Thank you, Lloyd

I’m no good when it comes to nostalgia, but I definitely want to thank Lloyd Carr for everything that he’s done for Michigan Football. His successes both on and off the field have been, as he would say, tremendous. Not perfect, of course, but nothing to be ashamed of – not by a long shot. There were disappointments and frustrations along the way, but those are overshadowed by a lot of great memories and big victories. And beyond that, Lloyd ran what is generally considered to be a very clean program (especially by “big time football” standards). He might have been short with the media at times, but after seeing how some of those folks refused to give credit to Brian last week after reporting on the story that he broke (“internet reports” … idiots), I say good for him. Lloyd loved his players and he loves Michigan. That’s why I will always respect and admire him.

He wasn’t the best game strategist in the world, but he put up some quality results. If you would have told me that Carr would close out his career with 9 straight wins over PSU and 6 (or, 8) straight wins over MSU, I would have taken that in a heartbeat. On the other hand, if you would have told me that he would struggle with some weaker Notre Dame teams and finish with 6 losses in 7 years against OSU, I might have said “no, thanks.” But overall, it was a good run. Lloyd’s most ardent supporters often point to 1997, 1999, and 2006, but I think there was a nice “peak” to Lloyd’s career, and it only started with 1997. The seven year run that Carr had from 1997 to 2003 was a good one. Very good:

69-18 overall record: 79% winning percentage

46-10 Big Ten record: 82% winning percentage

1 National Title

4 Big Ten Titles

5-2 in bowl games: All New Year’s Day bowls, or better. The 2 losses came to #1 USC and #8 Tennessee (which was arguably a Top 3 or 4 team that season)

5 ten win seasons

4-3 vs. Ohio State: Including 2 wins when OSU was ranked #4

6-0 vs. Penn State: Including the “Judgment Day” domination

6-0 vs. Wisconsin: Including 2 wins in years when Wisconsin went to (and won) the Rose Bowl

5-2 vs. Michigan State: Or 6-1, if you take away Clockgate

3-2 vs. Notre Dame: Including the first beatdown (38-0 in 2003)

If our next coach can duplicate those results, I’ll be a happy dude. So thank you, Lloyd. Thank you for 1997, for keeping Michigan a top program, for your integrity, and for knowing that it was time to retire. Thank you, and Go Blue!