Win one for BO!

For those of you who haven't heard the news yet, Bo Schembechler passed away this morning just before noon. He is a great icon for Michigan Football. There are several great articles about his career and what he did for the Wolverines. Here are some links:

NY Times - Bo Schembechler, Football Great of Michigan, Dies
SI.com - Bo Schembechler dies
SI.com - Somber Scene in Ann Arbor
Wikipedia - Bo Schembechler

I never really remember watching him on the side lines, but I don’t think that I would have needed to see that to understand the importance he had on the University of Michigan and College football in general. He and Woodey Hayes (Wikipedia – Woody Hayes, 1951 - 1978), the famed coach for Ohio State, boosted this rivalry to a whole new level. I am a sucker for rich sports history and legends, and this game it all!

This news adds a whole new dimension to this already action packed rivalry game. For Michigan, I think that “The Game” is no longer about beating OSU, an undefeated season, Big Ten Title, or the right to play for the National Championship. It is a game about “The coach.” A Disney story like script that this rivalry seems to be following continues with the death of “The Godfather” of Michigan Football passing only hours before arguably the biggest game in college football pitting the most storied rival in sports history along with the #1 and #2 ranked teams in the country battling to continue an undefeated season and an undisputed spot in the National Championship game. With both of the storied coaches coaching the game from up above.

"He was a legend that the student athletes not only heard about, but could see, touch, and feel him. He was still an integral part of U of M football even thought he wasn't the coach and had a profound influence on them still today." (NFL Network)

As “Huge” a sports radio personality in Grand Rapids said, “this seems as if OSU and Michigan are two countries at battle and Michigan just lost their King.”


I have a few question's:
Can OSU match the intensity that Michigan will bring to “The Game?”

Is this the biggest game...EVER, at any time in history, in any sport?

Should they introduce some sort of trophy for this game, and naming it something like “The Schembechler-Hayes Torphy?”

What about renaming Michigan Stadium after Bo Schembechler?

I look forward to your comments.


Win one for BO!