The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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of some who departed or not so qui- etly grumbled under Rodriguez. Skene said: "I remember John Vi- tale, all those years ago, saying, 'Hey, practice is going to be the most dif- ficult thing you're ever going to ex- perience here, because when it's your turn to get out on that field and play on Saturday, we need to know you're not going to melt down.' "When RichRod came in, and the kids were leaving, because they didn't like the way they were being coached, I thought, 'Huh. Les Miles was not exactly easy on me. So if it's not for you, then I guess it is time to go.' "From a former player 's point of view, I didn't appreciate the guys taking public shots at Coach Rodri- guez, issuing press releases to the local media. Of course, that blew up with media outlets everywhere you go. "There have always been many, many guys, throughout the years, that came to Michigan, and it did not work out, and they left. They transferred, they went to a different school, a smaller school. Maybe they stopped playing football altogether. That's been going on for decades." And of course, the departures be- came legend in Schembechler's early days as head coach. "But when RichRod came in, it was some kind of new issue," Skene said. "I thought that was really unfair to Coach Rodriguez and his staff. There were guys that left the program from the five years I was there, for what- ever reason, and there were no press releases. There was no running to the media to say how bad of a coach Les Miles or Jerry Hanlon or Bo Schem- bechler or Gary Moeller was. "That didn't happen. The program wasn't for you. It's not for every- body. Go find somewhere where you do feel comfortable, and that's okay." As the losses mounted, Rodri- guez also got tagged with the non- "Michigan Man" label. Michigan fans have debated the definition for years, and it raged not only in the talk surrounding Rodriguez but also even now with Hoke at the helm. The debate angers Skene. He pointed out that the original intent by Schembechler, when saying "A Michigan Man is going to coach Michigan," had everything to do with the moment, not a hiring tem- plate. Schembechler as athletics direc- tor knew head basketball coach Bill Frieder had accepted a job at Ari- zona prior to the 1989 NCAA Tourna- ment. He didn't let Frieder coach in the tournament. "He wanted a guy who was com- mitted to Michigan, not a guy who had one foot out the door with a basketball program out in Arizona," Skene said. "That was it. Somehow that got twisted into no one can coach here unless you're a Michigan Man. "I don't get that. I don't under- stand that. So RichRod comes in and he's not a, quote, 'Michigan Man,' and guys held that against him. I re- member talking to guys and saying, 'Since when is that a priority or a prerequisite for the job?' It wasn't for anybody else." Ray noted Schembechler wasn't a