Remembering Bo

Submitted by M Gulo Gulo on

Today we remember our legendary football coach Bo Schembechler, who passed away on this day in 2006.

We know he is up there with Fielding Yost, Don Canham, Bob Ufer, Tom Harmon Fritz Crisler and many other great Michigan Men looking down on his protege Jim Harbaugh leading the Wolverines to victory!

 

GOBLUE4EVR

November 17th, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^

it was 9 years ago, i still remember exactly where i was and what i was doing when my dad called me and told me that BO had passed away... RIP BO... GO BLUE!!!

LSAClassOf2000

November 17th, 2015 at 9:46 AM ^

I was actually on my way back to my office in Belleville from downtown when I heard the news on the radio back in 2006. I had actually taken I-75 south towards downriver to check out a jobsite in Taylor (and to catch lunch at home since I live in Romulus), but the moment I heard, I pulled off at the nearest exit - Northline Roard, so at least I made it to Taylor - and went to the parking lot of the downriver WCCC campus and began to tear up a bit. It took longer than I thought to get the composure to drive again - I will put it that way. 

GOBLUE4EVR

November 17th, 2015 at 10:24 AM ^

a little bit of the "nose sweats" while i was at work while reading everything that was posted on detnews and the freep at the time... the drive home was very hard as i was listening to afternoon show on 1270 (before they went to 97.1) and they were interviewing every former player they could get in touch with... i drank a lot of beers that night for BO...

CoverZero

November 18th, 2015 at 5:21 AM ^

My story is much like  yours.  I had flown in from LA that morning and was in a rental car, somewhere near 6 mile and Haggerty.  I had to pull over for a bit, and then went in to the nearest Chilis, or whatever it was to watch ESPN at the bar with a beer.

TdK71

November 17th, 2015 at 10:00 AM ^

Three times in my life, the first was when Bo Retired, the second was when my Dad died in 2001, and the third was when Bo died in 2006.

I remember that I couldn't finish out the day at work after hearing that my Dad and Bo Died, and I remember sitting in my Chair at home weeping after the news of Bo's death.

Even though I never met him he was an influential force in my life, his work hard ethic, loyalty and no nonsense attitude have helped to shape who I have become.

I put him right up there with my Father as one of the most influential people who have shaped who I have become. 

UMAmaizinBlue

November 17th, 2015 at 10:39 AM ^

Who would downvote a story like this. I also cried when I heard about Bo passing, even though I'd never met the man. It's a good day to remember what truly makes a man great - not trophies or awards or money, but being a good person to others and molding others who will make the world a better place. It can even be as simple as being a loving father and husband. Bo did a great job of separating the game from real life, while using one to teach you about the other.

UM Fan from Sydney

November 17th, 2015 at 10:12 AM ^

That was the day the Michigan football program started to truly fall. Very sad. Thankfully we have Bo's protégé to resurrect it.

FauxMo

November 17th, 2015 at 10:36 AM ^

Apparently someone doesn't remember 2005.

I know, lots has been made about how we went from 11-0 to lose two games after Bo's death, then Appy State and Oregon, then RichRod, then Hoke, then sadness and doom. But 2005 was a watershed, too. And remember, Carr had won only once against Tressel since he had been there, and OSU had already won its NC. In short, things were pretty bad before Bo's passing, in my opinion...

03 Blue 07

November 17th, 2015 at 12:35 PM ^

I'd submit that Eleven Swans is the best piece of writing to ever appear on MGoBlog. Though such a statement is inherently subjective...I still think I'm right. The end of that piece is just incredible- "Play. Fight. Win. Please." So, so good. Holds up 9 years later, also. 

BoYostHarbaugh

November 17th, 2015 at 2:07 PM ^

I was not even a GoBlog visitor back then. I cannot even express to you guys how much that would have helped me in my own personal hell that day. I was alone, no other Blue Bloods anywhere close to me, only one over the phone who didnt want to talk. My brother, he too was heart broken. 

I started coming to this site during the RR era, and only until recently have made it a mandatory everyday must. You guys help me get over crushing losses easier than being a lone and make the great wins 10 times more fun. 

Go Blue Forever!

UMAmaizinBlue

November 17th, 2015 at 10:35 AM ^

Never saw him coach. Never heard him speak live. Never got to experience the legend first-hand.



This didn't stop him from teaching me about what being a man is, how to treat others, how to work hard and earn what you seek, and how to appreciate the people and experiences in your life. You don't have to meet a legend for them to have an impact on your life.



RIP Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler

The Mad Hatter

November 17th, 2015 at 10:36 AM ^

When I first heard the news I was completely stunned.  I'm not a particularly emotional guy and I can count the number of times I've cried as an adult on one hand.

I didn't cry when I heard that Bo had died.  Instead I felt like all of the color had been drained out of the world.  I went numb and stayed that way for a while.  I put on a happy face and went about my business, not wanting the people close to me to see how much I was affected by his passing.  

I decided to watch The Game alone that year.  I sat on the edge of my couch, completely sober, feeling the full range of emotions we all felt that day as the game swung back and forth.

When it was over I sobbed like a baby.  I really wanted us to win that one for Bo.

Ccapilla

November 17th, 2015 at 3:42 PM ^

I think many of us wanted to win that one for Bo. At the same time, I suspect Bo would have wanted us to win that one for Michigan. Perhaps a distinction without a difference.

Reflecting back on it now nine years later, I'm still not entirely sure where one stops and the other begins.

WolverineHistorian

November 17th, 2015 at 10:37 AM ^

That....was an awful day. Bo was interviewed on WTKA that morning. A couple hours later, I was getting ready to fix lunch, turned on the news and the words scrolled at the bottom of the screen stated 'Bo Schembechler dies.'

It felt like multiple punches to the stomach. The local news then went live to the hospital where Brandstatter, John Wangler and Jamie Morris were in the waiting room. When Morris was interviewed, he was practically sobbing. It was heartbreaking to watch.

God bless you, Bo. I miss you so much. You had about a thousand great quotes but your "to hell with Notre Dame," comment will always be one of my favorites.

KC135R-87

November 17th, 2015 at 12:02 PM ^

I was meeting with lawyers in downtown Detroit all day for work. And one of them was a MSU grad. So already a pretty lousy day. Then coming out of lunch the State lawyer tells me Bo died. So an even worse afternoon. Didn't get out of there until after 5. That really sucked and I'll never forget that day.

ToledoBlue32

November 17th, 2015 at 1:00 PM ^

I was on campus for my college visit. It was way too quiet considering what was about to take place the next day. It wasn't until I got in my car and called my dad to let him know I was leaving that he told me Bo had passed. I never saw him coach a game but you didn't have to know the kind of man he was and what he meant to the Michigan community, a true Michigan Man in every sense. RIP Bo




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k.o.k.Law

November 17th, 2015 at 1:08 PM ^

was my conclusion after reading the Bacon book.

(Ann Arbor news photo, Bo speaking at SAE house pep rally before 1975 Ohio game)

I did get to hear him speak a few times, and encounter him a few more.

I obtained the job of checking the press parking lot for the 1985-86 UM hoop season.  Before a night game, an extremely nervous looking kid pulled up in a big black car, and I was confidently about to bust him, questioning his credentials.

The guy in the passenger seat leaned over and became visible.

All the blood in my body dropped to my left big toe.

How can a guy get fired from a job that does not even pay anything?  I got a pass to stand in the tunnel entrance and watch the game.

Bo saw the look on my face, and said "You're doin' a fine job!"

Of course, I waived them in.

Found out years later that Shemy was driving, on his learner's permit.

Having Bo as your driving instructor would make anyone nervous.

His influence lives on, and, will never die.

buddhafrog

November 17th, 2015 at 1:13 PM ^

there will NEVER be a tougher loss than the one I watched that Saturday afternoon. What a great game, what drama, what weight of emotion, what circumstance. I have never wanted us to win so badly. 

I think somewhere in that lose was a lesson that Bo would have wanted the Michigan family to learn - I've always had that gut feeling. And yet, I just don't know what that lesson is.

But dame, I was born in 1971 and grew up in the shadows of The Big House and the Michigan that was reborn under Bo. I have a lot to thank him for.