I know this isn't the proper forum, but I really though some people may like to know...
Thank You, Bo.
I was a nobody in the grand scheme of Michigan Football. I really had no impact on the scoreboard, in getting Ws and Ls in the standings. To me, I was just grateful to be given the opportunity to see the games from the sidelines, participate in team functions, and live out my dream of running through the tunnel into the stadium and feeling that incredible rush of adrenaline.
Bo Schembechler WAS Michigan. Heck, the freakin' building was named after him. I'll never forget the first time I met Bo. He had come down to watch a practice, and unaware, I turned around to see him standing next to me. Having memorized his entire biography, and having waited for the moment I would be able to talk to the man who built the program I loved so much, I naturally froze up. I'm not sure what combination of sounds came from my mouth, but I'm certain they were inaudible, and jibberish. Bo just smiled, stuck out his hand, and introduced himself. "Hey, son, I'm Bo."
After a few months, I was pretty comfortable with seeing him frequently, and we had become acquaintances. Ohio State week in 1999 changed that. I live for this rivalry. It's a bond I share with the old coach. I waited all year for the OSU week, and after practice on Tuesday, I caught up with Bo on the stairs heading up to his office. I asked him some sort of a question about his first OSU game, and that lead to about an hour and a half discussion in his office that night about the rivalry, and what it meant to him. Every night that week, following practice, I headed up and chatted with Bo for a solid hour or so. He humored me, and relived the great moments of the rivalry he helped build. His intense desire to beat his friend and mentor, Woody Hayes. His experiences in Columbus, the little things that players did the week leading up to the game that only someone so infatuated such as myself would care about. I'm sure he had better things to do, but the old man made sure to answer every question I had, elaborate on every story I asked about, and re-tell things he's probably talked about thousands of times.
It was Bo who introduced me to Bobby Knight, a guy he remembered me talking about once in the football building. I helped out with the Millie Schembechler Charity Golf Classic over the summer, and when Coach Knight showed up to golf, Bo took a little time to introduce me. That was the thing about the old coach- he never forgot anything. Once he had spent some time with you, he remembered everything you'd talked about. For someone of such great importance- he was always willing to take the time to speak with anyone, and show genuine interest in what you had to say. To someone like me, that meant the world. I'll never forget OSU week, when it was in the low 30s outside, and I was wearing only a t-shirt. Coach Carr asked me what in the hell was wrong with me, and told me I would be catching pneumonia. I told him that I heard in Columbus, they wore only a grey t-shirt for this week, and therefore I would only wear 1 blue t-shirt. Coach told me I was spending too much time with Bo.
I think my love for Michigan was only eclipsed by Bo's, and I think everything he did was with the best interest of the program, and his players in mind. Bo was a class act, who has helped to shape generations of Michigan men.
The irony of Bo's death is not lost on me. Bo blew off an appointment with his doctor last night to speak to the Michigan team. Bo was always talking about his heart, joking that it was going to get the best of him sooner or later, so he might as well live life the way he wanted. Believe me, that he did. I think that while Bo wouldn't be able to watch the game in Columbus, he's now going to be doing one better. Bo will fittingly get to watch the biggest game ever with a birds-eye view, with his old pal Woody.
Thank you, Bo. For the memories you gave me.
Go Blue, Win for Bo.
