November 17, 2006
BO KNOWS DEATH
There are quite a few Ohio State Buckeye fans in the office where I work, so with the Michigan-Ohio State game this weekend, we've been joking around the office about the band The Dead Schembechlers, which took their name from the former Michigan coach, Bo Schembechler.
Now comes word that the ol' ball coach has gone to the great bowl game in the sky. He apparently died today while taping a TV interview.
Which, you know, makes for a fairly ironic band name.
The band quickly issued the following statement:
BO SCHEMBECHLER: OSU'S MOST VALIANT FOE: The band is crushed to learn of the death of Bo Schembechler. We named this band after Coach Schembechler to honor him as the face of Wolverine football. We have never wished ill will upon him in any way and have always wished him the best. When we learned that Bo had seen our web site and was amused by it we were delighted. We were simply delighted. He said to those with him as he read it, "See, I still matter in Columbus!" That may have been the greatest understatement in football history. We believe that he took the band's name as the compliment that it was meant as and that he was flattered by it. We wish to extend our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies to his family. We are truly sorry for their loss.
That being said, the band is still planning to play the Hate Michigan Rally tonight in Columbus, Ohio.
Reverence is one thing. A paying gig is quite another.
UPDATE: The Dead Schembechlers are, in fact, quite dead. They announced that the Hate Michigan Rally would be their last gig.