Death
The next day, on November 17, 2006, Schembechler collapsed in a bathroom at WXYZ-TV just prior to the taping of Big Ten Ticket around 9:15 am. He was taken to Providence Hospital in Southfield, Michigan where he was pronounced dead at 11:43 am. At a press conference a few hours after his death, it was reported by his doctor, Dr. Kim Eagle of the University of Michigan Health System, that his death was from the terminal stage of heart disease, where the heart muscle itself does not respond to the pacemaker, a common cause of death for persons afflicted with severe heart disease.
Schembechler died the day before one of the biggest games in the history of the Michigan – Ohio State football rivalry. He was not planning to attend the November 18 game in Columbus, because his doctors had advised him that attending the game might be too much stress for his heart. Instead, Bo and his wife, Cathy, had packed the car and had planned to drive to suburban Dayton, Ohio to watch the game with his former Miami teammate and best friend, Bill Gunlock.
The University's Board of Regents approved a plan for the renovation and expansion of Michigan Stadium on the day of Schembechler's death.
On November 21, 2006, the University of Michigan held a memorial service for Schembechler in Michigan Stadium. Approximately 20,000 fans, ex-players and coaches including former Schembechler player and assistant coach and current LSU head football coach Les Miles turned out during the middle of a work-day to pay their respects to Schembechler and to celebrate his life. Former Ohio State head coaches Earle Bruce and John Cooper attended, along with then current head coach Jim Tressel and his entire staff.
Before his death, Schembechler had agreed to be an honorary pallbearer for former Michigan Wolverine and University of Michigan alumnus President Gerald Ford. Ford, himself a center at Michigan in the 1930s, died on December 26, 2006. A pew inside Washington National Cathedral was draped with a UM stadium blanket in Schembechler's memory. Air Force One flew low over Michigan Stadium as Ford's casket was en route from Washington, DC to Grand Rapids.
Read more about this topic: Bo Schembechler
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