This week step back to 1977 on this day 45 years ago, as Bo Schembechler’s third-ranked Wolverines were set for an epic clash in Ann Arbor against fifth-ranked Texas A&M. The battle of top 5 teams was supposed to be one of the most dramatic match-ups of the entire college football season but Michigan did NOT cooperate. U-M crushed the Aggies, but the story didn’t end there. Four years later Bo received a Texas-sized offer to leave Ann Arbor. Here’s how it played out:
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Go Blue! Beat the Hawks! You’ll hear this live on the WTKA 1050AM KeyBank Countdown to Kickoff Saturday morning!
Here’s the full script:
This week step back to 1977 on this day 45 years ago, as Bo Schembechler’s third-ranked Wolverines were set for an epic clash in Ann Arbor against fifth-ranked Texas A&M. The battle of top 5 teams was supposed to be one of the most dramatic match-ups of the entire college football season but Michigan did NOT cooperate.
The Maize and Blue hammered the Aggies 41-3 in front of a sell-out crowd. Russell Davis paced the offense with a 110-yard, 2 touchdown performance. On the other side of the pigskin, the defense yielded 5 turnovers anchored by Ron Simpkins and his 14 tackles.
The dominant Michigan performance certainly caught the eye of the Texas A&M faithful, who, just four years later, tried to lure Bo to College Station.
Immediately following Michigan’s victory in Houston in the 1981 Bluebonnet Bowl – Bo and his wife Millie hopped a flight to Dallas to talk about the job. They were met by the wide smile of oil baron Bum Bright, who tried the close the deal on the spot. He presented a multi-million dollar offer loaded with fringe benefits – the kind of generational wealth that was impossible to ignore.
Many don’t realize how close Schembechler was to accepting the huge offer – which was four times what he was making in Ann Arbor. He actually visited College Station again to get a feel for the town.
Once word leaked of the Texas A&M courtship, reporters flocked to Schemechler’s home to get the scoop. In the end, Bo’s decision hinged on loyalty—the loyalty to his players, the recruits, his staff and the promises he made to all of them. Once he made up his mind he pulled Millie aside and told her, “I just can’t leave Michigan.”
So he STAYED, and as Bo himself prophesized, brought four more championships to Ann Arbor.
Go Blue! Wave at the kids but Beat the Hawks! For more, check out WTKA.com and MVictors.com. For the Key Bank Countdown to Kick-off, this is Professor Greg Dooley.
