The Big Ten Has Closed the Coaching Gap

The Big Ten was the first major college conferences, created in 1895. For decades it was the best in football, and, lest we forget, research and academics. And you Ivy League snobs can hold your horses: your league didn’t start until 1954 – a surprising fact that can...

The Search for Harbaugh Started With a Boat Ride

Today, Jim Harbaugh’s return to Ann Arbor looks like a no-brainer, the most obvious of football marriages. But it didn’t seem that way two years ago, when the odds were very long, indeed. Michigan football coach Brady Hoke seemed poised for a solid season. With eight...

What Made Gordie Howe “Mr. Hockey”

Dear Loyal Readers, As you can imagine, with the passing of Muhammad Ali and Gordie Howe, just about all sports writers have been working to give both the obituaries they deserve. Here are mine for Mr. Hockey himself, Gordie Howe. My interview on Michigan...