For the first time since Bo Schembechler was hired in 1968, there is no known leader of the University of Michigan football program. Once Bo retired after the 1989 season, Mo (Gary Moeller), a long-time U-M assistant, took over. After Mo “resigned” in 1995, another long-time assistant, Lloyd Carr, took over. It was on an interim basis in the beginning but, halfway through the season, the interim tag was removed and Coach Carr went on to lead the Wolverines for 13 seasons. Today, he retired and, for the first time in my life, I have no idea who the next football coach of my alma mater will be. That makes me scared, nervous, anxious and excited all at the same time!I will miss Lloyd Carr, the person, as he’s done so much for the University of Michigan. I have to admit, however, that I might not miss Lloyd Carr, the coach. The last few years have been pretty rough for Michigan football fans and I think yet another loss to Ohio State on Saturday finally pushed me over the edge.
I sometimes wonder what life for Michigan football fans would be like had we not won a national championship in 1997. While that day was one of the best days in my life, I feel like it set a standard, it established an expectation that would be hard to achieve each and every year. Before Coach Carr, who brought us our first national championship in 49 years, we didn’t have those standards or expectations and the game was so much different. But, to get to that point, and then to have all the necessary pieces to return yet fail – that became hard to handle. And, if it was hard to handle as a fan, an alum and a former athletic department worker, I can’t even pretend to know how Coach Carr dealt with it. Maybe this was one of the many reasons he decided it was time to go.
Whatever his reasons, he is gone but he won’t be far away if needed. He will remain at Michigan as an associate athletic director and AD Bill Martin will have him to speak with while searching for a new leader of the Michigan football program. It’s not every day that Michigan hires a new football coach and it’s not every school that gets it right (see Nebraska) but I’m hopeful Martin will find a fantastic new coach to take Michigan football to an even higher level.
