Doug Skene chat on the Detroit News

Submitted by dnak438 on

I don't know if anyone caught this -- I was drawn to it by an Angelique tweet -- but ex-UM OL Doug Skene did a chat at the Detroit News. Some of what I thought were the best bits:

2:11
 
Comment From Big Al

Didn't you play for Bo 1-2 years? Do you have a good Bo story?
 
2:11
 
Doug Skene: 

Big Al -- I did play for Bo for two years, and I have several stories,...
 
2:12
 
Doug Skene: 

Here's an insight for fans...I was late for a meeting one day, and I was told to get the blank out of the building and don't ever blanking come back because you'll never blanking play here. Because I was late 2 minutes for a meeting. I was in the doghouse for six months after that. I was never late again.

 

2:15
 
Comment From Horn
What was your most hated rival?
 
2:16
 
Doug Skene: 
Personally -- I always Notre Dame more than anybody. Michigan State was a pretty bloody game. Of the three, we always wanted to beat Ohio State the most. Ironically, I always had the most respect for Ohio State. That's a great football program. In my personal order: Notre Dame can (blank it), Michigan State, but it's always, ultimately, Ohio State.

 

2:17
 
Comment From D.S.
You played for Les Miles, right? What was that like?
 
2:18
 
Doug Skene: 
D.S. -- Les Miles was the greatest offensive line coach I had behind Jerry Hanlon
 
2:18
 
Doug Skene: 
He was an intense technical teacher. He was very specific about our technique and footwork. I didn't appreciate how good he was until after I left and played in the NFL
 

 

2:22
 
Comment From Nashville Dennis
Being ex-military (Navy 1984-90), can only imagine what it was like playing for Bo; that being said, I always respected the way he always did things the right way, especially re recruiting & academics. What was Study Table like during your time in A2?
 
2:23
 
Doug Skene: 
It was mandatory the first year on campus and if your grades and school attendance didn't maintain expectations you found your way back to study table. Bo ran the program a lot like a military itinerary. If you were late, all hell broke loose.

 

2:29
 
Comment From FL_Wolverine
Though it's early, any thoughts on next years group?
 
2:30
 
Doug Skene: 
Offenslive line?
 
2:30
 
Doug Skene: 
HOpefully Braden at LT and Magnusson at RT and the interior will be the same. I think Bosch will factor in.
 
2:31
 
Doug Skene: 
We need to get back to the days of Backus, Hutchinson and Jon Jansen breaking guys in half.

 

2:33
 
Comment From turnburn blue
I liked the use of Lewan moving around on the offensive line. Is this a gimmick or will it find a permanent place in the playbook this year?
 
2:33
 
Doug Skene: 
From what I can tell they're doing it because we need a more effective blocking tight end.
 
2:34
 
Doug Skene: 
We need a dominating blocking tight end, and I think Butt will get there someday, and Williams will, too. What I don't like it, when Lewan is to the right, we're going to the right. That's not going to work forever. It's not that big of a mystery.
 

 

2:40
 
Comment From bluedawg
What was the dirtiest team you played against while at Michigan?
 
2:40
 
Doug Skene: 
Michigan State, hands down. No question
 
2:40
 
Doug Skene: 
My senior we're winning 35-3, they wouldn't close their mouths, we're shaking our heads, look at the scoreboard....I had a guy try to rip my eye out, they were going at our knees.
 
2:41
 
Doug Skene: 
it was getting chippy. the officials went to Perles and Moeller. They were taking cheap shots, and we wanted to kill them.
 
2:41
 
Doug Skene: 
That was the 1992 Michigan STate team. Dirtiest team I've ever played. We were going to have an all-out brawl. They stopped the game. The head ref felt like it was going to be out of control
 
2:42
 
Doug Skene: 
It was getting out of hand. They had to stop the game.

 

MGoBoard
Football
Bo Schembechler
Doug Skene

Section 1

October 8th, 2013 at 4:06 PM ^

I really like the way you did this.  I always liked Doug Skene, who was a really good and really reliable lineman.  The parts that you quoted, I really liked.  I have got to make time to go through the entire interview.

Joined: 06/29/2009

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Everyone Murders

October 8th, 2013 at 4:12 PM ^

Skene's chat corroborates my recollection of Perles's MSU teams.  They always seemed to be out to injure rather than just play hard, which is disgusting to nearly all of us who've played physical sports.  That sort of stuff is the kernel of my rather intense dislike of that program.

 

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Everyone Murders

October 8th, 2013 at 4:21 PM ^

It's only my recollection, but it did seem worse in that era - especially the 'going for the knees' stuff.  I think Narduzzi's teams are a bit dirty too (thank goodness Denard's head stayed attached after the helmet yank a couple years ago), but the Perles years had much more The Longest Yard type 'do what you need to to get Player X out of the game' stupidity. 

 

Joined: 12/14/2010

MGoPoints: 65552

Section 1

October 8th, 2013 at 4:28 PM ^

that he was a guy who could take care of himself if you know what I mean.  There was a good bit of Taylor Lewan in Skene, and vice versa.  And for him to go off on MSU like that is all at once both surprising (for the immediacy of his language) and predictable.  Those games have been filthy for a long, long time.  They really are a different kind of opponent.  Stats back it up.  The records show a spike in the level of MSU personal fouls in games with Michigan.  (And it is my non-quantifiable view that B1G refs actually call those games looser, rather than tighter.  I think they actually fear turning those games into televised penalty contests and so let a lot of stuff go.  Just filthy games.)

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WolverineHistorian

October 8th, 2013 at 4:38 PM ^

That 1992 MSU game was pretty interesting to watch. We led 28-3 at halftime. The second half was low scoring with both teams getting a touchdown. But the MSU players were taking lots of cheap shots, which wasn't uncommon as MSU always played dirty out of frustration when the game was out of reach. The student section was REALLY letting MSU have it in the second half as players were getting bombarded with marshmallows in the north endzone, which really seemed to annoy the commentators. Then as things got more chippy, the students started chanting C-M-U for a good ten minutes. That was the second straight year Sparty lost to Central.

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kehnonymous

October 8th, 2013 at 5:10 PM ^

I'm dating myself (because no one else will...HA!!), but I had a class with Doug Skene in 92-93... Intro to Urban Planning.  (The Fab 5 was also in the class... I found out some years afterwards that the class was somewhat notorious for being a blow-off class.  I didn't know; I took it because it seemed relevant to my major) 

Didn't really talk to him or anyone else in the class besides my HS buddy, but I do remember is that in one group session, he snarked the Elvs Grbac wasn't really a fun guy.  I seem to remember that Skene was Grbac's roommate so the snark was probably in good fun.

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Vince Prygoski

March 19th, 2014 at 3:50 PM ^

IIRC, Coach Bo had the same rule about being on time as my other all time favorite football coach, Vince Lombardi. You had to be 15 minutes EARLY for a meeting/practice/game to be considered "on time!!!"

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