The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/402034
FROM OUR READERS of quality when a successful coach left a program — Alabama, Okla- homa, Texas, Notre Dame and even Michigan State to name those that come to mind quickly. Michigan was an outlier in this regard with Gary Moeller and Lloyd Carr following Schembechler as head coach. They carried the mantle of the program established by Schembechler. They were not Schembechler. But those that stayed were champions. Times change. The failure of suc- cess at Michigan finally followed other great programs when Rich Rodriguez became the head coach. I do not solely blame Rodriguez. One does not need an iteration of the specifics of that statement as it applies to football. There was hope that the program was turned around when Brady Hoke started his tenure with the winning season, including a win in the Sugar Bowl over Virginia Tech. The transition to excellence was not sustained over the next two seasons as the teams posted 8-5 and 7-6 records. Who you beat and how you beat them counts. It is a truism that we are experiencing in the 2014 season, except that we have added the caveat of how you lose. Previous performance is not a guarantee of future results applies not just to financial investments. In football, in all sports, and in life for that matter, results are earned through talent, commitment, op- portunity and guidance. The guid- ance portion of successful results in football is coaching. The coach needs to be given time to develop his pro- gram, if the evidence shows forward progress. The jury is out on Brady Hoke as the evidence accumulates. We are proud of the past success of the program. The steady diet of past success reminders only whets the appetite for better immediate suc- cess. It does not produce victories. Times change. A Big Ten title is no longer shared. "Those who stay will be champions" — if they win the championship game. That Big Ten championship game has raised the bar. Past performance does not guar- antee future results. Fans of success- ful programs are impatient when results falter. Patience is a worthy virtue, but I am tempted to say, not at Michigan. Go Blue! Now! J. Richard Jaconette, M.D. Battle Creek, Mich. Dr. J., Bo's players will tell you he was talking about far more than football when he issued the famous "champions" statement. But point taken, regarding the need to succeed. Everyone knows where the bar has been set. Be Heard! Send your letters to: Wolverine Letters • P.O. Box 1304 • Ann Arbor, MI 48106 Or e-mail: jborton@thewolverine.com Letters may be edited for clarity or length.