An inside look at the University of Michigan’s football program from the man who was the team’s equipment manager for more than four decades   Forty years ago, Michigan equipment manager Jon Falk began his legacy, becoming a living encyclopedia of Michigan football tradition and history. Hired by Bo Schembechler in 1974, the now retired Falk shares his firsthand, inside stories from in the locker room, on the sideline, and on the road with one of college football’s most storied institutions. He may not be as well known as the Big House or the Little Brown Jug, but among coaches, players, and a good portion of the Michigan football faithful, Jon Falk has fashioned a lively legend of his own. Falk’s recollections connect the past and present to highlight the importance of the relationships created during the best four years of any college player’s life and it’s those relationships that drive the Wolverines to success. Jon Falk is the now retired equipment manager for the University of Michigan football team. For four decades he embodied the team’s traditions and history as a living encyclopedia, mentor, and friend to players, coaches, and proud alumni. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dan Ewald is a former newspaper writer and longtime public relations director for the Detroit Tigers. He is the author of 12 books, including works with Sparky Anderson, Bo Schembechler, Al Kaline, George Kell, and Ron Kramer. He lives in Troy, Michigan. Jim Harbaugh is a former Michigan quarterback who served as head coach of Stanford and the San Francisco 49ers before returning to Michigan as head coach. He lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Forty Years in the Big House Michigan Tales from my Four Decades as a Wolverine By Jon Falk, Dan Ewald Triumph Books Copyright © 2015 Jon Falk and Dan Ewald All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-62937-073-6 Contents Foreword by Jim Harbaugh, Preface, Introduction, 1. Life with Bo, 2. Bo's Boy, 3. A Material Man, 4. "The Indispensable Man", 5. Knowing the Coaches, 6. The Prime Seat, 7. Retirement, 8. Tradition, 9. History of the Gameday Banner, 10. Recruiting, 11. The Harbaugh Boys, 12. Inspiring Words, 13. Bo Changes, 14. Home Sweet Home, 15. In the Face of Woody Hayes, 16. A.C., 17. Curtis Greer, 18. John Wangler, 19. Woody Passed the Ball, 20. Tom Brady and Barry Larkin, 21. How 'Bout Them Boots?, 22. Did You Rob That Bank?, 23. Enemy Found and Captured, 24. A Football Dream, 25. A Fitting Farewell, 26. Forty Years of Memories, 27. One More Time, Epilogue: Helping Harbaugh, Inside the Numbers, Acknowledgments, CHAPTER 1 Life with Bo Soon after Jon Falk moved to Ann Arbor, he spent a lot of evening dinners at the Schembechler residence. At the time, Falk was living in a postage-stamp-size-second-floor apartment located in the clubhouse of the university golf course. He could lean his back up against one wall and stretch his legs up against the opposite wall. Bo's wife, Millie, never did see the inside of that apartment, but she did sense that Falk was lonesome from worrying about his mother and grandmother back in Oxford, Ohio. So Millie tried to make Falk, a man in his early 20s, feel more comfortable and at home. Falk enjoyed those meals with the Schembechler family, which included fine cooking and good conversation. It also offered Bo and Jon the opportunity to establish a friendship that stretched far beyond the football field. One evening after dinner, Millie, Bo, the kids, and Falk were sitting around the table when a question from Millie silenced all of the small talk. "Sometimes you appear to be somewhat fearful of Bo," she innocently inquired. "Is that the case?" Falk took a half-glass gulp of water and quickly looked at the faces around the table. The boys were giggling. Bo got that glaze of curiosity in his eyes. And Millie simply smiled politely. "I'm not exactly sure about what you mean by fearful of Bo," Falk began carefully. "But I sure do respect him an awful lot." Everybody around the table broke into a relieved laugh, and Falk felt he had been accepted into the family in a most peculiar way. "You really had to stay close to Bo to understand all the nuances of his strength and commitment to his teams," Falk said. "He also had that commitment to the University of Michigan and all the friends he made along the way. I was fortunate to have gotten so close to him. It was a lifelong learning process. So many laughs and lessons to be learned along the way." Bo would have remained coaching Michigan, but his cardiologist friend, Dr. Kim Eagle, recommended his stepping away from the stress of coaching after the Rose Bowl game of January 1990. Even Falk was shocked at that news. A few days later, Bo dropped another bomb that shook the foundation of college football and Major League Baseball at the same time. Bo was going to become a Detroit Tiger. Not as the manager. Not even as a coach. Falk got one of the heartiest laug