Michigan students mourn the loss of legendary coach

By Scott Bell

All week, the talk on the University of Michigan campus was all about The Game.

In 21 seasons as Michigan's head coach, Bo Schembechler was 194-48-5 with 13 Big Ten titles and 10 Rose Bowl appearances. AP

Now, just a day before the epic No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown, it seems a bit trivial.

Michigan's legendary football coach Bo Schembechler has passed away and the entire campus is in mourning.

Instead of looking forward to The Game, Michigan students are now looking back on the life of The Coach.

Without Bo, Michigan football would be just another sport. With him, it became a way of life.

Even though most current students were too young to remember Schembechler's coaching days, which ended in 1989, his impact on Michigan is legendary. You don't come to Michigan without knowing about Bo.

Around noon, when word of Schembechler's passing began to spread, a near hush overcame the campus.

Maize-and-blue clad students walking across the Diag, in the center of campus, consoled one another.

Television cameras and reporters began flooding Ann Arbor. Helicopters hovered over the campus, which had transformed from being in a state of anticipation to a community in mourning within an hour.

But the mood quickly shifted from a time of sadness to one of fond memories.

Students' instant messenger away messages varied from "Win one for Bo," "R.I.P Bo" and "Thanks for the memories, Bo."

Schembechler had last appeared on campus at a press conference on Monday to talk about the Michigan-Ohio State game. He was noticeably slowed, but still displayed his trademark stubbornness.

When a Michigan athletic department official put a stool near the podium to aid the 77-year-old former coach while he was talking, Bo refused to use it, saying, "I don't need this."

Bo was right, he didn't need it.

He stood there and talked and fielded questions from the media for a half hour.

Schembechler's legend was built with hard work and determination over his 37 years in Ann Arbor. Though students may not remember seeing him roam the sidelines, yelling at officials until his face turned 10 shades of red, they still appreciate what he has done, both on and off the field.

They've heard stories about Schembechler's heated but respectful rivalry with former Ohio State coach Woody Hayes.

They've seen the banner hanging from the rafters of Crisler Arena for the 1989 national championship team -- a squad which got a boost when Schembechler, then the athletic director, turned the team over to a "Michigan man", Steve Fischer.

And they've been inside Michigan Stadium, and felt the aura that surrounds it, thanks largely to Bo.

By 1:30, students and other fans congregated near Schembechler Hall, the football offices appropriately named after the most influential coach in the program's history. Outside the building, Wolverines coach Lloyd Carr and his players boarded buses waiting to bring the team to Columbus.

The Game suddenly took a backseat to The Coach, a legend who will never be forgotten.