ShadowStorm33

August 22nd, 2015 at 12:05 PM ^

An unintended consequence of so much talk recently about our stacked teams in the 70's (this excerpt, the all-white throwbacks, etc.) is that it's reintroduced the question of how in the hell we didn't win a national championship under Bo, and the sadness associated with that fact...

Joined: 07/22/2008

MGoPoints: 23366

snarling wolverine

August 22nd, 2015 at 2:13 PM ^

Well, in '73 we went 10-0-1 but couldn't go to a bowl to stake a claim for ourselves as national champ thanks to a BS vote and a dumb conference rule allowing only one school to go bowling.

Then in '74 the officials ruled that our game-winning FG attempt, which looked good, was wide left.  That kick would have made us 11-0.

 

Joined: 12/14/2011

MGoPoints: 98770

uncleFred

August 23rd, 2015 at 10:06 AM ^

he gives insight as to why. When he talks about how it felt finally win a major bowl, he explained that it felt good, but he'd rather beat Ohio State and got more satisfaction from that win. Nothing felt better than beating Ohio State.

I understand that many people, some are even my generation who were there for the ten year war, don't understand that for the majority of us "The Game" was far and away the most important game and the primary focus every season. If Bo won the Big Ten Championship and beat Ohio State he had a triumphant successful season, and between those two goals beating OSU was far more important. A bowl win was great and he hated to lose any game, but winning a bowl was always secondary to beating Ohio State. Reverse those priorities and he'd have won more bowls.

Joined: 10/14/2011

MGoPoints: 2399

Brodie

August 23rd, 2015 at 11:11 AM ^

back when national titles were truly mythical and there was no ESPN 8 to show you every game the Georgia International Massage College plays each season, people cared a lot less about the idea of winning one. Winning your conference and it's bowl was bigger 

Joined: 11/19/2008

MGoPoints: 10713

Superfun Happy Slide

August 22nd, 2015 at 12:25 PM ^

Here's the quote that got me, “I was honest and said, ‘Not that much.’ I’m in the Bo–Lloyd camp. I didn’t think a concussion, and that reaction, made sense to me."

Does it mean that Hackett thought Brandon and Hoke's reaction to the on-field event and fallout made little sense?

Or, does it mean that, like those old-school coaches would have considered concussions back in the day, Hackett thought the media and community furor coming from the Morris situation was overblown?

I'm assuming the former, but there is a little ambiguity in the quote.

Joined: 08/04/2015

MGoPoints: 31

antonio_sass

August 22nd, 2015 at 1:47 PM ^

Don't think you're interpreting this right. Bo and Lloyd we're exactly known for being super forthcoming about injuries, or anything. I'd say it's much more likely that concussions weren't as big of a deal for that generation. Know that doesn't square with Brian and many others reaction to the Shane event, but I'm pretty sure that's what he meant. 

Joined: 09/08/2010

MGoPoints: 4680

antonio_sass

August 22nd, 2015 at 1:36 PM ^

I'm almost positive it's the latter. He means the reaction of the media, and that it shouldn't have been such a big deal in the first place. 

He starts out saying he hasn't really been following it...because it Bo and Lloyd's days, kids playing with concussions wasn't a major news event. 

Joined: 09/08/2010

MGoPoints: 4680

turtleboy

August 22nd, 2015 at 12:39 PM ^

“In athletics, what we saw was a program drifting away from its core constituencies: the students, the alumni, the fans." This quote from the Pres Schlis stood out, and not just because it was indented that way, lol. It deserved to stand alone.

Joined: 04/22/2011

MGoPoints: 35129

ElBictors

August 22nd, 2015 at 1:09 PM ^

At a point, some people characterized him as having an axe to grind with Brandon after Rich Rod got canned. Three and Out read as an indictment of Carr and that faction and at first Hoke and DB seemed to be the right move. His being banned by Brandon from the Press Box at M Stadium, especially looking back now, says a lot.

Joined: 03/27/2015

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Ty Butterfield

August 22nd, 2015 at 2:33 PM ^

I really hate the title of the book, but these excerpts really do make me want to read it.

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: -81685

Ty Butterfield

August 22nd, 2015 at 2:43 PM ^

I hate "The Rise, and Fall, and Return of Michigan Football." Harbaugh is an amazing hire but he hasn't done anything yet. It just makes me think of those ND books about Weis and Willingham and how they are "Returning to Glory." Michigan needs to win some games first before there is any talk of a "return."

Joined: 09/07/2009

MGoPoints: -81685

charblue.

August 22nd, 2015 at 2:36 PM ^

self-loathing about a deteriorating situation in Ann Arbor, true leadership emerged from a newly-minted president totally unfamiliar with the ways of Michigan, its athletic department and the bondage of a grand football legacy --now in jeopardy. 

Mark Schlissel used instinct and acumen in seeing what others around Michigan's insider world knew about a Bo Schembechler molded player and executive whose lasting legacy may be the first thing of substance he did after taking over for Dave Brandon, hiring a Michigan legend to return the school to football greatness. 

The combination of a smart president and a dynamic former CEO and now interim AD (whom we all hope will stay on the job as long as possible) has done more for this university in the past 12 months than any of us could ever imagine. Tell me where this program would be without him stepping up to help his school when called upon? Not where it is now, because who knows whether anyone else could have handled the process of hiring Harbaugh when the opportunity arose? 

To me, Mark Schlissel will forever be the best Michigan president ever just because of how he  handled last fall's crisis with brilliance and understanding that produced two great leaders we can feel confidently assured will make Michigan's football program great again. 

Joined: 05/25/2010

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I dumped the Dope

August 23rd, 2015 at 7:21 AM ^

was invented by Yost, I feel like it applies equally as heavily to the academic side.  Just by pure numbers, there are probably 100x the number of people who have passed thru the academic program as compared to the football program.  There are people who work at UM and did not attend.  And then there is the population who never attended but love the school just as much.  All are important to carrying on the tradition and the perception of the Block M.

To say that the term is solely associated with athletic coaching prowess is wrong.

Joined: 09/22/2013

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