The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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24 THE WOLVERINE AUGUST 2022 F ormer Michigan head coach and longtime Bo Schembechler assistant Gary Moeller, one of only 11 people to have served the program as a coach for 20 years or more, passed away Monday, July 11. He was 81 years old. Moeller, a three-year letterwinner at Ohio State, was a co-captain at OSU his senior year. The former linebacker played for Woody Hayes in the early 1960s and started his coaching career in high school before joining Schembechler's staff at Mi- ami (Ohio) in 1967. He went to Michigan with Schembechler before accepting the head coaching job at Illinois from 1977 to '79, then rejoined the U-M staff in 1980. Moeller was a Michigan assistant again from 1980 to '89, serving in several roles including defensive and offensive coor- dinator. He took over as head coach in 1990 after Schembechler announced his retirement and won Big Ten titles in his first three seasons, sharing it in 1990. The Wolverines had a Heisman winner in re- ceiver Desmond Howard in 1991 and won the Rose Bowl behind running back Ty- rone Wheatley's huge game in 1993 (1992 season). Moeller was Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992. "We loved Coach Mo, and he loved us," former Michigan All-Big Ten offensive lineman Doug Skene (1988-92) said. "He advanced the Michigan offense into more dynamic passing attacks, and we started zone blocking under his leadership." More than anything, Skene and every- one else who commented on him said, was his devotion to his players and the Univer- sity of Michigan. "He gave a lot to the game of football, excelling as both an offensive and defen- sive coordinator and head coach in the college and NFL ranks," head coach Jim Harbaugh said. "We have lost a wonderful family man." Moeller's teams posted a 44-13-3 record for a winning percentage of .758 in his five seasons as head coach at Michigan. His Wolverines also went 30-8-2 for a win- ning percentage of .775 in Big Ten play during his five years. The Lima, Ohio, native served as De- troit Lions head coach on an interim ba- sis in 2000 and coached linebackers for the Chicago Bears in 2002-03, his last coaching stint. He coached his son, Andy — a starting linebacker and captain— at Michigan in the 1980s. Andy would also become a Michigan assistant (2002-07) under Lloyd Carr before going on to coach in the NFL for several years. "Gary Moeller was a great family man, great friend, great coach, and a man of in- tegrity and high character. I admired him, I respected him and I loved him," Carr said. Moeller is survived by his wife, Ann, and daughters Susan, Amy and Molly, in addition to Andy. — Chris Balas J.J. MCCARTHY DISCUSSES RECOVERY, OFFSEASON IMPROVEMENT Michigan sophomore quarterback J.J. McCarthy was limited most of the off- season, dealing with lingering shoulder soreness, but it appears he'll be ready to compete with senior Cade McNamara for the starting job come fall camp. At the "Wolverine Weekend" golf out- ing in Traverse City June 18, McCarthy told The Wolverine he expected to be "full go" in a matter of weeks, giving him nearly a month of being at 100 percent before practices begin. "I don't necessarily have a percent, but I feel like in about two weeks I'm going to be full go," McCarthy said at the time. "So, whether that's 100 percent or what; just being ready to go." McCarthy participated in spring prac- tices but was "on a pitch count" in terms of how much he could throw. Despite not being in every drill, he insists he improved immensely. "I have improved so much mentally, just being able to sit back and see differ- ent perspectives of different positions and how they're looked at," McCarthy said. "Just being able to become more well- rounded as a quarterback, not just relying on my arm and my physical abilities. Just understand the game and appreciate the game. "It's one of those injuries that happened where it's like, 'Dang, the game could be taken from me just like that, at any given moment.' … It was just great to see all the blessings in disguise." McCarthy has had to wait his turn thus far at U-M, serving as the backup in 2021. He completed 34 of 59 pass attempts for 516 yards and 5 TDs with 2 interceptions last season, while adding 124 rushing yards and 2 TDs on the ground. He embraced his role then and is excited for what lies ahead. "It's the journey. So many kids my age and kids these days focus on that destina- MICHIGAN FOOTBALL Former Michigan Head Coach Gary Moeller Passes Away Moeller, the Big Ten Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1992, won 44 games, lost 13 and tied three for a winning percentage of .758 in his five seasons as U-M head coach. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN 2022 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE Date Opponent Time (ET)/TV Sept. 3 COLORADO STATE 12 p.m. (ABC) Sept. 10 HAWAI'I 8 p.m. (BTN) Sept. 17 CONNECTICUT 12 p.m. (ABC) Sept. 24 MARYLAND 12 p.m. (FOX/FS1) Oct. 1 at Iowa TBA Oct. 8 at Indiana 12 p.m. (TBA) Oct. 15 PENN STATE TBA Oct. 22 BYE — Oct. 29 MICHIGAN STATE TBA Nov. 5 at Rutgers TBA Nov. 12 NEBRASKA TBA Nov. 19 ILLINOIS TBA Nov. 26 at Ohio State 12 p.m. (FOX)