the franchise out of the playoffs for the second straight year. This image is taped proudly on a wall next to Red Berenson's desk, reminding him he's still that same guy eager and able to push upstream.
One thing I like about the non-commercialization of hockey is that coaches haven't become stars yet. If you think about it, that probably factors into why RR failed and Bo succeeded. Bo came in with something to prove and someone to prove it to. RR came in already recognized as an offensive genius.
They become...Legends and Leaders.