Former CMU football coach Mike DeBord does not want to dwell on the past.

He does not want to think about the painful 2003 season. He does not
want to look back on the days leading up to his resignation.

He simply wants to move on with his football career, and more importantly, his life.

“That was then and this is now,” DeBord said. “It is my philosophy
to learn from the past, but to look forward to today and tomorrow. I’ve
learned so much from my four years here. I want to go build upon what
I’ve learned.”

Michigan coach Lloyd Carr announced Tuesday that DeBord will join
Michigan’s staff as recruiting coordinator and special teams coach.

“I want to use what I learned and improve on some of my weak points,” DeBord said.

DeBord returns to Ann Arbor, where he served as an offensive line
assistant, offensive coordinator and assistant head coach from 1992 to
1999. He remains close to Carr and his family is rooted in Michigan.

“I would like to remain in the Midwest as much as possible,” DeBord
said. “Much of my family lives here, plus I have one son graduating
from college here and another graduating from high school.”

He had also considered jobs at Iowa State and UCLA.

DeBord, 47, said he believes he still is young enough to resurface
as a head coach at some point. But for now, he said he is confident on
focusing on the football aspects of being an assistant coach.

“All jobs have requirements,” DeBord said. “I love the football and
the coaching. But some of the other requirements were beyond just that.”

University President Michael Rao said he believed one of the reasons
for DeBord’s resignation was his dislike for many of the public
relations functions of the job.

“He kept talking about how he didn’t like the lunches and the public
relations,” Rao said. “It was really getting to him. I was kind of
surprised.”

DeBord’s 12-34 record while at CMU wore him down.

“I liked every part of being the football coach here, except for the
losing,” DeBord said. “That really got to me, which I believe is a good
thing.”

Rao said he had two 30-minute conversations with DeBord prior to his
resignation, in which DeBord expressed the exact sentiments.

“He said the losses over time were really getting to him,” Rao said.
“He also talked about whether he really wanted to be a head coach. He
felt an assistant coach role was probably more of a fit for him.”

Athletics director Herb Deromedi also met with DeBord multiple times before the resignation.

“He came to us and told us that he would resign,” Deromedi said.
“What we attempted to do is to meet with him and ask him to reconsider.
We had met at his home several times, but he was fairly certain.”

Rao said that while he asked DeBord to reconsider, he could not give
in on DeBord’s desire to receive guaranteed job security through 2006 —
the year in which his contract ran out.

“He mentioned he was hoping for more of a complete guarantee,” Rao
said. “He wanted protection. He was looking for a guarantee in time,
and I don’t think we could give it to him.”

Since resigning, DeBord has spent much time with his family,
including wife Deb and sons Tyler and Kyle. He also has helped his
assistant coaches land jobs and plans on meeting with some of his
former players.

“Without a doubt, I will still support this program,” DeBord said.

As much as he does not like to reflect on the past, DeBord admits he looks back upon his time at CMU with fondness.

“I enjoyed it a lot,” DeBord said. “I appreciated the coaches,
players and all of the other people I came in contact with. This
experience will help me in the future.”

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