Fielding Yost and Bo Schembechler
(Images courtesy of bentley.umich.edu and maizeandgoblue.com)
Fielding Yost and Bo Schembechler are legendary Michigan coaches, but who was better? If you had a time machine, who would you bring back to coach Michigan now?
Fielding Yost was born on April 30, 1871 in Fairview, West Virginia. He played tackle for West Virginia from 1894 to 1896 and switched mid-season to play for Lafayette in what is known as the old “join them if you can’t beat them” and the Yost affair.
He had head coaching jobs at Ohio Wesleyan (1897), Nebraska (1898), Kansas (1899), Stanford (1900), and San Jose State (1900), but in 1901 he was hired to coach the Michigan Wolverines. This also was where he made his mark coaching from 1901 to 1923 and again from 1925 to 1926.
His overall coaching record was 198–35–12; his record at Michigan was 165-29-10 for a winning percentage of .833. At Michigan he won ten Big Ten championships and six national championships. He is credited with inventing the position of linebacker and being a co-creator of the first bowl game, the Rose Bowl, which Michigan won 49-0.
Bo Schembechler was born on April 1, 1929 in Barberton, Ohio. He played tackle at Miami of Ohio from 1948 to 1950. He was an assistant coach at Ohio State (1952), Presbyterian (1954), Bowling Green (1955), Northwestern (1956-1957), and again at Ohio State (1958-1962).
His first head coaching job was at Miami of Ohio from 1963 to 1968. Michigan hired him in 1969, and he would coach the Wolverines until 1989. His overall record as a coach was 234–65–8 with a winning percentage of .775. At Michigan he went 194-48-5 for a winning percentage of .795. He won two MAC championships and 13 Big Ten championships. His bowl record was 5-12. He never won a national championship.
So there you have it. Two legendary Michigan coaches with a brief synopsis of their careers. Who do you choose and why? Please comment via the button below.