The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/432566
"I know the way he operates. He's going to reach out to people who have connections to the program, and at the same time he'll be able to do the analysis and analytics to find the right guy. It's important to have people who are passionate about the job, but who are also great X-and-O guys. That's who the ideal candidate is going to be." It won't be a one-man decision, but for now, it should be a one-man list. Harbaugh went 29-6 in three years at the University of San Diego, 11-1 in each of his last two seasons. He took Stanford from the Pac-12 dregs and made the Cardinal a champion in year four, finishing 12-1. And he has led the 49ers to three straight NFC title games and a Super Bowl. Many coaches have a competitive fire, but Harbaugh's hatred to lose sets him apart. He'd immediately become the most hated coach in the Big Ten, and it's about time the Wolverines had someone like that on the sidelines — a coach who will stare down Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer (and yes, MSU's Mark Dantonio) as though he were trying to harm his family. Neither Rodriguez nor Hoke brought that quality to the position. "I've known Mark a long time, my brother and Mark knew each other probably before Mark and I knew each other," Hoke once said of Danto- nio. "I think he's done a great job. "We're both comfortable in our skin and how we run our programs." Dantonio, hater of all things Michi- gan, once told a well-wishing U-M usher to "get the hell out of here" when the employee welcomed him to Ann Arbor following the coach's heart attack, but by year four he had nothing but nice things to say about Hoke. Beating him three times in four years had plenty to do with that, and had he gotten the better of him a few more times, he might have included him on his Christmas card list. "This is such an important hire," Coin said. "This is about more than the next three or four years. He'll have to bring back the traditional, competi- tive nature. "When we played, teams used to come in and when they were watch- ing us warm up, their eyes would get as big as saucers." There are other guys who could lead a return to prominence. Heck, Bo Schembechler was U-M's fourth choice in 1969. Harbaugh, though, is the perfect guy at the perfect time. The late Herb Brooks provided one of the ultimate speeches in modern sports history before his USA Olympic ice hockey team faced the Soviets in 1980 when he said, "This is your time. Their time is done.'" Harbaugh would have a similar message in regard to the Buckeyes, the next step to Hoke's, "This is Mich- igan, for God's sake." Hackett needs to do what's neces- sary to make it happen. ❑ Chris Balas has been with The Wolverine since 1997, working part time for five years before joining the staff full time in 2002. Contact him at cbalas@thewolverine.com and follow him on Twitter at Balas_Wolverine.