Trivia
Monday, March 10, 2008 at 11:53AM Name the first player to return a kickoff for touchdown against a Bo Schembechler led Michigan team
Update: Commenter Jim McDermott rings in with the correct answer --- Notre Dame's Raghib "Rocket" Ismail.
From page 107 of "Bo's Lasting Lessons - The Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership"
September 16, 1989, it's my last year, and we're playing Notre Dame at home. We've got a good team -- with Leroy Hoard, Greg McMurtry and Greg Skrepenak -- but they do, too, with Tony Rice and Ricky Watters and Rocket Ismail. Good? Hell, we were ranked number two, and they were ranked number one. That's pretty good!
We start the second half down just 7-6. We kick the ball to Rocket, and he runs the damn thing all the way back for a touchdown -- the first kickoff returned for a touchdown since I had arrived at Michigan twenty years earlier! That makes me mad.
Early in the fourth quarter we cut their lead to 17-12 and we've got to kick off again. Now I'm on the headset, telling the coaches I want to squib it, kick it out of bounds, eat it -- anything but kick it to Rocket Ismail. But they're unified. "No, Bo, we can stop him. Last time was a fluke. Let's send a message!"
I agree. We kick it to Rocket -- and I'll be damned if he doesn't run it all the way back again for another touchdown! We lose 24-19, with Rocket scoring 14 of their points on two kick returns.
Afterward the know-it-all writers are asking how I could be so stupid to kick the ball to Rocket twice. Whose brilliant idea was that?
I did not think twice before answering: "It was my decision, it's my responsibility, and if you don't like it, you can blame me."






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