It came as a shock.

I was at work earlier today, listening to ESPN Radio on my computer when I heard that Bo Schembechler had passed away.

I thought for a second that I was hearing things. Bo Schembechler dead? On the day before the Michigan-Ohio State game, with a Big Ten title and national title berth on the line?

Say it isn’t so.

Sadly, it is.

Schembechler collapsed after taping a television show at WXYZ in Southfield, Michigan (a Detroit suburb). In October, Bo became ill during a taping at WXYZ, and was fitted with a pacemaker to help regulate his heartbeat. The cause of death was announced today as terminal heart failure.

Growing up in New York City, college football was not that big a deal. But there were definitely legendary names. Joe Paterno was one.

Bo Schembechler was another.

Bo was the embodiment of Michigan football, as much a symbol of the program as the famed winged helmet design. The football offices are housed in Schembechler Hall, where he maintained an office to this very day. Current Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr was an assistant under Bo.

The accomplishments can’t be ignored:

• Most wins in Michigan football history (194-48-5)
• 13 Big Ten titles
• 17 bowl games, including 15 straight to end his career
• 10 Rose Bowl appearances
• Seven time Big Ten Coach of the Year
• 1969 National Coach of the Year

And, he was 5-4-1 against his mentor, Ohio State coach Woody Hayes, from 1969-78. Some of the best games in the rivalry occurred during this timeframe.

That may be what makes all of this so difficult to comprehend. While Bo was the face of Michigan football, he got his coaching start at Ohio State as a graduate assistant under Woody Hayes.

So the link between both programs, a man who has been on both sidelines, has passed away.

But you know Bo’s spirit will be watching tomorrow.

And you can bet he’ll be cheering for the maize and blue.