Reaction to the death of former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler on Friday at the age of 77:
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``He was just fun to be around and you just couldn't help but come away inspired because he just had a great way about him. Somebody said, `How would you describe him?' He was his own man.'' - Former Notre Dame and South Carolina coach Lou Holtz.
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``I really had great admiration for Bo. He was such a straight guy. You always knew where you stood with him. He was direct and honest, a genuine football man. He coached the way you are supposed to play the game, which is hard-nosed.'' - Former Nebraska coach Tom Osborne.
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``The hallmark of any great football program is complete honesty between the coaches and the players. There's got to be a trust between the two. And Bo was always, always honest and so sincere.'' - Former West Virginia coach Don Nehlen, an assistant under Schembechler.
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``We have lost a giant at Michigan and in college football.'' - Michigan coach Lloyd Carr.
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``We are having a hard time with this. Bo was like a second dad to me. His legacy of coaching has reached thousands, and we are fortunate to have been trained by him. He is the reason I made it to the NFL and as a head football coach. He was a man of integrity, a man of honesty, and a man of charisma, and he will be remembered as one of the great teachers and winners in the game for all-time.'' - Former Michigan quarterback and current University of San Diego coach Jim Harbaugh.
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``He's the one who really taught me how to teach football. He could really break things down. We'd get together and he could talk about the center-quarterback exchange for maybe two hours.'' - Former USC and Missouri coach Larry Smith, a former Michigan assistant who also coached against Schembechler in his final game.
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``He was a fireball. He was feisty, a great competitor. A great motivator of his teams. He was an outstanding coach and it was something to see him and woody get after it through the years.'' - Former Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer.
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``It's hard to lose a great friend like that and a great contributor to college football. He was just a real giant in the game.'' - Former BYU coach LaVell Edwards, whose team beat Schembechler's Michigan squad 24-17 in the 1984 Holiday Bowl to win the national championship.
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``One time he came up to me, this was right before the team banquet my senior year, he said he was proud of the man I'd become at Michigan. He told me I was by far one of the best players he'd ever seen. That being from Bo, that really meant a lot to me.'' - Former Michigan receiver Braylon Edwards of the Cleveland Browns.
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``I remember Bo as the consummate team person. He preached it, he believed it. He didn't talk about stars. He had a team, on the field, in the office, and everybody worked for a common goal. And I think that's what endeared him to so many people. He didn't have a star system. He'd rather have 11 guys play together than talk about a Heisman candidate. He embodied loyalty. He led not out of fear, but out of respect and love. That's why people bought into what he preached.'' - San Diego State basketball coach Steve Fisher, promoted to interim head coach at Michigan before the 1989 NCAA tournament by Schembechler, then the school's athletic director. The Wolverines went on to win the national championship and Fisher remained as head coach.
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``He was like a father to everybody.'' - Former Michigan State coach George Perles said.
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``He was a giant of a coach and giant of a man. His life touched generations of players, families, staff, students and alumni. His energy fueled not only athletic success but the incredible pride of all Michigan fans. His impact was immeasurable.'' - Michigan athletic director Bill Martin said.
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``He used to call me 'Dooley of Georgia' in his tough yankee accent, and I would call him 'Schembechler of Michigan' with my southern drawl. He personally gave that tough outward appearance, but he had a soft spirit and a great sense of humor.'' - Former Georgia coach Vince Dooley.
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``He was a super coach and I'm not sure he has gotten his due as far as being one of the truly great football coaches of all-time. I'm going to miss him.'' - Penn State coach Joe Paterno.
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``Baseball is saddened today by the passing of Bo Schembechler. Although Bo was best known as a college football coaching legend, he also served as president of the Detroit Tigers in the early 1990s and played an active and productive role in that capacity. He was a very good friend and I enjoyed his company immensely. I will miss him. On behalf of Major League Baseball, I offer my condolences to his family and friends.'' - baseball commissioner Bud Selig.
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``What he did was bring the idea of pride and respect to Michigan. This is a big loss for the University of Michigan. They are going to miss Bo as a man and everything that he brought to the University.'' - Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green, who played against Schembechler's teams and coached against him with Northwestern.
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``Bo Schembechler epitomized Big Ten football. I have great respect and admiration for him. Bo was the consummate football coach. He produced fundamentally sound, hard-nosed teams. His teams played football the way the game is supposed to be played.'' - Wisconsin athletic director and former coach Barry Alvarez.
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``He was Michigan.'' - Green Bay Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, who won the Heisman Trophy while leading Michigan to the 1997 national championship.
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``I started coaching against Bo Schembechler 33 years ago when I was head coach at Indiana. Ever since, I loved and respected him like a brother. He was a coach's coach. I will miss him.'' - ESPN college football analyst Lee Corso.
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``He was such a unique person. You might see him get carried away at times on the sideline. But he was special. He really cared about his players. He was a great role model.'' - Former Colorado and Indiana coach Bill Mallory, who followed Schembechler as coach at Miami of Ohio.
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``When he got done coaching, he was still giving to the game. He only got out because of his health, and knew he couldn't put his body under that kind of constant pressure. But he stayed as close to the game as he could. Right on up until he died, he was a big part of the Michigan football program. They named a field house and a beautiful complex after him. He will be remembered forever.'' - Former Colorado coach Bill McCartney, an assistant at Michigan under Schembechler from 1974-82.
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``We truly lost a great man, husband, coach and mentor. People like Bo come around once in a lifetime.'' - Billy Taylor, who played for Michigan from 1968-72.
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``I thought he was going to be tough enough to get through it. It's a little bit of a shock. To lose Bo at this time, the day before the big game, is kind of ironic, also. It's a huge loss. He was an institution.'' - Former Michigan basketball coach Bill Frieder.
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