The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1386887
36 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2021 FOOTBALL PREVIEW People talk about players having the 'it' factor when it comes to success and leader- ship. The same applies to coaches, and Bel- lamy proved himself in that area long ago. He's respected throughout the state by op- posing coaches, players and parents alike as someone who cares about his players beyond just what they offer on the field. He picked up a lot of those traits from Carr at Michigan from 1999-2002. "Everything," he answered succinctly when asked what he took from his expe- rience under U-M's former head coach (1995-2007). "I've been blessed with some unbelievable coaches in my life. Coach Tierney — look at his coaching tree as far as what we're doing now. Ryan Clark on ESPN was my high school teammate. Vance Joseph, formerly the Denver Bron- cos head coach, we went to the same high school. "[Tierney] was the reason why I wanted to go to Michigan, because I wanted some- one very similar to him. That's what Coach Carr was. Talk about a man of integrity that knows how to get the best out of you. I have not met anyone in my life that has chal- lenged me as much as Lloyd Carr did." It was his competitive nature, even if it seemed understated at times, that helped Carr win five Big Ten titles as the head man at Michigan and made him a Hall of Fame coach. That rubbed off on his players, many of which are now in the coaching ranks themselves and trying to emulate their for- mer mentor, the way Bo Schembechler's in- fluence affected Harbaugh in his own career. Carr and Harbaugh's styles might have varied, but Michigan means a ton to both of them, Bellamy noted. "One of the reasons I think Mike [Hart] and I are back at Michigan, as a former head coach myself, you have a vision," Bellamy said. "You've got to make sure the guys around you align in that same place where they can help you get your vision across. "[People mention] former players and how they understand what the culture of the pro- gram is. Coach Harbaugh gets that, and I tell him that while I will enjoy coaching at Michigan because it's such a special place to me and my family, my goal is to take your vi- sion and help you ex- ecute that vision. "Michigan is built on tradition. Part of that tradition is win- ning championships on the field and developing men off the field." That's the objective. And while he doesn't want it to sound cliché, that's the founda- tion he knew at Michigan, one on which he added his own championship bricks with his perseverance and willingness to sacrifice for team success. Eight former Michigan players have worked on the 31 coaching staffs put together since Bo Schem- bechler's retirement in 1989. This year, two more — safeties coach Ron Bellamy and running backs coach Mike Hart — will be added to the list, having been hired by Jim Harbaugh in the offseason. Here are the others who both played and coached at U-M over the last three decades (since 1990): Bill Harris (1986-94): Harris, who lettered at wide receiver from 1968-70 and started in the famous 1969 win over Ohio State, was hired at 38 as one of Schembechler's youngest assistants and remained on Gary Moeller's staffs (1990-94) until Stanford hired him as its defensive coordinator in 1995. He was released after the 1998 season and signed on at Eastern Michigan, where he coached from 2000-03, his last stop. Jim Herrmann (1989-2005): Herrmann was a three-year backup behind some great linebackers on the 1980-82 Michigan teams, notching 65 career tackles. He first joined the staff in 1985 but became a full-time assistant in 1989, and then the defensive coordinator in 1997. His unit led the nation in scor- ing defense at 9.49 points per game allowed during his first year in charge. He coached in the NFL from 2006-17 and is currently coaching in Rome. Les Miles (1987-94): Miles lettered at Michigan on the offensive line in 1974 and 1975 and first became a graduate assistant at Michigan in 1980. After coaching Colorado's offensive line from 1982-86, he returned to Ann Arbor in 1987 and contributed to five championship teams before leaving to become the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma State in 1995. He was head coach at Oklahoma State (2001-04), LSU (2005-16) and Kansas (2019-20), winning a national championship with the Tigers in 2007, but was recently released by the Jayhawks. Erik Campbell (1995-2007) — 'Soup' played defensive back and receiver at Michigan from 1984-87 and won a Big Ten title as a defensive starter in 1986. He was a G.A. in 1988, left to coach running backs at Navy, Ball State and Syracuse, then returned to join Lloyd Carr's first staff in 1995 and remained with him until 2008, when Rich Rodriguez was hired. He returned to Ann Arbor in an off-field capacity under Harbaugh in 2015 and is currently with former U-M assistant Scot Loeffler at Bowling Green. Andy Moeller (2000-07) — Hired in 2000 to coach the offensive line, the former All-Big Ten linebacker (lettered 1984-86) stayed on staff until being re- placed by Rodriguez. He went on to coach in the NFL, but hasn't been in the profession since coach- ing the O-line for Cleveland in 2014. Curt Mallory (2011-14) — Mallory joined Brady Hoke's staff in 2011 and remained until Hoke was let go following the 2014 season, coaching defensive backs. He lettered at Michigan playing primarily on special teams in 1989-90, and earned two Big Ten title rings. The son of great Indiana coach Bill Mallory, he coached DBs at Wyoming for two years and was hired prior to the 2017 season as the head coach at Indiana State. After an 0-11 debut, his teams went 12-11 the next two years prior to having the season canceled in 2020. Roy Manning (2013-14) — The former linebacker (2000-04, earning U-M's top linebacker award his fi- nal year) played three years in the NFL, prior to being a G.A. at U-M in 2011. Hoke then hired him in 2013 after Manning cut his teeth as Cincinnati's running backs coach, and he coached outside linebackers (2013) and cornerbacks (2014). He has since coached at Washington State (2015-17) and UCLA (2018), and has been Oklahoma's cornerbacks coach since 2019. Tyrone Wheatley (2015-16) — 'Wheat,' one of Michigan's all-time great running backs (1991-94), enjoyed a 10-year NFL career before joining the coaching ranks. Harbaugh hired him as his first RBs coach, a job he held in 2015 and '16 before moving on. He coached Jacksonville's running backs in the NFL for two seasons and is now head coach at Morgan State, starting in 2019. — Chris Balas "Michigan is built on tradition. Part of that tradition is winning championships on the field and developing men off the field." BELLAMY Michigan Players Who Also Became Assistants At U-M Tyrone Wheatley, the 1992 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year for the Wolverines, served as Jim Harbaugh's running backs coach from 2015-16. PHOTO COURTESY U-M ATHLETICS