For those who may have forgotten, Coach Urban Meyer will be making his first trip as Ohio State’s head coach to Ann Arbor, the city and location for That Team Up North. (I realize that everyone on Ohio State’s campus is forgoing the letter “M”, but I am not that creative. Please bear with me.) Coach Meyer also repeated in his press conference on 11/25/2013 how he recalled the infamous 1987 game, which served as former Ohio State head coach Earle Bruce’s last game with the Buckeyes. Ohio State defeated That Team Up North, 23-20.
Coach Meyer was a graduate assistant from 1986-1987 for Coach Bruce and Ohio State and suddenly without work, in the wake of Coach Bruce’s firing. Coach Meyer landed an assistant job at Illinois State from 1988-1989, reuniting with Coach Bruce at Colorado State in 1990. Coach Meyer served on the Colorado State staff from 1990-1995.
An opportunity to serve as Lou Holtz’s wide receivers coach at Notre Dame led Coach Meyer to South Bend in 1996. Fortunately for Coach Meyer, Bob Davie retained Coach Meyer on his Notre Dame staff when Davie was named Holtz’s successor at Notre Dame in 1997.
Unfortunately for Coach Meyer, return trips to Ann Arbor as a Notre Dame assistant coach were not pleasant experiences again. In 1987, Coach Meyer coached against That Team Up North, knowing he was soon to be out of a job. In 1997, as an assistant at Notre Dame, That Team Up North defeated Notre Dame 21-14. In 1999, again That Team Up North defeated Notre Dame, 26-22.
Before anyone becomes too antsy or nervous about Coach Meyer and his lack of success in Ann Arbor, something important to keep in mind regarding Coach Meyer and rivalry games – Coach Meyer is very successful. Check out his record in rivalry games below…
Urban Meyer is now 27-6 in rivalry games. Unreal.
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) November 25, 2012
Perhaps it was just because Coach Meyer was an assistant coach, and not the head coach, for his challenges with Ann Arbor. It would certainly be understandable if Coach Meyer referred to that city as Assistant’s Agony instead, as he makes every effort to not refer to That Team Up North by name.
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