Three and Out (70 page)

Equipment managers Jon Falk, Bob Bland, Rick Brandt, and Brett McGinness not only keep the Michigan machine humming, they provided some great quotes—plus one pair of Twin City Socks. I owe you four bucks.

Just down the hall, strength and conditioning leader Mike Barwis and his staff—Chris Allen, Cassandra Baier, Jesse Miller, Dan Mozes, Dennis Murray, Jim Plocki, Kentaro Tamura, and Parker Whiteman—put me through something I'll never forget, and I know a few hundred guys who could say the same thing. Trainers Paul Schmidt, Phil Johnson, and Lenny Navitskis take in the Wolverines' tired, their poor, their banged-up masses yearning to walk free. They also demonstrated infinite patience with my utter lack of medical knowledge.

Across the parking lot in Weidenbach Hall, athletic directors Bill Martin and Dave Brandon were consistently helpful, even when it didn't help them to be so, which says a lot.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: sports information pros Bruce Madej, Dave Ablauf, and Barb Cossman are the best in the business.

Compliance director Judy Van Horn and her assistant Ann Vollano answered my many questions courteously and clearly—and given the NCAA's byzantine rule book, that was no small feat. The people who run the Academic Center—Phil Hughes, Sue Shand, Shari Acho, and Steve Connolly, among others—were just as helpful.

I'd be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the student managers for their indefatigable good cheer—and I'd be putting them in jeopardy if I did so by name. So here's to Team Atkins. The security men were kind enough to let me roam the sidelines every home Saturday, and university police officers Gary Veld and Gary Hicks kept us all safe in some strange environments.

Many Michigan Men, years after their playing days were over, helped me in more ways than I can count. You know who you are.

A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days on the USS
Theodore Roosevelt
, a veritable city at sea. The night before we flew out to the aircraft carrier, the admiral told us, “All the visitors go out expecting to be awed by the technology, but come back talking about the twenty-year-olds who run the ship.”

I can say the exact same thing of the players in this book. It was certainly eye-opening to witness the meetings, the workouts, the practices, and the games close up, but the players themselves quickly eclipsed all of it. With few exceptions, they cared deeply about their school, their work, and especially their teammates. They were not only interesting but completely open, honest, and even good-natured about my frequent invasions. A few had to tolerate me more than most, especially on Friday nights at the hotels, so special thanks to Nick Sheridan, Tate Forcier, Denard Robinson, Devin Gardner, Mike Martin, and Ryan Van Bergen.

Stephanie Nicholas, Elise Brown, Joe “Corn Chowder” Cornicelli, and my father gathered hundreds of clips, programs, and stat sheets and organized them into boxes of accessible materials, while Nate Sandals proved to be every bit the budding star I already knew him to be, from his remarkable research skills to his savvy suggestions on numerous drafts. Some smart people gave great advice and support when I needed it most, including Neal Boudette, Jonathan Chait, Vince Duffy, John Kryk, Scott Lasser, John Lofy, James Tobin, and Pete Uher. I cannot thank them enough.

My agents, David Black and Dave Larabell, were early believers in this often quixotic mission, from proposal after proposal to draft after draft of a story that seemed to resist ending. Larabell put in coaching-style hours—including weekends, holidays, birthdays, and anniversaries—to see this through. I hope I never need so much of his help again—and I'll bet he feels the same.

Thomas LeBien—like just about everyone else involved in this book—had no earthly idea what he was getting into, but unlike everyone else, it was his job to turn piles and piles of pages into a coherent volume, which required him to get his hands dirty at almost every turn. Without his energy, enthusiasm, and vision, this book would not be in your hands. Zachary Brown, Dan Crissman, Brian Gittis, and Amanda Schoonmaker demonstrated many times why FSG has the sterling reputation it enjoys.

But in a long list of debts, the biggest I owe, by far, is to Rich Rodriguez and his family. I don't know of any sportswriter who ever got the kind of access to a major college football program that he gave to me, and I doubt any writer will ever be so lucky again.

He clearly had the most to lose, yet he never flinched from my many intrusions into his work and his life. His wife, Rita, and their children, Raquel and Rhett, followed suit. I sincerely hope that when the dust settles, he will see this book as a fair depiction of a good man who made some mistakes but is an inspired, innovative coach, and a truly decent husband and father.

In his final team meeting, he told his players, “Remember, life's a lot easier if you're a good guy. Doesn't mean it's always fair, doesn't mean things always go the way you want. But being a good guy still matters.”

It does. And he is.

 

ALSO BY JOHN U. BACON

Bo's Lasting Lessons
(with Bo Schembechler)

Cirque du Soleil, The Spark: Igniting the Creative Fire That Lives Within Us All
(with Lyn Heward)

America's Corner Store: Walgreens' Prescription for Success

Blue Ice: The Story of Michigan Hockey

A Legacy of Champions: The Story of the Men Who Built University of Michigan Football
(edited by Francis J. Fitzgerald)

 

J
OHN
U. B
ACON
is an award-winning journalist, public speaker, and college instructor, and the bestselling author of
Bo's Lasting Lessons
(with Bo Schembechler).

www.johnubacon.com

 

This book has not been approved, endorsed, or sponsored by any person or entity involved with the University of Michigan.

THREE AND OUT
. Copyright © 2011, 2012 by John U. Bacon. All rights reserved. For information, address Picador, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.

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The Library of Congress has cataloged the Farrar, Straus and Giroux edition as follows:

Bacon, John U., 1964–

Three and out : Rich Rodriguez and the Michigan Wolverines in the crucible of college football / John U. Bacon.

   p. cm.

ISBN 978-0-8090-9466-0

1.  Rodriguez, Rich, 1963–   2.  Football coaches—United States.   3.  University of Michigan—Football.   4.  Michigan Wolverines (Football team).   I.  Title.

 
GV939.R622B34 2011

 
769.332—dc23

2011022040

Picador ISBN 978-1-250-01697-3

First published in the United States by Farrar, Straus and Giroux

eISBN 9781429969086

First eBook Edition: September 2012