The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/495628
UNIFORMS, JIM HARBAUGH AND MORE Dear The Wolverine: It's spring, and there are football issues to ponder, beginning with the Legends Jerseys pro- gram, which seemed like a good idea at the time. Now, maybe not. Some things should not be messed with, the saying goes. In retrospect, in the case of the Legends Jer- seys, I say let a retired jersey stay retired. An alternative idea of plac- ing the numbers in the stadium has appeal to me. Most agree that the massive renovation of the stadium fits the decorum befitting Michigan Sta- dium. Further changes and additions should be carefully evaluated to maintain that standard. There has been some interest about decals returning to the Michigan hel- met. They were introduced by Bo Schembechler, but I believe discontin- ued by Lloyd Carr. Harbaugh utilized them at Stanford where, coinciden- tally, he had success. It seems obvious to me that there are motivational tools that coaches utilize. In my opinion, if the coach thinks that decals will help, he should be the one to make the final determination on helmet decals. We have had our Schembechler years, our post-Schembechler years that were mostly like our Schem- bechler years, and our un-Schem- bechler-like years. Those of us old enough to remember those earlier years would dearly love a return to something like the Schembechler years or post-Schembechler years' results. At the same time, we all know that college football is a different game with dif- ferent players than in those times. I hasten to point out that the plea- sure of winning is just as sweet. I am in the camp that feels that we could not have chosen a better coach for our football team. However, I under- stand that a complete turnaround is a work in progress as opposed to certainty. I liked it when Jim Harbaugh said at his acceptance press conference, that his personality is the only one he has. We are not getting Bo Schembechler or a clone of Schembechler. There is not one out there. We are getting a coach with a suc- cessful track record with a passion for effort and excellence in performance. Those qualities translate into success in many walks of life. The track record does not guarantee success, but it is the strongest indicator that we have to predict success. Perhaps Rich Rodri- FROM OUR READERS Now that spring practice is complete, the excite- ment will only build for head coach Jim Harbaugh's first fall on the sidelines at Michigan. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN