Bo Schembechler is a God-like figure at the University of Michigan.
Bo Schembechler was one of the greatest ever to coach in College Football.
When Bo took over at Michigan, the football program was in shambles. Michigan was coming off of a 50-14 defeat by Ohio State, in which legendary head football coach Woody Hayes opted to run up the score and go for two against Michigan on a late touchdown just to make it to 50 points. For college football’s all time winningest program, it was flat out embarrassing. When Bo took over in 1969, he ended up using that move by Woody Hayes as motivation, taping the score 50-14 on each player’s helmet during practice the week before the Ohio State game in 1969, where Michigan upset #1 Ohio State. He ran one of the toughest conditioning practices in college football at the time, which lead 65 out of 140 players that showed up to camp to quit the team. Bo then made one of the most legendary moves of his career, putting up a sign in the locker room that read “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions.” Bo went on to become one of college football’s greatest all time coaches, posting a record of 194-48-5 (The 5 being ties). He also won or shared thirteen Big Ten Championships, more than fulfilling his promise to his players that they would be champions. He was inducted into the University of Michigan Hall of Fame, State of Michigan Hall of Fame, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, and College Football Hall of Fame among numerous other awards and recognitions.
Bo would let his players know exactly what they did wrong in the best manner he saw fit. This usually included some form of yelling
With Schembechler so successful, you might think that his players loved him. It was quite the opposite though, as many players were scared to death of Schembechler. This is exactly the type of leader Machiavelli advocates for in The Prince, where he says it is better to be feared than to be loved. It was clear that Schembechler’s players were scared of him- they knew they had to play almost perfect football, or face the wrath of their coach. This is demonstrated in one of the many stories about the wrath of Bo Schembechler told by Jim Brandstatter, a former offensive lineman that played under Bo. Bo had been on his players at the time because in the previous week there had been a punt blocked. Brandstatter explains in his story that he knew if he allowed a punt to be blocked, “there would be hell to pay.” As it turns out, a punt was blocked in practice, but it was not Brandstatter’s fault. But still, Schembechler came running down the field and yelled at Brandstatter “YOU DUMB SON OF A BITCH!” Bo threw an elbow into Brandstatter, yelling at him in the process and told him that he would never play a down again at the University of Michigan. Bo forced Brandstatter into tears, and luckily for Brandstatter he was allowed to return to practice and was allowed to play again.
It’s incidents like this that demonstrated Bo’s wrath. Almost all of his players were scared of him, and rightfully so! But, this terrifying figure is arguably the best coach in Michigan Football history! He is one of the best leaders the University of Michigan has ever known. His words and actions carry on to this day- twenty-five years after he retired from coaching. His famous “The Team” speech is played now at football games on the scoreboard to promote Michigan Athletic teams, and “The Team, The Team, The Team” was even printed on shirts calling for the firing of athletic director Dave Brandon. The football team facility is named after him, and he has his own statue right outside of Schembechler Hall. Bo is a legend, and exactly the type of leader Machiavelli advocates for. Although Bo was not the most player friendly coach (like a Brady Hoke), his record and achievements speak for themselves. Almost eight years after Bo’s death, the Michigan Football program is once again in shambles, and looking for another Bo Schembechler to restore itself to the top of the college football world.
This is where Michigan hopes to get back to- the Rose Bowl. Big Ten Champions earn the right to play in Pasadena against the Pac 12 Champions
Touchdown Theory 
I have to agree with you that Bo was an amazing coach, with many Machiavellian principles, and we definitely need to find a coach who can continue his legend and bring back the University of Michigan’s football program back to where it was during the Schembechler era. However, one of my fears with attempting to find another Machiavellian coach such as Bo, is that society has changed and in today’s world such a tough and challenging conditioning schedule or program may lead to massive criticism and bring about negative comments towards Michigan’s football program. Due to these new constraints, many stemming from concerns over player’s health and safety, I believe that finding a coach as tough as Bo would be nearly impossible, however I do believe that we can find a coach who can lead Michigan back to it’s former glory and make Bo proud. That is of course assuming that Brady Hoke follows in Dave Brandon’s footsteps…
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I like this post because it reminds me that Michigan actually did have a good team at one point. Something that a leader with the stature of Bo brings is that aura of opportunity. With a coach like Bo, you always have a chance because you trust in the system. Whether or not his players hated him, he made them better and that is not what is happening with the current team. Hoke is a players coach, but it seems that players only want to play for those coaches if they can respect them. You cannot always be equal with the person that leads you because you always feel that slack you have with him. Herb Brooks told his players in miracle that he wasn’t their friend, he was their coach. I have seen videos of Jim Harbaugh and it seems that he creates a family atmosphere in his locker rooms, but a family where he is clearly in charge. We need coaches that will take charge of their position and build statues, not leave open empty seats. Nonetheless, Bo was certainly a legend, as is his Machiavellian coaching style.
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Thank you for your kind words. I also think the University of Michigan should do whatever it takes to get Harbaugh. He would be the best fit for Michigan
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A very enjoyable read, reminiscing on previous success of our football team. The “Those Who Stay Will Be Champions” hyperlink is a refreshing reminder that our program is still one of the greats. Bo proves that Machiavelli’s idea of a leader can be executed effectively. His players may have hated him, but I’m sure it wasn’t easy to dislike someone much when his coaching resulted in the success that his teams had. Your post was an accurate comparison between Bo and “The Prince” and I’m sure it was a fun comparison to research. Let’s hope a new coaching staff can take us to a Rose Bowl, I want to go to Pasadena.
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