SALINE, MICHIGAN AUGUST 19, 2006 The Ann Arbor News featured an interesting piece on new Michigan linebacker’s coach Steve Szabo, a college and NFL journeyman who’s in his first season at Michigan. His resume is impressive:
– 3 years playing halfback and defensive back at Navy, played with Roger Staubach.
– He served in Viet Nam after leaving Navy.
– NFL stints with Jacksonville, Buffalo, and for the Patriots, where he got his Super Bowl ring.
– College stops with Iowa, Ohio State, Iowa State, Toledo and Western Michigan.
To me, here’s the most interesting part of the article, where Szabo describes his relationship with Lloyd Carr:
Szabo said his familiarity with Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr drew him to Ann Arbor. As defensive coordinators in the early 1990s, he and Carr would occasionally talk Xs and Os. Earlier, Szabo was an assistant coach at Ohio State when Carr started as an assistant at Michigan in 1980, and the two staffs had a lot of contact with each other.
I understand that there is a coaching fraternity. These guys often hop from team to team (as demonstrated by Szabo), and just like in politics like to keep a friendly relationship with all the players. But swapping Xs and Os, and that they “had a lot of contact” with each other? I wonder if this goes on today, or whether this was just part of the Bo and Woody legacy.
