'Motivated' McIlroy ready to tee it up for first time since second Masters win
Rory McIlroy is more motivated than ever after his second Masters title!
Since Bo Schembechler, Michigan Football's first-year head coaches have had varied success, with notable records like Schembechler's 8-3 and Moeller's 9-3. This article reviews their performances and the expectations for new coach Kyle Whittingham.
Mentioned in this story
Expectations for Kyle Whittinghamâs first year are high, but what is the track record for first-year head coaches in Ann Arbor? Hereâs how each former Michigan head coach has performed in his first season at the helm since the legendary Bo Schembechler.
Schembechler is one of the most beloved head coaches in Michigan history, and his tenure started with a very promising first year. The Wolverines went 8-2 in the regular season, highlighted by a gigantic upset over No. 1 Ohio State at the Big House, before losing in the Rose Bowl. Michigan reached the Rose Bowl just one time in the previous 18 years, so Schembechlerâs first season was viewed as a huge improvement â it eventually turned into a 21-year Hall of Fame career.
After being an assistant coach under Schembechler for more than a decade, Gary Moeller was selected as his successor at Michigan. Similarly to his predecessor, Moeller made a positive impression in his first year in charge â remaining atop the Big Ten standings and finishing with a 9-3 record following a blowout victory over No. 15 Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl. Despite coming up short to No. 1 Notre Dame in his first game, Moeller helped Michigan win a share of the Big Ten title in each of his first three years.
Lloyd Carr took over as the interim head coach after Moellerâs resignation in 1995, and he eventually earned the permanent position following an 8-2 start to his first season. It wasnât exactly an ideal start for Carr, though, as Michigan was down 17-0 to Virginia in his very first game before storming back in a historic comeback and eventually finishing 9-4 overall. Most notably, he became the sixth consecutive first-year head coach to lead Michigan to a win over bitter rival Ohio State.
Bo Schembechler had a record of 8-3 in his first year as Michigan head coach in 1969.
Michigan Football's first-year head coaches have had mixed results, with some achieving winning records while others struggled.
Expectations for Kyle Whittingham's first season at Michigan are high, reflecting the program's history of success.
Notable successful first-year head coaches at Michigan include Bo Schembechler and Gary Moeller, with records of 8-3 and 9-3 respectively.
Rory McIlroy is more motivated than ever after his second Masters title!
Utah Royals climb to fifth in NWSL table after four straight wins!
Alperen Sengun has been voted the NBA's most overrated player in an anonymous poll, following a disappointing playoff performance. This comes after Tyrese Haliburton was similarly labeled last year, only to prove critics wrong shortly after.
Bayern and PSG set for Champions League semi-final clash; check line-ups!
Kentucky's Malachi Moreno impresses in workout for Knicks.
Jets projected to select QB LaNorris Sellers with 4th pick in 2027 draft
See every story in Sports â including breaking news and analysis.
The only truly disastrous season under a first-year head coach in recent memory was Rich Rodriguezâs catastrophic campaign. Michigan went from consistently competing for Big Ten championships to being at the bottom of the conference in the blink of an eye. The Wolverines went 3-9 and included embarrassing losses to Purdue and Toledo. Rodriguezâs first year here was riddled with frustration, resulting in the Michiganâs first losing season in more than 40 years and the most losses in a single season in school history.
Brady Hoke was hired to replace Rodriguez and he, surprisingly enough, broke the school-record for most wins as a first-year head coach. The Wolverines went 11-2 in Hokeâs first season, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Ohio State and defeating No. 11 Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Hokeâs inaugural campaign was the highlight of his head coaching tenure, as Michigan got progressively worse in the following years, but 2011 was certainly a memorable year.
After missing a bowl game in Hokeâs final season, Michigan turned to Jim Harbaugh to lead the program back to relevance. Harbaugh instantly had a positive impact, helping the Wolverines go 10-3 in 2015. Michigan finished third in the Big Ten and capped off the season by blowing out No. 19 Florida in the Citrus Bowl. It took a few more years to truly become legitimate contenders, but Harbaughâs first season was a sign that Michigan was on its way back to national title contention.
Sherrone Mooreâs first season as head coach was filled with ups and downs, but it ended on a major high â with an upset win at Ohio State and another big upset win vs Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. It was far from a perfect debut, but the Wolverines were able to do just enough to make the season a relatively successful start to Mooreâs tenure. Unfortunately that didnât last long, as Mooreâs stint came to a scandalous end in December.
Based on the previous seven instances, the overall record for first-year head coaches in Ann Arbor is 58-29, including 5-2 against Ohio State, 4-2 in bowl games, and an average of 8.3 wins per season.
Do you think Whittingham will find more or less success than his predecessors? Make sure to comment below your predictions for Whittinghamâs first season.