A Michigan Man has returned.
According to MLive.com and later confirmed by the school, Mike DeBord has returned to Ann Arbor as an offensive analyst for the football program.
It’s GREAT to be a MICHIGAN WOLVERINE!!!
— MikeDeBord (@DeBordCoachMike) March 3, 2020
DeBord had two stints at the school, coaching the offensive line under Gary Moeller initially. He was later promoted to offensive coordinator under Lloyd Carr and called plays for the national title-winning 1997 squad.
Following that success, DeBord was hired as Central Michigan’s head coach in 2000. He spent four seasons in Mount Pleasant but went just 12–34 with the Chippewas. After getting fired, he returned to UM and served as special teams coordinator and, eventually, offensive coordinator again.
DeBord then had an NFL detour with Seattle and Chicago before serving as Butch Jones’ OC at Tennessee in 2015-16. A two season stint at Indiana followed and the sexagenarian recently spent last year calling plays in the defunct AAF spring league.
Now the veteran assistant is back at Michigan to help out Jim Harbaugh and company. No word on what his specific off-field duties include but DeBord should at least provide a nice sounding board for young Wolverines OC Josh Gattis.
The team will begin spring practices on March 17 and will be prepping for one of the biggest non-conference games of the 2020 season when they open at Washington in September.
