As if the Michigan-Ohio State game needed any more storylines heading into its 3:30pm kickoff Saturday, the rivalry was just dealt a real-life blow. Bo Schembechler, the seven-time Big Ten coach of the year, died Friday at the age of 77 while at a taping of the show The Big Ten Ticket. Apparently, Schembechler collapsed during the taping and died after being rushed by ambulance to the hospital.
Schembechler coached at the University of Michigan for 26 years and finished his collegiate career with a 234-64-8 record. He suffered heart attacks on the eve of the 1970 Rose Bowl and another one in 1987. He has had two quadruple bypass operations and had been battling poor health for a couple of weeks.
It would be in error to assume that Schembechler didn’t still have a big role at UM. He was interviewed at virtually every Michigan game and had a big role in pregame shows on both TV and radio. Schembechler also had a big role in speaking to high school players that had either committed or were planning on committing to the football team. He wasn’t going to attend the game in Columbus, because of his health. I can only assume that his death will provide a huge emotional affect on the Wolverine players.
