Desmond Howard On The Lessons Schembechler Taught 'In Football & In Life'
Former Michigan Wolverines football Heisman trophy winner and current ESPN analyst Desmond Howard was on U-M's campus last night to deliver a speech, serving as one of several speakers during a TEDx (independently organized TED event) talk.
Howard focused on the importance of being coachable in both life and in sports, and the valuable lessons he learned from not only legendary coach Bo Schembechler, but also a strict high school coach he had.
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Howard, Recalling the Sacrifices he Made in High School to Receive the Best Coaching:
“What would you do to receive the best coaching and training? What sacrifices would you make?
"This doesn’t even have to be about sports. I was raised in the city and my older brothers and friends all attended the public high schools in our neighborhood.
"I chose a different path and wanted to go to a school called St. Joe’s High School. It was way across town, and I didn’t know you could travel that far in one direction and still be in the state of Ohio.
"They had a legendary high school coach named Bill Gutbrod, and he had been there since 1950.
"He was a decorated World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge and was known to be a strict disciplinarian who was very tough on his players.
"I knew I wanted to be coached by him. Going there would require me to get up at 5:00 AM to take a two-hour commute using three city buses just to get to school every morning.
"It would also mean I would be removed from an environment where everyone looked like me to go to one where barely anyone looked like me.
"I would be stepping out of my comfort zone both mentally and physically. Once I got to St. Joe’s, I quickly found out Coach Gutbrod had some unique coaching methods; we would be at practice and he would walk up to a player, look at his uniform and see grass stains, and would shout, ‘Where’s the blood!?’
"I kid you not. If you didn’t have any blood on your uniform, he would pull out a bottle of ketchup and squirt you with it.
"He was wired to think that either your blood or your opponent’s blood should be on your uniform.
"We practiced three times a day in full pads, and would run on the sandy shores of Lake Eerie.
"Coach Gutbrod treated us like we were in the military and knew how to get the best out of his teams.
"He made us both physically and mentally tough, and prepared me for this guy [points at a picture of Bo Schembechler].”
Howard, Discussing Bo Schembechler and the Valuable Lessons he Learned at Michigan:
“Despite growing up in the Buckeye state, the allure to be coached by one of the greatest in the game was too strong for me to ignore.
"Bo Schembechler was my favorite coach on any level and was one of the greatest teachers I ever had.
"Bo taught so many lessons and carried a yardstick from time to time, and if you screwed up in practice you’d become acquainted with it.
"He taught so many life lessons, most of which I carry with me today. He taught us to pay attention to detail, not just in football, but in anything you do in life.
"Bo also talked about being punctual — make sure you’re on time; in his time, early was on time, and on time was late.
"He promoted the value of mentorship and dedicated a chapter in his book to it. Chapter two in ‘Bo’s Lasting Lessons’ is titled ‘Seek Mentors, not Money.’
"My time in Ann Arbor wasn’t always smooth sailing. I had a position coach as a freshman that I kept butting heads with, and the situation almost erupted.
"I developed a mentor/mentee relationship with a man in the athletic department named Greg Harden, and he was the guy who student-athletes were sent to when coaches didn’t know what to do with them anymore.
"I took it upon myself before things got out of hand to go to Greg’s office, and I remember telling him my situation.
"When I was done, he brought me back to a lesson I learned in Pee Wee football — no matter how talented you are, if you’re not coachable, you’re replaceable.
"He explained that everyone here was ‘the guy’ in high school, and hit me hard with some harsh reality to straighten me out.
"Greg told me to put my ego to the side, humble myself, and not only accept my position coach's criticism, but to use it as energy.
"He also told me to seek knowledge from people who are the best at what they do and who are the best in their fields.”
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