Local author, professor and Michigan athletics historian John U. Bacon launched his new radio program this afternoon on WTKA’s ‘Big Show’. As announced a few weeks ago, Bacs will take the Monday 3-6pm slot on the live local program which rotates hosts throughout the week.
He started off with a bang as just a few minutes after taking the air he had Coach Rich Rodriguez on the line. They discussed the rigors of recruiting, how the internet has changed recruiting, on “derecruiting” (getting players adjusted to school and the football program after they’ve been fawned over for years), on the reception he got at Crisler during the Illinois hoops game, on the search for the defensive coordinator (nothing new, although he admitted a factor was the NFL playoffs) and on the defensive scheme he’s looking for, and more. Enjoy:
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A couple notes:
* I got a chuckle when he and Bacon joked about how coaches rave over the food served the families of recruits. Rodriguez said jokingly, “the tea tastes sweeter”, which is a reference to southern-style iced tea, also called sweet tea (prounounced swate tay) due to (duh) it being loaded with sugar. You’d be hard pressed to find a recruit’s moms serving sweet tea anywhere in these parts anytime but especially this time of year. I’m not sure I’d have any idea what he was talking about if I hadn’t lived in Washington, DC and southern Virginia for a stint. It also touches on one of the criticisms of Rich Rodriguez, that he’s abandoned the Michigan base of recruiting. This of course seems silly in the wake of the commitment of #1 recruit in the state, but so it goes.
* Bacon noted he’s going to write a piece that’ll describe the experience of going through an extensive workout S&C coordinator Mike Barwis. Oh, and as Bacon notes, he’ll be the guinea pig for the article, actually going through the paces with Barwis. Rodriguez told him to bring extra Tylenol. Word.
