The Wolverine

December 2014

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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cially those of a team that is falling short of expectations — like the consumers of $10 pizzas. Hungry cheese lovers look for the best deal, and they might be swayed to your offering by a $2 discount or a new crust stuffed with bacon or marshmal- low. But college football fans, many of whom are born into their fandom — or paid dearly for it through tuition — operate differently. Brandon reportedly responded to emails from angry fans by suggesting they find another school for which to root, one of many indicators that he didn't get college football. He failed to understand that rooting for Michigan and not Ohio State is not the same as choosing Domino's over Pizza Hut … "Michigan is too proud of an athletic program to wallow long. Football can re- claim its place in the upper echelon of college sports quickly with the correct hire. Schlissel seems to understand what is required. If any [AD] candidate suggests free bread sticks with the purchase of a football ticket, chances are the interview will be over." Bob Wojnowski, The Detroit News: "Dave Brandon was equally adept at raising dollars and raising ire, and that's a balance sheet that doesn't work. Ultimately, he couldn't provide what Michigan desperately needs, and this time, had better find. "Michigan needs a new athletic director, but more than that, it needs an unquestioned leader. The program needs someone who inspires something — passion, cohesion, even fear. That's not the role or the realm of president Mark Schlissel, who handled himself well Friday but made it clear he doesn't pretend to know athletics. "Brandon's resignation, forced by fan and student discontent, was only the first step. Interim Jim Hackett will help find the new AD, and that's the second step. But the only step that will unite Michigan's huge and disgruntled fan base is restoring order in football, and it will take a strong, fiercely competitive leader to do it. "Someone like Jim Harbaugh. He's the one his alma mater craves, and now that Brandon is gone, the possibility rises from unlikely to, well, possible." Pat Caputo, The Oakland Press: "Brandon was out of touch, at first merely annoy- ing, and then flat out angering the students and the older 'Blues,' and everybody in between. "His big mistake, though, was hiring the wrong football coach. Brady Hoke's promising start in 2011 was a mirage. It's incredible just how bad Michigan football is, and how good Michigan State football has become, a combination which put the situation way over the top in Ann Arbor. If Michigan had a good football team, none of Brandon's other issues would have been so exposed nor his job remotely in jeopardy. "The subsequent plunge has put Michigan at rock bottom, and it isn't so much what has been done as how to rectify the situation." BRANDON

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