The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1536962
24 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2025 FOOTBALL PREVIEW BY JOHN BORTON A sk any hardcore Michigan football fan if a season can be special with- out even a Big Ten championship, and you might draw some skep- tical glances. Ask anyone veteran enough to reach back 40 years to the 1985 Wolverines, and they'll assure you — oh, yes, it can. When the smoke cleared from a Fiesta Bowl showdown with then-formidable Nebraska, Bo Schembechler's crew stood tall as the No. 2 team in the country. They led the nation in scoring defense, allow- ing a mere 6.8 points per game in the reg- ular season. They outscored a dozen foes by a combined 342-98. At 10-1-1, they clawed within two plays of an undefeated national championship. They wiped away the bitter taste of a .500 season the year before, shutting up those who'd giddily predicted a down- ward slide for Michigan and Schem- bechler. The Wolverines of 1985 certainly felt the stab of almost — ask any of them, to this day. But most of all, they came away with a pride and togetherness that set the stage for many championships to come, even when their quarterback even- tually became the head coach. Satisfaction TINGED WITH SADNESS Bo Schembechler's 1985 Wolverines Reestablished Michigan's Dominance Head coach Bo Schembechler — pictured here with (left to right) TE Jeffrey Brown (80), DL Mark Messner (60), OL Dave Chester (64), OL John Vitale (67) and WR John Kolesar (40) — and his 1985 squad were nearly perfect. The Wolverines finished No. 2 in the nation, with their only blemishes being a two-point loss and a tie — both on the road. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN