The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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(One player who left the team named John Prusiecki added, jokingly, "Those who leave will be captains of industry, lawyers, and doctors.") Roughly 75 to 80 players stayed with the team. They may have com- plained about some of the tactics em- ployed by Bo, but they stayed. Along the way, one or two of them would be talked out of quitting the team — Reg- gie McKenzie, for one. McKenzie went through a spell thinking that Bo was unfairly on his back. He was reminded by his family, "McKenzie men do not quit." And from that point on, Reggie showed Bo his character. He told him- self, "I'm not going to let Bo beat me." These young men became strongly motivated to contribute to the team's welfare and advance its objectives in- stead of their own individual achieve- ments. They bonded on the field and off. They roomed together, took the same classes, socialized, partied, got fixed up on dates by teammates, worked at the same places in the off- season, pledged the same fraternities, boycotted the same classes, and collec- tively they became inspired together. They were a part of something much larger than themselves (for one thing, University of Michigan's gridiron his- tory). And with a campus undergo- ing serious racial unrest in the 1960s, their coach, according to Jim Brand- statter, told them, "we are one race — Michigan football. You guys are not about race. No one from the out- side is going to get between us. Race is not an issue." Mike Keller remem- bered the coach putting it in more col- orful terms: "Son of a bitch, you're not red, you're not white, you're not blue. You're Michigan." Bo also sup- ported the Mellow Men's (comprised of seven African-American football players) stand on boycotting the eco- nomics building during a campus demonstration. The team's common needs for achievement, affiliation, competitive- ness, recognition, and security were all being realized through team member- ship. Certainly, having the Ohio State game date written in red letters on the blackboard represented a clear group goal. No one had to verbalize the im- portance of that Buckeyes game; it was simply understood. Bo also understood that his team needed to jell to win. He had learned from the best, coaches like Hayes himself. Bo also surrounded himself with smart football minds and valued his assistants' input. Serving in the U.S. military no doubt contributed to his understanding of the dynamics of groups, too. Indeed, many people compare the game of football to being in a foxhole with a buddy. Woody was a great field general and understood historical battles, and he taught his protégé Bo well. Schembechler also understood psy- chology. He realized that external and situational factors play a part in group dynamics. He knew about focusing. He knew about expectations, about reward and reinforcement. He also was cognizant of the fact that rein- forcement (feedback) didn't always have to be positive. He was smart enough to realize that negative or criti- cal feedback also influences behavior. He could recognize who could take it and who couldn't. Some, like Brand-