Kornacki: Harbaugh's Hiring Generates Buzz, Special Moments
12/31/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
From left: Lloyd Carr, Jim Hackett, Jim Harbaugh, Gary Moeller
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The buzz before, during and after the Tuesday (Dec. 30) press conference announcing Jim Harbaugh as the football coach at Michigan brought about a string of special moments.
There were former Michigan head coaches Lloyd Carr and Gary Moeller talking in private with Harbaugh and his father, Jack, who coached with them on Bo Schembechler's staff.
There was Bob Thornbladh, who played fullback and coached for Schembechler, making a key observation for returning Wolverines quarterback Shane Morris.
There were Glenn Edward "Shemy" Schembechler III with his wife, Megan, and young son, Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler IV, 5, beaming about his father's All-America quarterback returning to lead Michigan.
And there was a ring of former players such as Jamie Morris, John Kolesar and John Wangler talking about what their former teammate and fellow quarterback was going to do in 2015 and beyond.
The theme for the celebration of the beginning of the Harbaugh Era at Michigan could very well have been the mantra Jack Harbaugh impressed on his family: "Who's got it better than us? Nobody."
The early-morning sun was illuminating the seats of Michigan Stadium when Carr, Moeller and others such as long-time Wolverines assistant coach Jerry Hanlon, veteran announcer Jim Brandstatter and retired equipment manager Jon Falk gathered with their wives and the Harbaugh family at the Jack Roth Stadium Club.
They often looked out the windows from the east side of stadium in the hours before the press conference, taking in the beauty of the site and recalling all the great moments they'd shared there. The Michigan families chatted with the Harbaughs, reminisced, enjoyed breakfast and agreed on the significance of the day.
They'd shared meals together from the beginning. Carr, who replaced Jack Harbaugh as the defensive backs coach in 1980, when Jim's father became Stanford's defensive coordinator, said one of the first meals he had after arriving in town was with the Harbaugh family.
"It was obvious during that meal that this was a family that was close-knit," said Carr. "And that house was full of energy, I'll promise you that."
Carr didn't become well-acquainted with Jim until two years later, when he came to Michigan as a freshman quarterback from Palo Alto (Calif.) High. "I got to watch him compete every day in practice and that was fun," said Carr. "Winning at everything was so important to him, whether it was a drill or a game. He had such passion for competition.
"And if there's one play that stands out in my mind, it's the play down there in the stadium in '85 against Ohio State. We were going north and it was a close, hard-fought game. They brought a blitz and Jim hit Kolesar for a 77-yard touchdown. It was just a perfect throw, and we went on to win that game."
Buckeyes safety Sonny Gordon crushed Harbaugh the instant he released the spiral. Kolesar got a step on cornerback William White and caught it in stride for the score that made it a 10-point margin in the fourth quarter and sealed the outcome. Michigan Stadium rocked for joy on that afternoon 29 years ago.
"The enthusiasm that his return has engendered and the enthusiasm that it will bring is great," Carr said. "You know, sometimes these things don't come together. And I'm really happy that Jim has decided to come back, and (interim athletic director) Jim Hackett did an incredible job with that."
Carr's predecessor as Michigan's coach concurred.
"Obviously, it's an exciting day for Michigan," said Moeller. "The thing I remember about him is he was able to take charge. And Bo would get the points across to him that he wanted to, and he would live up to that. Bo spent a lot of time with him, and he was intelligent, too.
"The thing I think about today is that I am reminded of the tradition, and that's what we need to get back to. The one thing we need to get back to is the Michigan tradition. And we need to speak it loud and clear, and you know that's what our fans want. And I think he can get that done because the kids are going to like him because he has enthusiasm and all that experience.
"We know about what he's done at Stanford and San Francisco, and that's very impressive. He went out there and played against some big hitters, and that helped him. He has that mindset on what he sees football to be, and you can just see that. This is pretty special and kind of neat."
Moeller's son, Andy, now the Cleveland Browns' offensive line coach, played at both Ann Arbor Pioneer High and Michigan with Harbaugh. They were the co-captains of the 1986 Big Ten championship team.
"I think back to all of the kids in both families, and Andy and Jim," said Moeller. "They would run around together through the (Pasadena) Huntington Sheraton on Rose Bowl trips and were kids having fun."
Relationships that go back over 40 years have been rekindled.
"I look back to 1973 and the first time we came to Ann Arbor from Iowa," said Jack. "We won five Big Ten championships and went to three Rose Bowls and an Orange Bowl in our seven years here. That was a signature time for us. And now to be back, I look around and think, 'Is this really happening?' How blessed could we be to be back and be a part of the University of Michigan again.
"And now for Jim, with his young family, they will walk in the same places our kids did. He's 51 years old, and he has such good memories of Ann Arbor and our house on Anderson Avenue. Those are great memories -- they put smiles on your face. And now he sees that his kids will have those same experiences."
There is a "Back to the Future" quality in Harbaugh's youngest son returning to coach the Wolverines.
John Wangler, Michigan's quarterback in 1979 and 1980, now has sons, linebacker Jared and wide receiver Jack, playing for Harbaugh.
"I just feel so blessed to have my sons playing for Jim," said Wangler. "He's everything Michigan is about and is going to be so great for the team."
He laughed while recalling Harbaugh both idolizing and mimicking Rick Leach, the All-America quarterback Wangler succeeded.
"Jim had Rick Leach down," said Wangler. "Both in impersonating his voice calling signals and his carrying out plays and throwing like Rick, he was something else."
Jamie Morris lined up behind Harbaugh at tailback for three seasons and finished as Michigan's career rushing leader with 4,393 yards.
"I'm ecstatic and happy for Jim and Michigan to bring back one of ours," said Morris. "He's experienced Michigan football from ball boy to head coach. Who knew! I have a heavy heart because I love that he's going to be here and we played together.
"Everybody is talking about pressure. But he has such high expectations that there will be no pressure on him. And you watch -- he's going to surprise some people this year."
Kolesar drove with his wife, Tara, from his home in Westlake, Ohio, outside of Cleveland, to be on hand at Junge Center to support the quarterback he clicked with so well at Michigan during the announcement press conference.
"The play I remember most came in the game at Notre Dame in 1986 (a 24-23 win)," said Kolesar, whose 23.4 yards per catch remains the school record. "It was third-and-six deep in our own territory, at the 24-yard line. There was about two minutes left and the composure Jim had the huddle was something. It was a pass play and he had to audible, and I had to change the route, and he threw a perfect pass to me on the sideline for about 40 yards.
"It was that composure in the huddle that instilled composure and confidence in us, and that's the thing these players are going to learn from Jim Harbaugh."
Center Jack Miller and tailback Drake Johnson, who is recovering from a second ACL surgery after getting injured in the final game with Ohio State, can't wait to play for Harbaugh.
"The guys are excited and motivated to make this work with him," said Miller, who will be the senior anchor of the offensive line next season. "It's going to be a great relationship that we will build on. But there is so much respect for Coach Harbaugh coming in. I'm excited and happy. This was the guy on our radar, that if this happened, it would be pretty awesome. I'm looking forward to working with him."
Johnson, leaning forward on crutches, said, "I'm ecstatic; I'm incredibly excited about this. Now that it's a done deal, it's amazing."
Thornbladh, who has stayed close to the program since leaving to enter private business, stopped sophomore quarterback Morris as he walked toward the Junge Center exit.
"Shane," said Thornbladh, "what happened today is the best thing that ever happened to you."
Morris smiled widely and said, "I know."
In a corner standing behind Thornbladh and Morris, Shemy Schembechler beamed with pride about the quarterback whom his father envisioned someday becoming Michigan's coach finally getting the job.
Harbaugh couldn't put into words what Bo would've told him, and so I asked the coach's son, a long-time scout for several NFL teams, for his thoughts on that message.
Shemy said, "He would've been sarcastic and said, 'It's about frickin' time!' Then he would've said something like, 'Hey, do you have a fullback?'"
He couldn't stop smiling. There's a lot of that going on around Ann Arbor.
