Nov. 01--This was a rough day for football fans in places like Columbus, Ohio, and East Lansing, Mich.
The man who helped run Michigan football into the ground got stripped of his powers Friday, giving a once-mighty program a fresh start. Once Brady Hoke follows Dave Brandon out the door, the Wolverines will have a chance to re-establish themselves as an upper-echelon Big Ten program.
Brandon thought it wise to charge students $295 per season to attend the games. He thought fans wanted a spectacle of flyovers and fireworks and piped-in music at Michigan Stadium. He thought Hoke was the right man for the job after going a combined 47-50 at Ball State and San Diego State. He thought it appropriate to tell dissenting alums to "find another team to support" via email.
Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.
And did we mention that Michigan, on his watch, allowed an obviously concussed player to re-enter a game -- and then didn't inform the coach of the player's condition for two days? Or that he botched Michigan's relationship with Notre Dame, helping to kill one of the game's greatest rivalries?
Domino's Pizza, where Brandon was CEO from 1999-2009, became palatable after he left the company. A headline from Yahoo Finance last week proclaims: "Domino's Is Suddenly The World's Hottest Pizza Chain."
So, Michigan fans, there's hope for you too.
Put away the pitchforks, send the "Fire Dave Brandon" T-shirts to Goodwill and be grateful university president Mark Schlissel listened to the trustees, alums, former players, fans and media members who wanted a new athletic director.
Technically, Brandon resigned, taking $3 million in severance. Maybe he can use it to enroll in a class that teaches management and communication skills.
The interim AD is Jim Hackett, a 1977 Michigan graduate who, like Brandon, played under Bo Schembechler. Hackett didn't take questions Friday because, hey, this is Michigan and Michigan doesn't really have to answer to anyone.
Schlissel responded to the obvious question of whether Hackett is a candidate for the full-time post by telling a reporter: "You're putting the cart before the horse."
Doing what?
He later acknowledged, according to MLive.com, that Hackett will aid the athletic department in the search for a new athletic director. And that person will be given the task of installing a football coach who perhaps has an idea of how to run an offense. Maybe the new coach will even wear a headset so he can communicate with his assistants in the press box.
No school in the nation is more desperate for a fresh start than Michigan.
That start came Friday. Big Ten rivals, you've been warned.
tgreenstein@tribune.com
Twitter @TeddyGreenstein
