Schembechler dies after collapsing during taping of show
By Tim May
The Columbus Dispatch
Friday, November 17, 2006 12:21 PM
Former Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler has died after he collapsed during a taping of his weekly television show this morning.
Schembechler, 77, underwent an operation in mid-October to have a device attached to his heart that would control his heartbeat. That operation occurred just days after he complained of discomfort while taping his weekly show and was taken by ambulance to a hospital.
He had appeared at the Wolverines' pre-Ohio State game news conference on Monday morning but said he did not plan to travel to Columbus to attend Saturday's 103rd version of The Game, which is being billed as "the game of the century," featuring No. 1-ranked Ohio State vs. No. 2 Michigan.
A former assistant coach at Ohio State under coach Woody Hayes, Schembechler gained fame in 1969 when, in his first year as Michgan coach, led the Wolverines to a 24-12 upset of top-ranked OSU. It was the first shot in what was billed as "The 10-year War" between Woody and Bo, with Schembechler holding sway 5-4-1.
Schembechler, who retired in 1989 with a 194-48-5 record at Michigan and a 234-64-8 overall mark, has a history of heart problems. He suffered a heart attack on the eve of the 1970 Rose Bowl and suffered another one in 1987. He has undergone two heart bypass operations.
He reportedly had been doing well in recent years until the episode on Oct. 20 at the television station.
Schembechler told The Detroit News recently, "When I was in the ambulance, I've got to admit, I wasn't so sure ... that I'd make it. I really wasn't. I was thinking, 'This thing is going to take me.' I snapped back out of that."
http://www.columbusdispatch.com/football/football.php?story=227384
I listened to Bo talk to a crop of new players years back. The ideals he expressed are the ideals we at FreeRepublic espouse, of the honorable way to achieve victory.
I was moved and inspired listening to him.
One of the the greats has gone on.