50 years ago today: Bo Schembechler's first game
It was September 20, 1969 against Vanderbilt. It was the dawn of the era of modern Michigan football.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:19 AM ^
First game at Michigan.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
Ha, true. I guess I took that for granted. Were you there Don?
September 20th, 2019 at 10:54 AM ^
Nope, I didn't get to campus until '71.
September 20th, 2019 at 12:47 PM ^
One of these days I'm going to find Don at tailgate and give him a free beer. Because he seems pretty rad for an old dude.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
And the era ended 11/17/2006 forever.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:24 AM ^
Could you imagine if we had to wait til September 20 every year?
September 20th, 2019 at 10:36 AM ^
its been rough since he passed:
- the following day #2 Mich losses to # 1 OSU at home- western wolverine actually destroyed furniture during this game
- Next game- get blown out in Rose Bowl
- first game following year- lose to Ap State
- We ultimately hire Rich Rod
I am just glad that Pitbull banner has been removed so we can get back to winning the B10!
September 20th, 2019 at 12:44 PM ^
That #1 vs #2 game was at OSU.
September 20th, 2019 at 12:48 PM ^
I think he meant he destroyed furniture at his house but I agree it's misleading.
September 20th, 2019 at 2:03 PM ^
thanks, I thought I remember it being a home game
September 20th, 2019 at 3:31 PM ^
1997 was a home game.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:40 AM ^
Does this mean the curse has been lifted?
September 20th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
The blog is still here, so...
September 20th, 2019 at 10:50 AM ^
Ricky identifies with that picture you posted.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:46 AM ^
50 years ago today new beginnings with Bo; tomorrow, the end of "3yds and a cloud of dust"!/?
Well, theoretically.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:53 AM ^
It would seem like 50 years is enough time to update tactically, 49 years and 50 weeks wasn't though. So we'll see.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:47 AM ^
My first game as a boy was Bo’s first loss at home against Missouri. Been hooked ever since. Our OOC schedule that year- Vandy, Washington, Mizzou and then USC in the Rose Bowl. Those were the days
September 20th, 2019 at 10:59 AM ^
Fun Fact: We played six College Football HOF coaches that year:
Jim Owens - Washington
Dan Devine - Missouri (eventually Notre Dame)
Duffy Daugherty - MSU
John McKay - USC
Jack Mollenkopf - Purdue
Woody Hayes - OSU
Murray Warmath won a national title with Minnesota, but he's not in the HOF. Alot of national titles between those coaches.
Wonder if that's ever happened in a Michigan season before or after?
September 20th, 2019 at 11:39 AM ^
Owens was inducted into the College HOF as a player, not a coach. He had two good years at Washington in '59 and '60, winning two conference championships and two Rose Bowls, but he finished only 2 games over .500 in conference play over 18 seasons as HC. His '69 team was his worst—the Huskies went 1-9 that season.
September 20th, 2019 at 12:08 PM ^
You are correct. So 5 HOF Coaches. I believe that happened in 1988 too - Holtz, Johnson, Fry, Alvarez, and Cooper
September 20th, 2019 at 5:10 PM ^
Bo's first season was also my first season attending Michigan football games as a young kid. I attended the Missouri and climatic OSU game and told my dad after the OSU game I wanted to attend Michigan. That fortunately came true. Go Blue forever!
September 20th, 2019 at 11:01 AM ^
Makes me snicker about the non-conference scheduling of today.
We didn’t play a MAC team from 1944-1994 and the only reason we played WMU in 1943 was because MSU was scheduled but disbanded their team due to WWII so we had to replace them quickly.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:53 AM ^
September 20th, 2019 at 10:55 AM ^
I was there.
First thing Bo would tell the team today, Get Rid Of those Phones and Hit Somebody.
EXECUTE.
Let's Go.
September 20th, 2019 at 10:57 AM ^
I must’ve missed where the players have their phones on the field.
Just another tired grumble grumble millennials harumph post.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:02 AM ^
Isn't that why BVS fumbled? I thought he was checking his Twitter mentions when Shea handed him the ball?
::grumble grumble::
September 20th, 2019 at 11:02 AM ^
Do other team's fans care about stuff like this? Is there a post on some Alabama board talking about Bear Bryant's first game?
September 20th, 2019 at 11:04 AM ^
Yeah I’d much rather read concern trolling threads riddled with bponers than one about a significant anniversary of our greatest coach who was taken from us too early.
Go smell a fart.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:05 AM ^
You look like someone who would smell like hot cheese.
on edit: Nice stealth edit. Loser.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:07 AM ^
Is that an insult?
And what “stealth edit”? I just added a paragraph. You can still go smell a fart.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:08 AM ^
That's for you to decide, but I'm guessing you might think it's a compliment.
On edit: there's a reason why you couldn't get into Michigan
September 20th, 2019 at 11:12 AM ^
ITT: Guy complains about “stealth editing” but edits his own comment 4 times.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:18 AM ^
Moron, I'm clearly and explicitly editing my post to respond to YOUR "stealth edits." Stick to sweat activated clothing.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:27 AM ^
I'll bite...
Is it an insult if some of us didn't get into Michigan?
Funny... Johns Hopkins picked me up... you're right no prime time sports except lacrosse there. Guess we prefer to STUDY, instead of watching football and basket ball games all year.
GO FISH!
*edit: honestly if I could do it all over again, I would have saved the f*ckin money and gone into business for myself at 18yrs of age. That would have been the smartest thing to do.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:31 AM ^
There are a decent number of schools better than Michigan, though Hopkins probably isn't one of them (possibly outside of a handful of majors). Even then, Baltimore... yuck.
It is designed to be an insult to an elitist super fan who's entire life seems to revolve around worshiping UM and all things UM related, while talking shit to people who actually went to UM.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:42 AM ^
Just because you spent thousands and thousands of dollars on a U-M degree doesn't mean you're in some kind of protected class. If you say something like what you did, I'm not gonna stay quiet.
You--oh elite U-M alumnus--crapped on this thread for no reason other than to be a jerk and compare US to Alabama as if WE should be exactly like them.
I don't care about degrees. I've got one from a school WE face in a couple years and I sure as hell won't be cheering for them in that game.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:57 AM ^
lacrosse is the fastest growing sport in America!!!
September 20th, 2019 at 3:40 PM ^
Huh? It's absolutely an interesting anecdote.
50 years isn't 53 (or 43, or 67, or 74, or some other random number), and Bo is a legendary Michigan college football coach.
I'm not going to go search Alabama message boards, but I'd bet $100 there was some post on September 27, 2018 about it being the 60th anniversary of Bear's first game at LSU. Which he LOST, FWIW (13-3 to LSU).
September 20th, 2019 at 11:06 AM ^
I miss him.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:09 AM ^
I was there as a sophomore student. There was a lot of positive pre-game talk from the players in the dorm. Glenn Doughty had an 80-yard touchdown run in the second. Michigan broke open a tight 14-7 game by outscoring Vandy 28-7 in the 4th quarter for a 42-14 victory.
September 20th, 2019 at 1:14 PM ^
I took Doc Losh's intro to astronomy class. A lot of football players took her class and they were required to sit up front. She took attendance and let Bo know if any players skipped class. She was bad ass!
September 20th, 2019 at 11:13 AM ^
I was starting to feel old, given that 1969 was about the time I started taking an interest in Michigan football. Then I saw Don and Doclosh's posts. Now I don't feel so old.
September 20th, 2019 at 11:48 AM ^
What a year that turned out to be. What an amazing guy Bo turned out to be. From “those who stay will be champions” to “the team, the team, the team” to “a Michigan man will coach Michigan,” no one will ever top him for memorable lines, or for consistent excellence in the team’s he turned out.
September 20th, 2019 at 12:35 PM ^
It's great to talk about the glory days of yesteryear, and I was around when Bo was coaching here, but frankly, that;s history. The game tomorrow is, for me, the most relevant piece of Michigan sports.
I wonder what Bo would think about paying players.
September 20th, 2019 at 12:57 PM ^
My first game ever, was a freshman and had not attended a game before going to school. Remember the Boone’ Farm Apple wine being everywhere, girls being passed up the rows, lots of space in the stands. Nobody knew much about this guy named Bo!
September 20th, 2019 at 1:09 PM ^
I was there but I don't remember a thing about the game. :-(
September 20th, 2019 at 3:52 PM ^
My first game at Michigan. I had no sense that football was a big deal and no one knew how to pronounce Bo's lastno name. First game on astroturf, I beliefe. The cheerleaders, all men, heaved miniature footballs commemorating the game into the stands, and I caught one in my chest. Several weeks later, I was hoping for a close loss against unbeatable OSU so that we, not Purdue, would get voted into the Rose Bowl, since OSU couldn't go twice in a row. Fall Saturdays were never again the same.