• Ron English Interview (audio WTKA 12/23)

    Former Michigan defensive coordinator’s interview this morning on 1050AM WTKA talking about his new job as head coach at Eastern Michigan. Great interview; I hope that he makes football exciting down the road in Ypsilanti. He talks with Sam Webb and Andy Evans about: * Recruiting and the status of his class. * His expectations for defensive coordinator. * About being an African American coach and what the opportunity means. * On the EMU vs. Michigan game in 2009. “There’s nothing like that Big House”, or “the Huge House” as he calls it now. * On his respect for Rod Marinelli. [display_podcast] .

  • Scuttlebutt no more: Shafer departs

    News tonight that Scott Shafer has resigned as defensive coordinator. I’m a little surprised despite the heavy scuttlebutt that was abound in the last few weeks. mgoblog put out a brain dump on potential candidates tonight including Notre Dame’s current defensive coordinator and Michigan man Corwin ‘Cornflakes’ Brown. I just don’t see what Cornflakes has done this season to earn the shot at this gig. My two run-ins with Shafer this season. First, I interviewed him at the Spring Game while covering the event for a local paper. Seemed like a great guy and he was all business. The next was after the Utah game. It wasn’t a run in as much as it was a drive by. I kind of felt bad after posting this as it made some rounds around the blogosphere but oh well. He was hunched over the railing at the bottom of the press box waiting to get down to the field. As I said at the time, it looked like someone shot his dog: That probably wasn’t far off. Check out the quote from Angelique tonight: “Bottom line is, I take full responsibility for the demise of the Michigan program,” Shafer, 41, said by phone Tuesday afternoon. “I accept all the responsibility.” Wow. A little sarcasm on the way out? Not sure but let’s…

  • Coaching Legends in Atlantic City (1957)

    This edition of eBay Watch takes a look at a special pint glass. Like I’ve found with many of these memorabilia auctions the description doesn’t quite make sense and certainly doesn’t do the item justice: Up for bid we are listing 9 vintage football glasses all in mint condition. This one is Herbert ” Fritz ” Crisler from the University of Michigan 1957. The top of the glass reads Atlantic City National Football Clinic. The back lists the Clinic staff members. It measures 5-3/4″ tall. Great piece for the collector. Paypal preferred or money order only. Yes, it’s an old pint glass for a football clinic with famous Michigan coach and athletic director Fritz Crisler on it. That got my attention. But on the back of the glass it lists the rest of the staff for the event and it’s remarkable. Here’s a photo of the piece which recently sold on eBay for $15: Check out some of the legends that attended the conference in the city where the sand turns to gold from March 11-14, 1957: The top of the list of coaches is the great Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant, who at the time was still the head man at Texas A&M. 1957 was his final season for the Aggies as his “momma called” him back to Alabama where he…

  • BCS Prize in Tatters, It’s Been Shattered

    Urban Meyer’s Florida Gators are struggling a bit in 2008. First they suffered the beat down at the hands of your Wolverines in the Capital One Bowl, now this. Turns out there was a little mishap with the Sears Trophy. Yep, their prize for their 2007 BCS Championship win over the Buckeyes has seen better days: From USA Today: It may remain a mystery who actually destroyed the crystal football, which shattered after hitting the ground outside head coach Urban Meyer’s office. Florida has already contacted the company in Kentucky that makes the base of the trophy and imports the crystal from Ireland for a replacement. Florida associate athletic director Chip Howard confirmed the accident. The trophy was sitting on a coffee table outside of Meyer’s office while construction of new coaches’ offices is being completed. “It may remain a mystery”? I’d like to understand a little more behind that line. As if anyone can plop down outside Urban Meyer’s office and kick up their feet on the coffee table? I’m guessing they have a decent idea who broke the trophy. Reaching back on my Clue skills, I’d start with: – Professor Gatorade – In the Coaches’ Lobby – With a Cheerleader.

  • Snake Rod? Don’t think so

    So Purdue Coach Joe Tiller is mad at the new kid on the block. You’ve certainly heard his quote directed toward Rodriguez after losing verbal commit Roy Roundtree: “If we had an early signing date, you wouldn’t have another outfit with a guy in a wizard hat selling snake oil get a guy at the last minute, but that’s what happened,” Tiller said. So many things bug me about this, some already said some not. First off, the suggestion that Coach Rodriguez is selling “snake oil” implies a RR’s master salesman selling a lie. Yes, he’s selling fantasies like Rose Bowls, the Rivalry, the NFL and Heisman trophies. Where does Rodriguez come up with this stuff? Tiller is selling the Old Oaken Bucket, giant percussion instruments and the Motor City Bowl. Second, it sure must have been some charming looking Wizard hat to conjure up that spell he put on the naive recruit. Rodriguez actively recruited for Michigan for THREE WEEKS…must have been some slick moves involved to change the mind of a verbal commit. Perhaps it had something to do with a receiver wanting to play in the Big Ten in a spread offense like Purdue’s, only better? For Tiller to put this on Rodriguez is weak. A charming way to welcome a new colleague in the league. Not…

  • Hoosiers in town

    IU comes to Crisler Tuesday and I’ll be up there. I always like checking out the Hoosiers having spent two years in Bloomington for grad school. To the left is shot of coach Knight I took during the January 12, 1993 game (I yelled “Hey Knight!” but he didn’t react). The one point Indiana win in Ann Arbor was one of the best games I’ve ever witnessed, with Chris Webber getting a shot blocked at the buzzer. Beilein is still looking for his first big win and I’m hoping it’s Tuesday. I’ll try to get a few pics from the game and get them up here. Should be interesting to see how many fans show.

  • Dantonio and Izzo: Beauties

    Put aside all the garbage flying around in the aftermath of the MSU/Michigan game. You’ve got to like a few things coming out of the from the Spartan coaches: First, on Dantanio. Check out this beauty he slipped into his Monday presser. He gives his take on my question of whether real fans sell their tickets to the big games: “It’s inbred in me,” Dantonio said. “It exists in me and everybody who’s a true Spartan, not the ones who give their donor seats to Michigan Wolverines. Next Izzo, who is just about everything you want in a hoops coach. Check out what he did to his players to punish them for the Grand Valley State loss: After the loss, Izzo decided to temporarily kick the players out of their brand-new locker room. Members of the media got to see the Spartans’ new digs after the game and they look better than some NBA locker rooms, complete with comfortable couches, a high-tech television with a video-game system and a kitchen area. “I just look at that as, you earn the right to have something that nice, and we didn’t earn the right,” Izzo said. “I just said that, make sure that everything including the toothbrushes are out of there.” Over the last few days, players have dressed in the weight…

  • Bridge is Still Burned, No Way Harbaugh coaches at Michigan

    I noticed that Jim Harbaugh suddenly got a few votes in a recent poll question on this site concerning the next coach for Michigan. After over 500 votes the clear preference is for Les Miles with Jeff Tedford creeping behind. For anyone who is thinking that Harbaugh might be a candidate– forget it. The bridge is not only burned but it is gone. Beating USC at their place is certainly a special victory but Harbaugh won’t coach in Ann Arbor in a billion million years. There are a few takeaways from the upset of Stanford over USC relevant to Michigan, both good and bad. On the positive side it is clear with every Mets-like collapse, with each Fighting Irish low point and with upsets like this, the Appalachian State debacle seems to be fading from the top of the poop list. Here’s CFN: Move over Appalachian State; Stanford just one upped you. ASU was a two-time defending national champion with a history of winning, and an excellent system in place, when it shocked the world with an upset over Michigan to begin the season. But as improbable as that was, it turns out Michigan just isn’t all that great. Also, if there’s usually going to be a big upset, it’ll come in the season opener when the supposedly superior team doesn’t have time…