The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/641955
Wrestling head coach Joe McFarland concurred, opining that Manuel will do a good job across the board on behalf of Michigan's varsity squads. " H e's g o i n g t o b e we l l rounded," McFarland said. "He's going to make sure all of our sports programs here have what they need. I couldn't be more excited about him com- ing in as our next athletic di- rector." Knowing Manuel from years before gives McFarland an added level of comfort, he ac- knowledged. "I have a relationship with him and a lot of respect for him," the coach noted. "He's done a great job with where he's been, but I'm really excited to see him come home. I know what we're getting. He's a guy who is going to do a tremendous job here. "He's very approachable. I think he's going to bring a lot a good family atmo- sphere to the department. A lot of the coaches feel the same way I do, especially the ones who were here when he was here previously." Former Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr underscored the importance of that feeling. "That athletic director wants to be a guy who is doing everything he can to help the coach be successful," Carr said. "He has expectations of the coaches in terms of the rules and the ethics and the things we do there." Manuel and head football coach Jim Harbaugh know each other well. Carr acknowledged their relationship will be important to Michigan athletics, and has to be well maintained. "It's a great thing, and it can be a thing you have to be careful with," Carr said. "Ultimately, in that job, you have to say no to a lot of issues, to a lot of people. That's the price of leadership. "When you say no, sometimes people don't like that. But it's a leadership issue, and Warde has had great experience and role models. He talked about Bo and Jim Harbaugh." In the end, Carr insisted, the athletes, as students, come first. "If all your athletes leave here with a degree, then they've been really success- ful, regardless of how their athletic careers have turned out," he said. — John Borton Manuel and football coach Jim Harbaugh share a bond because they played together at U-M under Bo Schembechler in 1986. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN FOOTBALL