The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1169070
60 THE WOLVERINE OCTOBER 2019 BY JOHN BORTON B obbleheads of Bo Schembechler and Woody Hayes adorn B.J. Dickey's home office desk. When the Buckeyes and Wolverines meet, his family stands fully engaged. Forty years after he played quar‑ terback for Schembechler (1977‑81), Dickey still wraps himself in the memories. He still employs the coaching techniques instilled in him to fashion sales teams. His team‑ mates then remain friends today. "What a blessing, what a privilege, for a small‑town kid from Ohio to be in the right place at the right time," he mused. Not that the Ottawa, Ohio, native knew U‑M was the right place initially. "I grew up an Ohio State fan," he said. "Growing up in Ohio, you don't know any different." His allegiance stood ready to whip‑ saw, after Ottawa‑Glandorf High School gained a new head coach in Dickey's junior year. That mentor previously coached Michigan great Gordie Bell at Troy, Ohio, and knew the U‑M staff well. Soon enough, Schembechler's crew beckoned Dickey north. He came in knowing Rick Leach was a two‑year starter for the Wol‑ verines, and would remain for his freshman and sophomore seasons. That gave the younger QB time to get adjusted. Without question, ac‑ climating to Schembechler's crucible involved adaptation. "It's the classic stuff you hear — strict disciplinarian, perfectionist, demanding," Dickey recalled. "You have to be on every second. It's the precision and the demand for perfec‑ tion. You had to be on your game, and you wanted to make darned sure you were ready for every second." Sometimes, he had to be ready for an opposing defense knowing what was coming. His freshman year, Dickey got into three games as Leach's backup. He recalls calling an audible in Schembechler's option attack, then hearing an unmistakable voice from the sideline. "We're on the hash mark on the 50, and Bo is only 17 and two‑thirds yards away at that point," Dickey re‑ counted. "He starts screaming at me to run it the other way, because obvi‑ ously he's listening to my audible. "He starts screaming, 'Run it the other way!' So now the lineback‑ ers, safeties, the cornerbacks, every‑ body's now looking at Bo. At that point, there was no secret where we were going to run the ball." Dickey faced bigger challenges than a tipped‑off defense, Schem‑ bechler himself among them. "As a freshman, he was pretty hard on you," Dickey noted. "He said some things and did some things that, I found out later, were trying to crack you, both mentally and physically. "You needed to hold up under that pressure, or he wasn't going to put you in front of 100,000 people in Michigan Stadium." In addition to the Bo test, there were other hurdles — like overcom‑ ing the cold reality of the competition all around. "It was tough," he admitted. "I came from a small school in a small town. I was All‑World in my high school. I went into the Michigan locker room, and now all of a sud‑ den, I'm with 100 other kids who were All‑World in their high schools. "You look around and your first thoughts are, 'Oh geez, what did I get myself into?' But then the athlete, the competitor, the drive that got us all there kicks in. It's, 'I'm going to work my butt off harder than the next guy, so that I'm prepared and I'm ready.'" He worked hard enough to head the QB line behind Leach and see the field as a rookie in 1977. Of course, that's only part of the battle. His first action occurred in a 41‑3 blowout over Texas A&M, in which he did not unload a 50‑yard scoring strike on his first throw. "My very first pass, we threw a screen pass that went for minus‑three yards," he recalled. "I was like, okay, this is a great debut." Even when he executed a higher‑ level play — the ninth‑longest run ever by U‑M at the time — Schembechler's reaction wasn't as anticipated. Dickey broke out for a 74‑yard option run in a 56‑0 crushing of Wisconsin that year. The Badgers caught him before he scored, but he ran one in the very next play from three yards out, thrilled over his first collegiate touchdown. "As I came over to the sideline, natu‑ rally I was pretty excited," he offered. "I'm a freshman, I scored a touch‑ down. First thing out of his mouth was, 'You run like you had a piano on your back! I thought you were fast!' Again, it brings you back to reality." The reality of Michigan's quarter‑ back situation hadn't changed much in Dickey's sophomore season. He got into five games as a backup to Leach, as a stronger, more savvy, ex‑ perienced player. He also made a second straight trip to the Rose Bowl as a Big Ten cham‑ pion. Dickey also found himself tak‑ ing snaps in Michigan's 14‑3 victory over Ohio State in Columbus at the end of the regular season — no small feat for an Ohio native. "Growing up, I read Woody Hayes' book, 'The 100‑Yard War,' which really got me into this," Dickey said. "To have a chance to play in Ohio Stadium WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Quarterback B.J. Dickey's Best Option Became Michigan Dickey backed up Rick Leach his first two years on campus, and then became the starter for seven games in 1979, before a separated shoulder ended his campaign. Following a red- shirt the next year, he played in six games as a fifth-year senior. PHOTO COURTESY B.J. DICKEY