On Saturday, November 22, 1969, the University of Michigan hosted the Ohio State University Buckeyes in Ann Arbor in front of 103,588 fans. Woody Hayes, was the coach of the nation’s unbeaten (in 22 games), defending national champion top- ranked college football team. Some called them the greatest team of all time and compared them to the Minnesota Vikings, the NFL’s gold standard at the time. Hayes believed this team was one of his best, if not his all-time best. If the Buckeyes were Goliath, then, the Wolverines were David. Then again, you know what happened between David and Goliath.
Even though they were the home team, the Wolverines were 17- point underdogs going into the game. Michigan had suffered two early-season losses, but had since been on a roll and entered the game with a 7-2 record. They were led by a young, first-year coach named Bo Schembechler. Coach Schembechler told his team that if they couldn’t remember Schembechler, “just call me Bo.” Previously, coach Schembechler had been a head coach of Miami of Ohio, known as a hotbed of coaching talent. He brought with him young, talented, energetic and intelligent football minds in assistants. Gary Moeller , Jim Young, Chuck Stobart, Jerry Hanlon, and Rick Hunter among others. These coaches also had experience as high school head coaches, which some believe contributed to their understanding of how to better communicate, teach and motivate athletically gifted young men.
Bo was described by many as a psychological genius because of his ability to understand, teach, motivate, and underscore the importance of “team” to his players. He drilled the concept of teamwork over and over again, which resulted in the cohesion of his squads .It as about the team, the team, and the team. These young men became psychologically part of a group to which they belonged (what he called “bonded teammates”). As a result, for example, Mike Taylor, a defensive All-American specialist, got on Reggie McKenzie an offensive All- American stalwart, for dogging it during practice drills. He said to Reggie, “Come on, they’re watching you. Don’t go through the motions.”
Within their team practices and group drills, the teammates began to identify with each other, and developed unity; there goals became interdependent, and in the process they formed aspirations and expectations together. And, as the teammates began to identify highly with the group and its goals, they gained camaraderie and satisfaction with the attainment of a goal. Even under certain circ*mstances, failure to meet a group goal also increased group bonding (as in that early-season loss to rival Michigan State). And when the teammates easily accepted a common goal (i.e. executing and minimizing mistakes of the I formation) and supported the actions required to reach it (practice, practice; drill, drill, drill), teammates felt great and recognized contributions of their teammates (a solid block, a hard hit, or a key interception).
And team unity also positively influenced the personalities, each player developed. As individuals, they became less self-centered, more giving. Simply, they cared about each other. And what Schembechler knew well was that membership in the group was paramount for security, achievement, competitiveness, and status. The team became “we”-forget about “I” or “me.” So, when Fritz Seyferth, a fullback, began sharing duties with a sophomore, he didn’t complain or say “Poor me.” Instead, he continued to work hard for the team.
Reggie McKenzie told the story about Preston Henry during one spring practice. On that day, Henry, a running back, had to practice on offensive maneuvers for both the first- and second- string offense for some 130 plays or so. “After practice, everyone ran sprints. Even Preston Henry. We all felt sorry for him. Absolutely no one on the team would have been upset if Preston Henry was excused from running wind sprints.”
With newfound cohesiveness, Michigan was able to mobilize its energies in their support of the group goals, which were to prepare physically (even if doing exhausting, unintelligible exercises like “slap and stomp”), so that on-field performance (a win) became second to none. Solidarity was important and expressed by the final core players who didn’t quit or leave the team. There was a sign, on the wall, that encouraged this ethos. It read, Those who stay will be champions. (One player who left the team named John Prusiecki added jokingly, “Those who leave will be captains of industry, lawyers, and doctors.”)