Michigan search getting under way

The athletic director says the new coach need not be a Michigan man.

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — Les Miles seems to have everything college football’s winningest program is looking for, including ties to the school and the late-great coach Bo Schembechler.

But being a “Michigan man,” is not a requirement to get the job of succeeding Lloyd Carr.

“Well, you remember a guy named Schembechler? He wasn’t a Michigan man,” Carr said Monday when he announced the Wolverines’ bowl game would be his last on the sidelines. “Fritz Crisler wasn’t a Michigan man. Fielding Yost wasn’t a Michigan man.”

That’s why the field of candidates could include Oklahoma’s Bob Stoops and Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz.

“Some guy throws out a pool of names, so now I’m out there,” Stoops told reporters Tuesday. “I’m not a candidate for any job, not this one or any of the next ones that are coming in the next few weeks.”

On Monday, Miles pleaded with the media to let the topic rest, trying to keep the focus on his top-ranked LSU Tigers and their upcoming game against Arkansas. An Iowa spokesman said Ferentz would not comment.

Athletic director Bill Martin wouldn’t say who is on his wish list, but did clear up some questions about the search.

“I don’t think ties to Michigan are important at all, as long as a candidate buys into the values of Michigan,” Martin said. “Head coaching experience I certainly prefer, but I wouldn’t rule out someone that was a seasoned coordinator.

“If you brought in a coach from the NFL, the entire coaching team would need the necessary background and experience to deal with recruiting, NCAA and compliance issues.”

Carr told Martin he planned to make this his 13th and final season shortly after opening the season with losses to Appalachian State and Oregon.

Since then, Martin said he started to compile names and did some homework on each coach.

“Obviously, we’ve been already collecting information,” he said.

Now, he plans to ask for help.

Martin said he would put together a screening committee, including former Michigan players, to evaluate candidates and assist with the search process.

“I’ll be guided by a lot of their judgments, but ultimately the decision rests with me,” he said. “Everybody asks, will you ask Lloyd? Of course I will. He knows the coaching profession, and he knows everyone that would be considered a candidate.”

Martin said he is looking for the next Carr, who led Michigan to the 1997 national championship and five Big Ten titles while keeping the school above even suspicions about NCAA violations.