FloridaGatorforLife
VIP Member
ORLANDO - Lloyd Carr can't predict what will happen after Tuesday.
"I know that there are going to be a lot of changes in my life," said the University of Michigan coach, who will retire after his Wolverines face Florida in the Capital One Bowl. "I just don't know what those are going to be."
How much Carr enjoys his retirement may depend on what happens Tuesday. Will he exit hailed as a victor? Or will he follow predecessor Bo Schembechler by ending his career with a loss?
No matter what the result, Carr's final game likely won't be boring. Finales for beloved coaches rarely are.
A prime example is Earle Bruce's final game at Ohio State. Bruce, a former University of Tampa coach who would go on to coach at Colorado State and in the Arena Football League, was fired the week of the 1987 season finale against Michigan. Buckeyes athletic director Rick Bay quit in protest of OSU president Edward Jennings' decision to fire Bruce. Members of the OSU band even played on Bruce's front lawn to show their support.
Bruce's Buckeyes sent off their coach with a 23-20 win against hated rival Michigan. After the game, Bruce visited Wolverines coach Schembechler in his office.
"Bo said, 'You know, I always hate to lose. Hate it. But today, it wasn't so bad,'" Bruce told the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.
In the Ohio State locker room that day was a young graduate assistant named Urban Meyer. Meanwhile, in the Michigan locker room was an up-and-coming defensive coordinator named Lloyd Carr.
Perhaps the most famous collegiate finale is the 1982 Liberty Bowl, when Alabama sent Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant into retirement with a 21-15 win against Illinois on a frigid night in Memphis. After the win, Crimson Tide players carried Bryant off the field. When he reached the heated interview tent, Bryant didn't sound like a man ready to quit.
"I thought several times in the fourth quarter when Illini coach Mike White's team was fighting back," Bryant told the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, "how unpleasant it was to be finished."
Bryant never got a chance to find out if he would enjoy retirement. He died 28 days later of a heart attack.
Not all finales are so tragic. In some cases, no one on the field realizes they're playing in a coach's final game. For example, Florida players had no idea as they whipped Maryland in the 2002 Orange Bowl that they were sending Coach Steve Spurrier away with a win. Later that week, Spurrier left the Gators to take over the Washington Redskins.
The last time Michigan said goodbye to a coach, Schembechler treated a national television audience to one more classic sideline tirade before retiring. Tied at 10 in the fourth quarter against Southern California in the 1990 Rose Bowl, Schembechler called for an uncharacteristic fake punt. The gamble worked - punter Chris Stapleton ran 24 yards for a first down - but a Wolverine was called for holding on the play. When informed of the penalty, Schembechler slammed his headset to the ground and nearly fell when his feet tangled in the cords as he screamed at officials. Michigan lost 17-10.
The late Schembechler - and just about every coach in America - probably would have preferred to go out the way Nebraska's Tom Osborne did. Osborne's finale came in the 1998 Orange Bowl against Tennessee and Peyton Manning.
The Cornhuskers stretched a 14-3 lead to 28-3 early in the third quarter. They would cruise to a 42-17 win and claim a share of the 1997 national title. The coach of the team that shared the title with Nebraska?
Lloyd Carr.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/30/sp-carrs-finale-wont-be-boring/?sports-colleges-gators
Beat them up Gators!
"I know that there are going to be a lot of changes in my life," said the University of Michigan coach, who will retire after his Wolverines face Florida in the Capital One Bowl. "I just don't know what those are going to be."
How much Carr enjoys his retirement may depend on what happens Tuesday. Will he exit hailed as a victor? Or will he follow predecessor Bo Schembechler by ending his career with a loss?
No matter what the result, Carr's final game likely won't be boring. Finales for beloved coaches rarely are.
A prime example is Earle Bruce's final game at Ohio State. Bruce, a former University of Tampa coach who would go on to coach at Colorado State and in the Arena Football League, was fired the week of the 1987 season finale against Michigan. Buckeyes athletic director Rick Bay quit in protest of OSU president Edward Jennings' decision to fire Bruce. Members of the OSU band even played on Bruce's front lawn to show their support.
Bruce's Buckeyes sent off their coach with a 23-20 win against hated rival Michigan. After the game, Bruce visited Wolverines coach Schembechler in his office.
"Bo said, 'You know, I always hate to lose. Hate it. But today, it wasn't so bad,'" Bruce told the Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch.
In the Ohio State locker room that day was a young graduate assistant named Urban Meyer. Meanwhile, in the Michigan locker room was an up-and-coming defensive coordinator named Lloyd Carr.
Perhaps the most famous collegiate finale is the 1982 Liberty Bowl, when Alabama sent Coach Paul "Bear" Bryant into retirement with a 21-15 win against Illinois on a frigid night in Memphis. After the win, Crimson Tide players carried Bryant off the field. When he reached the heated interview tent, Bryant didn't sound like a man ready to quit.
"I thought several times in the fourth quarter when Illini coach Mike White's team was fighting back," Bryant told the Jackson (Miss.) Clarion-Ledger, "how unpleasant it was to be finished."
Bryant never got a chance to find out if he would enjoy retirement. He died 28 days later of a heart attack.
Not all finales are so tragic. In some cases, no one on the field realizes they're playing in a coach's final game. For example, Florida players had no idea as they whipped Maryland in the 2002 Orange Bowl that they were sending Coach Steve Spurrier away with a win. Later that week, Spurrier left the Gators to take over the Washington Redskins.
The last time Michigan said goodbye to a coach, Schembechler treated a national television audience to one more classic sideline tirade before retiring. Tied at 10 in the fourth quarter against Southern California in the 1990 Rose Bowl, Schembechler called for an uncharacteristic fake punt. The gamble worked - punter Chris Stapleton ran 24 yards for a first down - but a Wolverine was called for holding on the play. When informed of the penalty, Schembechler slammed his headset to the ground and nearly fell when his feet tangled in the cords as he screamed at officials. Michigan lost 17-10.
The late Schembechler - and just about every coach in America - probably would have preferred to go out the way Nebraska's Tom Osborne did. Osborne's finale came in the 1998 Orange Bowl against Tennessee and Peyton Manning.
The Cornhuskers stretched a 14-3 lead to 28-3 early in the third quarter. They would cruise to a 42-17 win and claim a share of the 1997 national title. The coach of the team that shared the title with Nebraska?
Lloyd Carr.
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/dec/30/sp-carrs-finale-wont-be-boring/?sports-colleges-gators
Beat them up Gators!
