Mike Boren is a former American football

American football

American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...

 linebacker

Linebacker

A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...

 who played for the Michigan Wolverines

Michigan Wolverines football

The Michigan Wolverines football program represents the University of Michigan in college football at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level. Michigan has the most all-time wins and the highest winning percentage in college football history...

 from 1980 to 1983.

University of Michigan

Boren grew up in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 where he attended Independence High School

Independence High School (Columbus, Ohio)

Independence High School is a public high school located at 5175 E. Refugee Road, Columbus, Ohio. It is a part of Columbus City Schools.The school colors are Red, White and Blue. The school nickname is the 76'ers.-Notable alumni:...

. Despite growing up in Columbus, Boren accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Michigan and play linebacker for Bo Schembechler

Bo Schembechler

Glenn Edward "Bo" Schembechler, Jr. was an American football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University from 1963 to 1968 and at the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1989, compiling a career record of 234–65–8...

.

Relationship with Bo Schembechler

While at Michigan, Boren became close with Coach Schembechler. In 1981, Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated

Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...

 reported on an exchange between Boren and Schembechler. Boren walked into Bo's office, but before Boren could open his mouth, Bo spoke.


Bo: "Look at your hair."

Boren: "I was born with it like this."

Bo: "Naw, you got it all pushed up. You weren't born with it like that. It wasn't even like that when I met you. Get a haircut."

Boren: "Bo, it's only a half-inch long."

Bo: "Get a haircut. How much do you weigh?"

Boren: "Oh, 218, but I've been sick."

Bo: "You were 218 and sick last time you were in here."

Boren: "I'm a sick person."

Bo: "Get unsick."


In 2005, when Michigan offered a scholarship to Boren's son, Justin Boren

Justin Boren

Justin Matthew Boren is an American football offensive guard for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He has played guard and center during his high school and college football career...

, Schembechler thought there was nothing to discuss. "Bo just said, 'He's your son. You tell him where he's going to go,'" Boren said with a laugh. "But I told Bo, 'I'm not going to tell him where to go. He has to make this decision for himself.'"

By the fall of 2006, Justin Boren had joined the Wolverines. On November 16, 2006, Boren was in Ann Arbor with his son where they both attended Schembechler's final address to the team before the Ohio State game. According to Boren, the speech had a sense of urgency. "He pretty much delivered it, and the guys were going nuts. It's a scary thing, and I hate to say it, but I think Bo knew something was wrong." Schembechler collapsed and died of heart failure the next morning. After the 2007 season, Justin Boren quit the University of Michigan and transferred to Ohio State University.

Sixth among top tacklers in Michigan history

Boren went on to become one of the greatest linebacker's in Mighigan history. His 212 career tackles ranks sixth in school history:

1. Jarrett Irons

Jarrett Irons

Jarrett Irons is a former All-American linebacker who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines football team from 1993-1996. A native of The Woodlands, Texas, Irons was twice selected to the All Big Ten Conference team and was a team co-captain in 1995 and 1996...

 - 296 tackles (1993-1996)

2. Erick Anderson

Erick Anderson

Erick Scott Anderson is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League. He played college football for the University of Michigan. He won the Butkus Award in 1991.-College career:...

 - 286 tackles (1988-1991)

3. Sam Sword

Sam Sword

Sam Lee-Arthur Sword is a former American football linebacker who played for the Oakland Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts of the NFL. He played college football at the University of Michigan...

 - 265 tackles (1995-1998)

4. Ron Simpkins

Ron Simpkins

Ronald Bernard Simpkins is a former linebacker who played seven seasons in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals. Simpkins played college football at the University of Michigan, where he was an All-American....

 - 262 tackles (1976-1979)

5. Steve Morrison - 220 tackles (1990-1994)

6. Mike Boren - 212 tackles (1980-1983)

7. Mike Mallory

Mike Mallory

Mike Mallory is a former American football linebacker who played for the University of Michigan Wolverines from 1982 to 1985. He was the Most Valuable Player for the 1984 Wolverines team and was a finalist for the Butkus Award in 1985...

 - 211 tackles (1982-1985)

8. Paul Girgash

Paul Girgash

Paul Girgash is a retired American football linebacker. He played for the University of Michigan from 1979 to 1982. He started 36 consecutive games at inside linebacker for Michigan from 1980 to 1982, played in the 1981 and 1983 Rose Bowls, and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player by...

 - 206 tackles (1979-1982)

9. Victor Hobson

Victor Hobson

Victor Brian Hobson is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2003 NFL Draft...

 - 205 tackles (1999-2002)

10. Calvin O'Neal

Calvin O'Neal

Calvin O'Neal is a former professional American football linebacker who played for the Baltimore Colts in 1978 and was an All-American and team co-captain for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 1976.-Amateur career:...

- 180 tackles (1974-1976)

Boren's top games at Michigan

Boren had fifteen games at Michigan in which he had at least eight tackles. His best games at Michigan are as follows:
1. 1982 at Illinois: 14 tackles, 3 assists, 17 total

2. 1981 Navy: 13 tackles, 5 assists, 18 total

3. 1982 UCLA: 12 tackles, 6 assists, 18 total

4. 1982 Michigan State: 12 tackles, 5 assists, 17 total

5. 1982 Purdue: 10 tackles, 2 assists, 12 total

6. 1981 Ohio State: 9 tackles, 6 assists, 15 total

7. 1981 at Minnesota: 9 tackles, 1 assist, 10 total

8. 1981 Illinois: 9 tackles, 3 assists, 12 total

9. 1983 at Wisconsin: 9 tackles, 6 assists, 15 total

10. 1981 at Purdue 8 9 17

Life after University of Michigan

Boren had intended to play in the NFL some day, but a knee injury in his senior season ended his football playing career. "I took football for granted, and then when I didn't have football anymore, I about cried," Boren recalled. When he graduated from Michigan, he had a degree in education, but he had no desire to be a teacher or a coach. Instead, he became the owner of three businesses.

Life in Columbus as a "Traitor"

Boren returned to Columbus after graduating, a city where natives such as Boren who went north to play Michigan football are referred to (sometimes in jest, sometimes not) as "traitors." On living in Columbus, Boren said: "It's like being in the belly of the beast. In the (1990s) it was a great place to live. Now, it's been a little hectic. Hey, it's humbling."