Michigan Football Preview 2018

2018 Michigan Football Preview

The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports

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26 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2018 FOOTBALL PREVIEW your buddy, because he was going to ask you to do a lot of things you maybe didn't think you could do." Barry Pierson, a senior cornerback and punt returner for the '69 squad, represented the veterans who faced a clear choice regarding the new boss. Fall in line, lead and believe, or leave. Pierson knew exactly where he stood. "He called us all in, one at a time, and he would talk to us to try to get a feel for us," Pierson explained. "He says to me, 'You don't like to go to school.' I said, 'I don't mind going to school. But I want to play football. When I play foot- ball, then I'll go to school.' "He kind of liked that, actually. "He was a tough son of a gun, but my coaches in high school were just like him. It didn't bother me a bit. It was hard work, and some guys would talk about it. I didn't think too much of it, personally." Hanlon assured that Michigan's staff — which also included Dick Hunter, Louie Lee, Frank Maloney, George Mans, Gary Moeller, Larry Smith, Chuck Stobart and Jim Young — wasn't going to alter its style upon entering the Big Ten, and what broadcasting icon Keith Jackson later dubbed "The Big House." No, they were who they were, and the Wol- verines were about to find out. Strategically, and with regard to handling young men, noth- ing changed. "We thought we were doing it the right way when we were coaching at Miami," Hanlon confirmed. "But when you talk about how we're going to approach the Michigan tradi- tion and try to match what they've had here in the past, Bo was very, very adamant about that." What they'd had in the past involved Field- ing H. Yost going undefeated through his first 56 games in Ann Arbor and reeling off four national championships; Harry Kipke guiding a pair of national championship squads and mentoring a future President of the United States in Gerald Ford; Fritz Crisler winning Big Ten championships and a national title in 1947; and Bennie Oosterbaan earning a national championship a year later. Elliott, a gentleman's gentleman by all ac- counts, guided Michigan to the 1964 Big Ten title and Rose Bowl championship. The Wol- verines fell short of the conference crown in his other nine years at the helm, although a strong '68 squad went 8-2 and finished sec- ond, behind the seemingly invincible Buck- eyes. Michigan football wasn't any day spa under Elliott, Dierdorf insisted. "It's not like we were all just hanging out over at the Michigan Golf Course, deciding whether we were going to play 18 or 36," Di- erdorf said. "We worked our tails off." But for Pierson and many Wolverines, the change proved palpable. "It was like night and day," said Pierson. "No question about it. Bump was a really good guy. He had some good coaches. But it was a little easier. With Bo, it was grinding it out." Slap And Stomp Winter conditioning in 1969 weeded out all those who didn't want to compete fiercely, relentlessly, through physical and mental challenges. The new boss felt his inner fires stoked, and proved an oncoming train for any- one who didn't hop on board early. Elliott tended to coach his coaches and al- low them to do a lot of the hands-on work with his players. Michigan's new bosses certainly dove immediately into player-crafting mode, but the head coach wasn't at all removed. "This guy was a little different," Brandstat- ter said of Schembechler. "He was hands on, get his hands dirty, get right in the middle of it. We were going to be the best-conditioned team he'd ever had. That winter conditioning in January-February of '69 was daunting." Brandstatter, to this day, has the "Slap and Stomp" drill burned into his memory. Michi- gan's staff wanted players with quick feet and hands capable of manipulating opposing players. The Boys of '69 were given unique means to that end. "You'd get on a wrestling pad and be in a wrestling stance with another guy," Brand- statter recalled. "You'd try to use your feet to stomp on his feet, and you'd use your hands to try to keep his hands off of you. "That created some tension between the two players. It was about making quicker feet and hands. It was a very physical drill, and there were some guys who were serious about it. "We were football players. We were aggres- sive, competitive. Slap and Stomp stands out." Dierdorf didn't miss the opportunity when alerted to his broadcast partner's winter condi- tioning recollection. Fifty years later, he threw in another jab. "I didn't mind all that stuff. Brandstatter remembers all that stuff because he had feet made of cement," Dierdorf quipped. "Drills like that were probably very challenging for Brandstatter." Dierdorf, though, was challenged by an- other aspect of Schembechler's training. "Bo liked distance running, and we'd have Offensive lineman Dan Dierdorf (No. 72) was one of five from the 1969 team eventually elected to the College Football Hall of Fame — Schembechler, tight end Jim Mandich, defensive back Tom Curtis and fellow lineman Reggie McKenzie were the others — and one of 13 who went on to play professional football. PHOTO COURTESY BENTLEY HISTORICAL LIBRARY "He was hands on, get his hands dirty, get right in the middle of it. We were going to be the best-conditioned team he'd ever had. That winter conditioning in January-February of '69 was daunting." ALL-BIG TEN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN JIM BRANDSTATTER ON SCHEMBECHLER

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