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Gareth Evans

Throwback Thursday: Bo Schembechler

Updated: Aug 4

To celebrate great individuals, games, occasions or moments in college football history, Saturdays Feed My Soul will highlight one of these instances in a series of short features on Throwback Thursdays.


(Schembechler (r) and Harbaugh (l) Image credit: The Detroit News)

This series starts with a celebration of one of the few names in college football synonymous with excellence, Bo Schembechler, pictured here with then Michigan quarterback and current head coach Jim Harbaugh.


Schembechler, the head coach of the Michigan Wolverines from 1969 to 1989, won 13 Big Ten championships and built a program that was the envy of the nation.


His teams were tough, disciplined, and always in the hunt for a championship. Schembechler and Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes were great rivals and friends during their famous “Ten Year War”, a series of showdowns between two of college football’s biggest and most successful programs.


Schembechler built a 194-48-5 record in his twenty years at Ann Arbor, his teams were renowned for a strong running game and dominating defense. He was a fiery, passionate presence on the Michigan sideline.


In a November 18, 2006 New York Times article, Richard Goldstein wrote: "Schembechler was the epitome of blazing intensity. He paced the sideline, waving his arms and sometimes smashing headsets when he was angered by the referees."


He will always remain part of Wolverine folklore. His legacy lives on today in the passion and intensity of Michigan's current coach, Jim Harbaugh.

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