
Bo Schembechler
Bo Schembechler coached Michigan for 21 seasons, won or shared 13 Big Ten titles, and went 5–4–1 against his old boss Woody Hayes in the Ten-Year War.
Bo Schembechler went 234–65–8 as a head coach, 1963–1989, at Miami (OH) and Michigan. Share
- Record
- 234–65–8 career
- Seasons
- 27
- Schools
- 2
- Final AP top 10
- 16 seasons
- Hall of Fame
- 1993 inducted
- Best season
- 1985 10–1–1, No. 2
Season by season
| Season | School | Record | Conference finish | Bowl | AP final | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1963 | Miami (OH) | 5–3–2 | 2nd | |||
| 1964 | Miami (OH) | 6–3–1 | T–2nd | |||
| 1965 | Miami (OH) | 7–3 | T–1st | |||
| 1966 | Miami (OH) | 9–1 | T–1st | |||
| 1967 | Miami (OH) | 6–4 | T–3rd | |||
| 1968 | Miami (OH) | 7–3 | 2nd | |||
| 1969 | Michigan | 8–3 | T–1st | Rose Bowl L | 9 | |
| 1970 | Michigan | 9–1 | 2nd | 9 | ||
| 1971 | Michigan | 11–1 | 1st | Rose Bowl L | 6 | |
| 1972 | Michigan | 10–1 | T–1st | 6 | ||
| 1973 | Michigan | 10–0–1 | T–1st | 6 | ||
| 1974 | Michigan | 10–1 | T–1st | 3 | ||
| 1975 | Michigan | 8–2–2 | 2nd | Orange Bowl L | 8 | |
| 1976 | Michigan | 10–2 | T–1st | Rose Bowl L | 3 | |
| 1977 | Michigan | 10–2 | T–1st | Rose Bowl L | 9 | |
| 1978 | Michigan | 10–2 | T–1st | Rose Bowl L | 5 | |
| 1979 | Michigan | 8–4 | 3rd | Gator Bowl L | 18 | |
| 1980 | Michigan | 10–2 | 1st | Rose Bowl W | 4 | |
| 1981 | Michigan | 9–3 | T–3rd | Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl W | 12 | |
| 1982 | Michigan | 8–4 | 1st | Rose Bowl L | 15 | |
| 1983 | Michigan | 9–3 | 2nd | Sugar Bowl L | 8 | |
| 1984 | Michigan | 6–6 | T–6th | Holiday Bowl L | ||
| 1985 | Michigan | 10–1–1 | 2nd | Fiesta Bowl W | 2 | |
| 1986 | Michigan | 11–2 | T–1st | Rose Bowl L | 8 | |
| 1987 | Michigan | 8–4 | 4th | Hall of Fame Bowl W | 19 | |
| 1988 | Michigan | 9–2–1 | 1st | Rose Bowl W | 4 | |
| 1989 | Michigan | 10–2 | 1st | Rose Bowl L | 7 |
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Dave BrownConsensus All‑American, 1973 and 1974
Paul SeymourConsensus All‑American, 1972
Dave GallagherConsensus All‑American, 1973
Mike TaylorConsensus All‑American, 1971
Garland RiversConsensus All‑American, 1986
Reggie McKenzieConsensus All‑American, 1971
Randy LoganConsensus All‑American, 1972
Jim MandichConsensus All‑American, 1969
Tripp WelborneConsensus All‑American, 1989
Tom CurtisConsensus All‑American, 1969
Brad CochranConsensus All‑American, 1985
Bob BabichNo. 18 pick, 1969
15 more
Jumbo Elliott (Consensus All‑American, 1987); Ron Simpkins (Consensus All‑American, 1979); Kurt Becker (Consensus All‑American, 1981); Ed Muransky (Consensus All‑American, 1981); Mark Messner (Consensus All‑American, 1988); Mike Hammerstein (Consensus All‑American, 1985); John Vitale (Consensus All‑American, 1988); Curtis Greer (No. 6 pick, 1980); Mel Owens (No. 9 pick, 1981); Thom Darden (No. 18 pick, 1972); John Anderson (No. 26 pick, 1978); Butch Woolfolk (No. 18 pick, 1982); Mike Kenn (No. 13 pick, 1978); Kevin Brooks (No. 17 pick, 1985); Jon Giesler (No. 24 pick, 1979).
18 of the 33 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick, the best of each school he coached among them. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 74 | 37–36–1 | 51% |
| Against top-10 teams | 39 | 16–22–1 | 42% |
| Against rivals | 120 | 91–27–2 | 77% |
| Conference games | 206 | 170–32–4 | 83% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 17 | 5–12 | 29% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 100 | 48–44–8 | 52% |
| At home | 156 | 130–23–3 | 84% |
| On the road | 134 | 99–30–5 | 76% |
| At neutral sites | 17 | 5–12 | 29% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 266 | 216–44–6 | 82% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 41 | 18–21–2 | 46% |
His own 307 games on file, 1963–1989, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woody Hayes 1969–1978 | 5–4–1 | Ohio State | 10 | |
| Frank Lauterbur 1963–1973 | 8–1 | Toledo, Iowa | 9 | |
| Hayden Fry 1981–1989 | 5–3–1 | Iowa | 9 | |
| Earle Bruce 1979–1987 | 4–5 | Ohio State | 9 | |
| Lee Corso 1973–1982 | 8–0 | Indiana | 8 | |
| Dave McClain 1978–1985 | 7–1 | Wisconsin | 8 | |
| Mike White 1980–1987 | 6–1–1 | Illinois | 8 | |
| Alex Agase 1964–1976 | 6–1 | Northwestern, Purdue | 7 | |
| Cal Stoll 1972–1978 | 6–1 | Minnesota | 7 | |
| Bill Mallory 1974–1989 | 6–1 | Colorado, Indiana | 7 |
Bo Schembechler’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesotaseries | 21 | 19–2 |
| Illinoisseries | 21 | 19–1–1 |
| Michigan Stateseries | 21 | 17–4 |
| Ohio Stateseries | 21 | 11–9–1 |
| Purdueseries | 20 | 16–4 |
| Wisconsinseries | 19 | 18–1 |
| Indianaseries | 18 | 17–1 |
| Iowaseries | 17 | 13–3–1 |
National coaching awards
The awards- 1977 Michigan: Bobby Dodd Award
- 1969 Michigan: Eddie Robinson and Walter Camp Coach
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Ohio State | Graduate assistant | |
| 1954 | Presbyterian | Assistant coach | |
| 1955 | Bowling Green | Freshman coach | |
| 1956–57 | Northwestern | Assistant coach | |
| 1958–62 | Ohio State | Assistant coach | |
| 1963–68 | Miami (OH) | Head coach | |
| 1969–89 | Michigan | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Woody HayesOhio State
- Bill CrutchfieldPresbyterian
- Doyt PerryBowling Green
- Ara ParseghianNorthwestern
Assistants who became head coaches
- Dave McClainBall State, Wisconsin
- Dick TomeyHawai’i, Arizona, San José State
- Jim YoungArizona, Purdue, Army
- Jerry WampflerColorado State
- John MackovicWake Forest, Illinois, Texas, Arizona, Kansas City Chiefs
- Paul SchudelBall State, Central Connecticut
- Chuck StobartToledo, Utah, Memphis
- Gary MoellerIllinois, Michigan, Detroit Lions
- Larry SmithTulane, Arizona, USC, Missouri
- Frank MaloneySyracuse
- George MansEastern Michigan
- Mike HankwitzArizona, Colorado
- and 11 more
Worked under (4)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woody Hayes | Ohio State | 1951–62 | 1951: graduate assistant; 1958–62: assistant coach | |
| Bill Crutchfield | Presbyterian | 1954 | Assistant coach | |
| Doyt Perry | Bowling Green | 1955 | Freshman coach | |
| Ara Parseghian | Northwestern | 1956–57 | Assistant coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (23)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dave McClain | Miami (OH), 1963–66: assistant coach | Ball State, Wisconsin | |
| Dick Tomey | Miami (OH), 1963: graduate assistant and freshman coach | Hawai’i, Arizona, San José State | |
| Jim Young | Miami (OH), 1964–68: assistant coach; Michigan, 1969–72: defensive coordinator | Arizona, Purdue, Army | |
| Jerry Wampfler | Miami (OH), 1965: line coach | Colorado State | |
| John Mackovic | Miami (OH), 1965: graduate assistant | Wake Forest, Illinois, Texas, Arizona, Kansas City Chiefs | |
| Paul Schudel | Miami (OH), 1966–67: graduate assistant; Michigan, 1975–84: assistant coach | Ball State, Central Connecticut | |
| Chuck Stobart | Miami (OH), 1967–68: assistant coach; Michigan, 1969–76: backfield coach | Toledo, Utah, Memphis | |
| Gary Moeller | Miami (OH), 1967–68: assistant coach; Michigan, 1969–72: defensive ends coach; 1973–76, 1982–86: defensive coordinator; 1980–81: quarterbacks coach; 1987–89: offensive coordinator | Illinois, Michigan, Detroit Lions | |
| Larry Smith | Miami (OH), 1967–68: defensive ends coach; Michigan, 1969–72: offensive line coach | Tulane, Arizona, USC, Missouri | |
| Frank Maloney | Michigan, 1969–73: assistant coach | Syracuse | |
| George Mans | Michigan, 1969–73: assistant coach | Eastern Michigan | |
| Mike Hankwitz | Michigan, 1970: junior varsity coach; 1971–72: graduate assistant | Arizona, Colorado | |
| Bob Sutton | Michigan, 1972–73: graduate assistant | Army | |
| Elliot Uzelac | Michigan, 1973–74, 1982–86: offensive line coach | Western Michigan, Navy | |
| Jack Harbaugh | Michigan, 1973–79: defensive backs coach | Western Michigan, Western Kentucky | |
| Bill McCartney | Michigan, 1974–76: defensive ends coach; 1977–81: defensive coordinator | Colorado | |
| Don Nehlen | Michigan, 1977–79: quarterbacks coach | Bowling Green, West Virginia | |
| Ron Vanderlinden | Michigan, 1979–80: graduate assistant | Maryland | |
| Les Miles | Michigan, 1980–81: graduate assistant; 1987–89: offensive line coach | Oklahoma State, LSU, Kansas | |
| Lloyd Carr | Michigan, 1980–86: defensive backs coach; 1987–89: defensive coordinator | Michigan | |
| Alex Agase | Michigan, 1982–87: assistant coach | Northwestern, Purdue | |
| Cam Cameron | Michigan, 1984–85: graduate assistant; 1986–89: wide receivers coach | Indiana, Miami Dolphins | |
| Jon Heacock | Michigan, 1988–89: graduate assistant | Youngstown State |
Other assistants under him (6)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Bockrath | Miami (OH), 1965: graduate assistant | |
| Dennis Brown | Michigan, 1972, 1979: assistant coach | |
| Jed Hughes | Michigan, 1974–75: linebackers coach | |
| Bill Sheridan | Michigan, 1985–86: graduate assistant | |
| Jim Herrmann | Michigan, 1985–89: assistant coach | |
| Randy Fichtner | Michigan, 1986–87: graduate assistant |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Books
Books: Open Library (CC0); most-reissued first, each linked to its page there.





