Michigan's Gary Moeller is not in the most enviable position. But who would be? It's very likely that the man who replaces Joe Paterno as head coach will likely face the same scenario.
Replacing a legend is never easy.
Just ask the last man who tried to replace a Big Ten coaching legend.
At Ohio State it was the legendary Woody Hayes who established the Buckeyes as a national power. Enter Earle Bruce in 1979. Although he posted winning numbers (.755 winning percentage), it was his inability to consistently make it to the Rose Bowl -- he made it twice in nine years -- that cost him his job.
So the year in Ann Arbor, Mich. was 1990 -- and Gary Oscar Moeller stepped onto the Michigan sidelines for the first time as a head coach. He had been an assistant to the man who racked up 194 victories. He had waited patiently, knowing he would get his shot.
He arrived at Michigan as an assistant in 1969. After a two-year stint as head coach at Illinois, he returned to Ann Arbor in 1980, where he roamed the sidelines as an assistant until 1990, when he got his shot as the head man. During his tenure, Michigan has remained a national power, winning three Big Ten Championships.
But as this season began, the questions lingered. The inquisitions about replacing "Bo" just seemed to pop up.
Replacing a legend is never easy.
"If I can come out of this with as good a won-loss record as Bo Schembechler I'm going to be very very happy," Moeller said at the Big Ten Kickoff Luncheon in August. "I'd like to think that maybe some of the things we've upgraded.
"But the structure of the program, the x's and o's, and the foundation that was put in -- the honesty, the integrity -- I always tell people that this was Bo," he added. "I've got to consider him one of the greatest coaches ever, but everything can't just be built on a won-loss record."
But Moeller's record is nothing to frown upon. He enters his fourth year after leading the maize and blue to it's first undefeated season, 9-0-3 last season, since 1973. In his three years he has amassed 31 wins against only seven losses and the three ties, with a conference mark of 21-3-2.
"I've got to stand the test of time," the 52-year-old Moeller admits. "I'm pleased that what's happened has happened so far, but can we get it done again?"
Replacing a legend is never easy.
Moeller is on his way to becoming a legend himself. Something that fans may have been a bit wary of three years ago.
Tim Nordstrom, a 1992 Michigan graduate, remembers exactly where he was when he heard the news of Schembechler's resignation.
"I was standing in the student union, I just remember the shock of the whole thing," Nordstrom said. "I was wondering who Michigan could bring in to replace Bo."
Nordstrom also remembers wondering why the Wolverines would bring in a lesser known coach such as Moeller, instead of nabbing a more renowned coach. But Nordstrom, a native of Flint, Mich sings a different tune now.
"He's come in and diversified the offense," Nordstrom said. "I think since he's gotten there we've become a much better program."
But football fans aren't the only people who expect a lot from a new football coach. The new coach has to prove something to the players as well, and Moeller's situation was no different.
One former Michigan player, who asked not to be identified, also remembers his feelings upon hearing of Schembechler's leaving.
"I remember being disappointed that a coach I admired and respected my whole life was leaving," he said, adding that a lot of players whom Schembechler had recruited also felt disappointed because they expected to play under the legend for four years. "We knew we were going to miss Bo."
The player added that although he has the "utmost respect" for Moeller, there were still some things that Schembechler did that Moeller did not.
"Mo has a hard time inspiring a team the way Bo could," he said, "Mo is more of an x's and o's kind of coach -- he doesn't give the great speeches. Bo would take us aside, sit us down -- given us an earful about history and tradition."
The player, who toiled for a year under Schembechler and three under Moeller, added that there were other aspects that Moeller just couldn't duplicate.
"The thing I remember about Bo is being scared to death of him -- there was a lot more pressure during practice," he said. "If Bo saw you mess up from 500 yards away you'd see him sprinting towards you and think, 'Oh God! It's going to be hell.' "
But as far as how Moeller has handled the pressure of being the head coach of such a tradition-rich school like Michigan, this player felt nothing but respect for the man they call 'Mo.'
"He's tried to carve his own identity," he said. "I give him credit, I don't think he's tried to be the 'new Bo.' "
Beware, whoever stands next in line to replace a Joe Paterno or a Bobby Bowden.
Replacing a legend is never easy.
