Classy Email from Harbaugh to Earle Bruce

Submitted by umbig11 on

Yes, I removed Coach Harbaugh's personal email address and OSU AD's personal email address. Any way, Earle Bruce was honored Saturday as he dotted the "I" with the band. Coach Harbaugh took the time to send an email to OSU and he made sure Earle received it.

The Michigan difference.

http://www.cleveland.com/livingston/index.ssf/2016/10/ohio_state_coach_earle_bruce_a.html


From: Jim Harbaugh <XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX4
Date: September 30, 2016 at 1:13:24 PM EDT
To: XXXXXXXX

On behalf of the 2016 University of Michigan football team and your many friends in Michigan, congratulations on the honor of being chosen to dot the "I" in script Ohio.

Take a deep long bow, you have earned it!

You are rightfully joining a very selective group of outstanding leaders.

Thank you for your many years of support for our great game of football.

Respectfully, 

Jim Harbaugh

MGoBoard
Football

umbig11

October 5th, 2016 at 10:41 AM ^

Much appreciated. Earle's brother Ron sent this email back to the folks at Michigan with a big thank you note. They wanted everyone to know what a first class gesture it was. The Bruce family did not expect coach Harbaugh or Michigan to reach out in this way.

Joined: 07/21/2010

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mhollebeek

October 5th, 2016 at 10:30 AM ^

The hyperlink behind the "@" sign still shows the email if you hover of it... probably not his actual personal email, but may want to take the link out if it is.

Joined: 11/05/2011

MGoPoints: 175

bjk

October 5th, 2016 at 3:48 PM ^

more than I, mainly for the abrasive simplicity with which he embraced the Rivalry. I delighted in the bad publicity that his many outbursts brought to himself and his mission. However, I hesitate to oversimplify and minimize the stature of what he brought to the game. The Gator Bowl punch rightly ended his career, but on the way there there was: The Ohio State Faculty Senate's refusal of the 1962 Rose Bowl invitation in December 1961. Accounts vary, and it was apparently (PDF)team co-captain Mike Ingram who addressed OSU students demonstrating against John Fullen and the Faculty Senate and told them to go home and study for their exams. Even so, it is fair to say he was speaking for Hayes, who told an alumni group at the Hollendem Hotel in Cleveland the day the decision was handed down the following (Roy Terrill, SI (online archive), 9-24-1962 ):
I would not want football to drive a line of cleavage in our university. Football is not worth that.
I think it is fair to say that his scrapes with the NCAA came in part from his sincere educational mission (87.6% graduation rate per Rex Kern in the '70s; "Of that, 37 percent went on to graduate or professional school.") and concern for the welfare of his players. On financial assistance:
"One of those boys came to me and said he had only one pair of pants. 'Can't you get a loan?' I asked him. 'I tried,' he said, 'They told me it would take four months.' Hell, a pair of pants can get to be awfully dirty in four months. Sure I gave him the money."
Player safety:
For two years his boys have been wearing a plastic helmet cushioned on the outside, to protect others, as well as on the inside. "Of course this outside padding isn't doing us much good," he grumbles. "Everyone should use it."
Hayes has even plotted the area of greatest incidence of knee injuries—it is an arc 20 yards laterally from the point where the ball is positioned to start play—and says this is another reason why his teams run inside the ends most of the time.
Even when an Ohio State halfback gets loose, he is instructed not to hug the sidelines but to stay at least a yard inside the field. When penned in, the runner has room to ride with, and better absorb, a hard side tackle.
In the spring practice of 1962 not one Ohio State football player was even dazed from a blow on the head, and they do not play patty-cake in an Ohio State scrimmage even in the spring. . . Last season only two Ohio State boys were unable to start games because of injuries.
Back in the day, of course I loathed the man who helmed the team I feared and hated above all others. But in judging others, let us remember the words of Wilhelm Furtwängler: "It is a fallacy to suppose that greatness arises from a lack of flaws."

Joined: 11/26/2009

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Carcajou

October 5th, 2016 at 8:06 PM ^

"he is instructed not to hug the sidelines but to stay at least a yard inside the field. When penned in, the runner has room to ride with, and better absorb, a hard side tackle."

I've said this often, and I have no idea why this has been lost. How often do we see a RB or even a Jake Butt getting shoved out of bounds- or simply run out of bounds- by a 175 pound defensive back?

 

Joined: 02/26/2009

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rob f

October 5th, 2016 at 8:33 PM ^

And besides, Bo loved the old man dearly. Good enough for me. Like all Michigan fans, I hated Woody. But more and more thru the years, this hatred has been tempered by the realization that, first and foremost, Woody really cared for the game of football and for the young men he led; if for any reason Woody would have been our coach, I'd be idolizing him.

Joined: 11/11/2010

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Stay.Classy.An…

October 5th, 2016 at 10:38 AM ^

Harbaugh's email is readily accesible for those that want it. I emailed over Chirstmas Break before the bowl game and he responded with well wishes for my family and thanked me for supporting the team. Obviously our coach is a one in a million hire, just a great all around guy.. 

Joined: 11/27/2012

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ScruffyTheJanitor

October 5th, 2016 at 10:51 AM ^

While chugging some whole milk, diagraming a play, and playing chess against Noam Chomsky. 

Holy God, I just realized Jim has created a foil to the Tyson Zone, or the Harbaugh Zone. Seriously, if you found out the above was true, how surprised would you be on a scale of one to ten? Like, what, a three max?

Joined: 02/03/2011

MGoPoints: 12197

Everyone Murders

October 5th, 2016 at 11:05 AM ^

An explanation of the partially bullshit, partially true flavor.  Bruce's teams were relatively classy, and nearly-always successful but not quite successful enough for the Buckeye fanbase.  A major reason Bruce ended up with a winning record against Michigan is that he was (stupidly) fired before The Game.  That gave his Buckeyes a rallying point, and Bo famously said after that last (1987) game that while he hated losing to OSU, he did not mind as much that game - referencing the hard exit OSU gave Bruce.

But the real benefit was OSU replacing Bruce with John Cooper out of Arizona State.  Cooper was 0-2-1 against Arizona (ASU's biggest rival), so OSU thought this is our guy.  And Cooper was actually a great coach, but 2-10-1 against Michigan - remaining remarkably consistent in failing in games against rivals.  Providing me some of my best Michigan football memories along the way.

tl:dr?  I basically forgot that Bruce ended up with a winning record against Michigan.  The above is a drawn-out way of saying I was wrong.

Joined: 12/14/2010

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bjk

October 5th, 2016 at 4:16 PM ^

was 0-2-1 against Arizona
Didn't know this. At the time that OSU was seeking a successor to Woody, the only coach they had not harrassed out of town since before 1951, Cooper was 1-0-0 against M, Bo and QB Jim Harbaugh in the 1987 Rose Bowl. Since they were being impatient, a hasty decision was the natural outcome. I have relatives in that fanbase. They were mildly dissatisfied at the time, despite holding their own in the rivalry.

Joined: 11/26/2009

MGoPoints: 3993

nappa18

October 5th, 2016 at 11:58 AM ^

And the tie in Columbus was largely due to Grbac being lost early. Helmet spear to the back by one of Ohio's finest. Didn't Herbie throw a short TD pass on 4 th and goal late for the tie. Think they were inside the 10 and he made a low throw that the receiver made a nice catch on. Didn't go for 2 and the win.

Joined: 07/08/2011

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True Blue Grit

October 5th, 2016 at 10:40 AM ^

Earle Bruce-coached OSU teams, so there's definitely that tie for him.  But, I've heard nothing bad about him over the years.  He seems like one of the good classy people in college football, even though Bob Ufer used to refer to him as Earle "Darth Vader" Bruce.  

Joined: 01/21/2011

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mGrowOld

October 5th, 2016 at 10:43 AM ^

About 10 years ago I got invited to play golf in the "Scarlet & Gray" scramble down at OSU.  I wore a Michigan polo shirt and literally every other golfer there was either a big money OSU donor or an ex-player.   On the first tee my group was directly behind Earl Bruce's foursome so while we were waiting to tee off we had a chance to talk a bit.

I mentioned to him that I was at his last game (he asked me if I played for Michigan) and I said no, just a fan.  I told him that while I was disapointed in the outcome personally I was happy for him as it seemed to me he got a bum deal.  Now I have to add he was pretty lit-up already and it was only about 9:00am but after I said that he leaned forward and basically yelled "Bo called me after the game and said I hate losing to you son's of bitches but today and only today I didnt mind it too much."  

That call from Bo meant a LOT to him - I could tell.  Then he bought me a beer!

 

Joined: 10/04/2010

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ScruffyTheJanitor

October 5th, 2016 at 10:58 AM ^

My Dad is an OSU fan (I was Adopted), and as far as he is concerned John Cooper should be running a dive-through in rural Montana. However, he speaks about Earl Bruce in the same way you might speak about your favorite teacher from high school. Seems like a classy, classy dude. (He also speaks about Jim Tressel like you might speak about that "cool" vice principal in high school after you learn he got caught with a former student in the janitors closet.)

Joined: 02/03/2011

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mGrowOld

October 5th, 2016 at 11:07 AM ^

I've met both men and had a chance to speak at length.  Both are exactly as your father describes and while it wont be met with much approval here I can tell you that Jim Tressell is one of the nicest, most approachable and friendly people I've ever met.  

I'm not surprised in the least that Harbaugh sent the email to coach Bruce.  I'll bet you anything he has a tremendous amount of personal respect for the man.

 

Joined: 10/04/2010

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