Bo’s Boys Cry the Blues

When I was in college, I had the privilege of serving as a manager for the University of Michigan football team under the coaching of Bo Schembechler. We were all concerned to hear that Bo has been admitted to an Ann Arbor hospital’s cardiac-care unit for observation today after he felt ill at the taping of a weekly television show. “He is in good condition,” spokesman Bruce Madej said, relaying a statement from the University of Michigan health system. “No more information will be released this evening, and the Schembechlers will not be giving interviews.”

Schembechler had a heart attack on the eve of his first Rose Bowl in 1970, and another one in 1987. He has had two quadruple heart bypass operations. The 77-year-old Schembechler was at WXYZ-TV studios in Southfield and wasn’t feeling well at about 10 a.m., before the taping of the Big Ten Ticket, which previews Michigan and Michigan State football games. Don Shane, the station’s sports director and host of the show, said station employees called 911 and attended to Schembechler before paramedics arrived. The former coach soon was feeling better, however, and decided to go on with the taping before leaving to see a doctor. “He was being Bo and extremely adamant about taping the show,” Shane said. I can concur — Bo was a demanding fellow who put a lot of pressure on himself — which resulted in an unbelieveable winning percentage. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year seven times and compiled a 194-48-5 record at Michigan from 1969-89 — a 78.5% winning percentage over 20 years.