Expectations for Kyle Whittingham’s first year are high, but what is the track record for first-year head coaches in Ann Arbor? Here’s how each former Michigan head coach has performed in his first season at the helm since the legendary Bo Schembechler.
1969: Bo Schembechler (8-3)
Schembechler is one of the most beloved head coaches in Michigan history, and his tenure started with a very promising first year. The Wolverines went 8-2 in the regular season, highlighted by a gigantic upset over No. 1 Ohio State at the Big House,
before losing in the Rose Bowl. Michigan reached the Rose Bowl just one time in the previous 18 years, so Schembechler’s first season was viewed as a huge improvement — it eventually turned into a 21-year Hall of Fame career.
1990: Gary Moeller (9-3)
After being an assistant coach under Schembechler for more than a decade, Gary Moeller was selected as his successor at Michigan. Similarly to his predecessor, Moeller made a positive impression in his first year in charge — remaining atop the Big Ten standings and finishing with a 9-3 record following a blowout victory over No. 15 Ole Miss in the Gator Bowl. Despite coming up short to No. 1 Notre Dame in his first game, Moeller helped Michigan win a share of the Big Ten title in each of his first three years.
1995: Lloyd Carr (9-4)
Lloyd Carr took over as the interim head coach after Moeller’s resignation in 1995, and he eventually earned the permanent position following an 8-2 start to his first season. It wasn’t exactly an ideal start for Carr, though, as Michigan was down 17-0 to Virginia in his very first game before storming back in a historic comeback and eventually finishing 9-4 overall. Most notably, he became the sixth consecutive first-year head coach to lead Michigan to a win over bitter rival Ohio State.
2008: Rich Rodriguez (3-9)
The only truly disastrous season under a first-year head coach in recent memory was Rich Rodriguez’s catastrophic campaign. Michigan went from consistently competing for Big Ten championships to being at the bottom of the conference in the blink of an eye. The Wolverines went 3-9 and included embarrassing losses to Purdue and Toledo. Rodriguez’s first year here was riddled with frustration, resulting in the Michigan’s first losing season in more than 40 years and the most losses in a single season in school history.
2011: Brady Hoke (11-2)
Brady Hoke was hired to replace Rodriguez and he, surprisingly enough, broke the school-record for most wins as a first-year head coach. The Wolverines went 11-2 in Hoke’s first season, snapping a seven-game losing streak to Ohio State and defeating No. 11 Virginia Tech in the Sugar Bowl. Hoke’s inaugural campaign was the highlight of his head coaching tenure, as Michigan got progressively worse in the following years, but 2011 was certainly a memorable year.
2015: Jim Harbaugh (10-3)
After missing a bowl game in Hoke’s final season, Michigan turned to Jim Harbaugh to lead the program back to relevance. Harbaugh instantly had a positive impact, helping the Wolverines go 10-3 in 2015. Michigan finished third in the Big Ten and capped off the season by blowing out No. 19 Florida in the Citrus Bowl. It took a few more years to truly become legitimate contenders, but Harbaugh’s first season was a sign that Michigan was on its way back to national title contention.
2024: Sherrone Moore (8-5)
Sherrone Moore’s first season as head coach was filled with ups and downs, but it ended on a major high — with an upset win at Ohio State and another big upset win vs Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. It was far from a perfect debut, but the Wolverines were able to do just enough to make the season a relatively successful start to Moore’s tenure. Unfortunately that didn’t last long, as Moore’s stint came to a scandalous end in December.
Based on the previous seven instances, the overall record for first-year head coaches in Ann Arbor is 58-29, including 5-2 against Ohio State, 4-2 in bowl games, and an average of 8.3 wins per season.
Do you think Whittingham will find more or less success than his predecessors? Make sure to comment below your predictions for Whittingham’s first season.
