DeBord Makes it Home to Indiana
8/3/2017 2:46:00 PM | Football
By Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Before Tom Allen had made any move regarding his football coaching career, he had always called to elicit advice from his friend Mike DeBord.
But this call was a little different.
DeBord and wife Deb were driving north out of Nashville to see the grandkids in Michigan last Dec. 31. It was a Saturday, the day after offensive coordinator DeBord helped orchestrate Tennessee's 38-24 Music City Bowl win over Nebraska.
When DeBord's phone chimed and he showed the caller ID "Tom Allen" to Deb, she said, "Well, ANSWER it."
Because Deb knew what the call meant. DeBord had previously given her a heads-up about the possibility of it.
Allen, after one very impressive season as Indiana's defensive coordinator, had ascended to the Hoosiers' head coaching position Dec. 1.
And Allen knew where to find a kindred soul to be a key component of his staff -- associate head coach in charge of the offense.
"If he calls," DeBord had said of Allen, "we're going."
Going home to Indiana.
The next day, after another confirming conversation on the drive back south, all was set. By Monday, DeBord cleaned out his Tennessee office, said his goodbyes and drove to Bloomington.
"That's the respect I have for him … I just want to work for Tom Allen," DeBord said during Tuesday's IU Football Media Day. "And we're both from Indiana."
Yes, there is also that.
Muncie-area native DeBord has now coached at 10 different colleges and in 16 bowl games. He spent over a decade at Michigan in two separate stops, including serving as offensive coordinator for the Wolverines' 1997 national championship squad.
DeBord's 35 years in coaching also includes NFL stints with the Seahawks and Bears.
"Every job has meant a lot to me," DeBord said. "I mean every one. Every one I've had, I wanted to succeed, wanted to help and all those kinds of things. But this one has more meaning. Has a lot more.
"Sometimes it's hard to describe. But, when you stop and think about it, you see why. It's got a little more meaning for me than the other jobs I've had."
And not just because DeBord's brother Eric was an IU defensive end for Lee Corso from 1977 through 1980.
Or just because DeBord is a Hoosier who played his high school (Wes-Del) and college (Manchester) football in the state and also knows IU's football history.
DeBord's connection with the Allen family goes back years to the Indiana coach's father, also named Tom.
"It was 1979. I was a high school coach, here in Indiana, and I was asking around about the veer offense -- you know, 'Who runs the veer offense the best?' " DeBord said. "And Tom Allen's name kept coming up.
"I didn't know him, didn't even know where he was coaching. He was at New Castle. So I somehow got his phone number and called him up and asked if I could come over."
DeBord could and did. He doesn't remember seeing Tom Allen the younger that day, but DeBord and Tom Allen the elder spent the entire day together talking football.
"We were in his garage," DeBord said. "I'll never forget, we had trash cans set up – there was a trash can for the center, a trash can for the guard and for the tackle, et cetera – and he took me through and explained his offense.
"I just had great respect for him, No. 1 for doing that, but for just the kind of man he is. I've enjoyed knowing him through the years."
And a couple of decades on, DeBord got to know Tom Allen the younger through the auspices of legendary Hoosier prep coach Dick Dullaghan.
"I'd been at another high school, recruiting, then walked into Ben Davis," DeBord recalled. "Dick Dullaghan, the coach there, kept talking about 'I've got this new defensive coordinator. He's awesome. He's great.' He kept going on and on. I said, 'Who is the guy?' And he said, "Tom Allen.'
"I said, 'Is he related to the Tom Allen over at New Castle?' And he said, 'Yeah, it's his son.' So I said, 'Can I meet him?' And we went up to his classroom and I met him. From that moment on, we just (clicked) … we just always maintained a relationship over the years and we talked all the time."
In the interim, in the seven years DeBord served as an FBS offensive coordinator, his teams went 70-19 (and 43-13 in league play).
"Mike DeBord's offenses are WINNING offenses," Nick Sheridan, who played for DeBord at Michigan and is now IU's quarterbacks coach, said Tuesday. "If you want to sum up his career as an offensive coordinator, he's always put a unit out there that has won. Period.
"He's got a great perspective on the game. He understands what winning football looks like, and what winning offenses look like. He's coached in all sorts of different offenses, has had all different sorts of players, different strengths and weaknesses, and he's found a way to cater things to what they do best and to put a winning product out on the field."
All five quarterbacks DeBord mentored as a coordinator made the NFL – Tom Brady, Brian Griese, Chad Henne and Drew Henson at Michigan, and this past year Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs as the Volunteers scored a school record 63 touchdowns and averaged 36.4 points per game before Dobbs moved on to the Steelers.
DeBord feels IU fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow has NFL potential, too.
"I think he's got an NFL arm," DeBord said of Lagow. "There isn't any doubt about it. He's got the size for that as well.
"I think the biggest thing for him is just taking care of the football. Playing smart. Taking what they give you. Not forcing things."
DeBord can cite a pretty good example for that.
"I've told our quarterbacks, whenever I've started a new year with a new quarterback, to go back and look at Tom Brady's last drive in his first Super Bowl," DeBord said. "He checked the ball down a lot (eschewing primary receivers to throw underneath the defense.)
"He had to make a couple of throws (downfield) during that drive, but he played smart. And that's all you have to do. Just play smart. Don't try to be hero. Take what they give you. I know that all sounds simple, but it's the mentality you have to have."
DeBord said one of the things he's realized as a coach over the years is that, while big-risk/big-reward plays have their place, a four- or five-yard gain "is still a pretty good football play."
And he knows there are times in almost any game when the defense knows the offense has to run the ball and the offense needs to be able to do so.
At the same time, he knows that the current Hoosiers, on paper, have the potential for a potent passing attack. He wants to limit turnovers, limit Lagow's interceptions, but also wants to play to the team's strengths.
"I don't believe in playing scared," DeBord said, "but I believe in playing smart. We've got receivers and we've also got a great tight end -- I like Ian Thomas a lot.
" … So we've got to be able to throw the football. We're going to play to our strengths and I hope that's both running and throwing the football, but I don't believe in playing scared. And we're not going to play that way."
Sheridan said DeBord has plenty of personal strengths to which he can play.
"He's a wonderful man," Sheridan said. "He's outstanding. Great Christian, great husband, great father, great grandfather – and he can coach football, too, which is a bonus added to all of that.
"I can't say enough great things about Coach DeBord, and I know that's the kind of person Coach Allen wanted to hire for his staff. Coach Allen has done that from the top down."
Lagow sees it that way, too.
"Playing for 'Coach DeBo' is awesome," Lagow said. "He's a really patient coach while also being demanding. He loves telling you when you do a good job – not getting overly excited about it, but he'll pull you aside and say, 'Hey, that was a big-time play.' He doesn't let you get away with a lot, but I haven't seen him chew into people much.
"Our coaching staff is really into teaching and helping people grow, as players and men, without trying to demean them on the field. That's hard to do, a lot of the time. They're so passionate and we're passionate. It's easy to get caught up in those emotions and start screaming and yelling. And that's something I haven't seen Coach DeBord do a lot in a negative way."
DeBord feels nothing but positive about his return to his Hoosier roots and reconnection with Tom Allen.
"It's been great," DeBord said. "I love this state. I grew up here. It's where I played football, high school and college football. It's where my coaching career started and it's where my coaching career is going to end. I'm going to stay here."
Answering the call.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Before Tom Allen had made any move regarding his football coaching career, he had always called to elicit advice from his friend Mike DeBord.
But this call was a little different.
DeBord and wife Deb were driving north out of Nashville to see the grandkids in Michigan last Dec. 31. It was a Saturday, the day after offensive coordinator DeBord helped orchestrate Tennessee's 38-24 Music City Bowl win over Nebraska.
When DeBord's phone chimed and he showed the caller ID "Tom Allen" to Deb, she said, "Well, ANSWER it."
Because Deb knew what the call meant. DeBord had previously given her a heads-up about the possibility of it.
Allen, after one very impressive season as Indiana's defensive coordinator, had ascended to the Hoosiers' head coaching position Dec. 1.
And Allen knew where to find a kindred soul to be a key component of his staff -- associate head coach in charge of the offense.
"If he calls," DeBord had said of Allen, "we're going."
Going home to Indiana.
The next day, after another confirming conversation on the drive back south, all was set. By Monday, DeBord cleaned out his Tennessee office, said his goodbyes and drove to Bloomington.
"That's the respect I have for him … I just want to work for Tom Allen," DeBord said during Tuesday's IU Football Media Day. "And we're both from Indiana."
Yes, there is also that.
Muncie-area native DeBord has now coached at 10 different colleges and in 16 bowl games. He spent over a decade at Michigan in two separate stops, including serving as offensive coordinator for the Wolverines' 1997 national championship squad.
DeBord's 35 years in coaching also includes NFL stints with the Seahawks and Bears.
"Every job has meant a lot to me," DeBord said. "I mean every one. Every one I've had, I wanted to succeed, wanted to help and all those kinds of things. But this one has more meaning. Has a lot more.
"Sometimes it's hard to describe. But, when you stop and think about it, you see why. It's got a little more meaning for me than the other jobs I've had."
And not just because DeBord's brother Eric was an IU defensive end for Lee Corso from 1977 through 1980.
Or just because DeBord is a Hoosier who played his high school (Wes-Del) and college (Manchester) football in the state and also knows IU's football history.
DeBord's connection with the Allen family goes back years to the Indiana coach's father, also named Tom.
"It was 1979. I was a high school coach, here in Indiana, and I was asking around about the veer offense -- you know, 'Who runs the veer offense the best?' " DeBord said. "And Tom Allen's name kept coming up.
"I didn't know him, didn't even know where he was coaching. He was at New Castle. So I somehow got his phone number and called him up and asked if I could come over."
DeBord could and did. He doesn't remember seeing Tom Allen the younger that day, but DeBord and Tom Allen the elder spent the entire day together talking football.
"We were in his garage," DeBord said. "I'll never forget, we had trash cans set up – there was a trash can for the center, a trash can for the guard and for the tackle, et cetera – and he took me through and explained his offense.
"I just had great respect for him, No. 1 for doing that, but for just the kind of man he is. I've enjoyed knowing him through the years."
And a couple of decades on, DeBord got to know Tom Allen the younger through the auspices of legendary Hoosier prep coach Dick Dullaghan.
"I'd been at another high school, recruiting, then walked into Ben Davis," DeBord recalled. "Dick Dullaghan, the coach there, kept talking about 'I've got this new defensive coordinator. He's awesome. He's great.' He kept going on and on. I said, 'Who is the guy?' And he said, "Tom Allen.'
"I said, 'Is he related to the Tom Allen over at New Castle?' And he said, 'Yeah, it's his son.' So I said, 'Can I meet him?' And we went up to his classroom and I met him. From that moment on, we just (clicked) … we just always maintained a relationship over the years and we talked all the time."
In the interim, in the seven years DeBord served as an FBS offensive coordinator, his teams went 70-19 (and 43-13 in league play).
"Mike DeBord's offenses are WINNING offenses," Nick Sheridan, who played for DeBord at Michigan and is now IU's quarterbacks coach, said Tuesday. "If you want to sum up his career as an offensive coordinator, he's always put a unit out there that has won. Period.
"He's got a great perspective on the game. He understands what winning football looks like, and what winning offenses look like. He's coached in all sorts of different offenses, has had all different sorts of players, different strengths and weaknesses, and he's found a way to cater things to what they do best and to put a winning product out on the field."
All five quarterbacks DeBord mentored as a coordinator made the NFL – Tom Brady, Brian Griese, Chad Henne and Drew Henson at Michigan, and this past year Tennessee's Joshua Dobbs as the Volunteers scored a school record 63 touchdowns and averaged 36.4 points per game before Dobbs moved on to the Steelers.
DeBord feels IU fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow has NFL potential, too.
"I think he's got an NFL arm," DeBord said of Lagow. "There isn't any doubt about it. He's got the size for that as well.
"I think the biggest thing for him is just taking care of the football. Playing smart. Taking what they give you. Not forcing things."
DeBord can cite a pretty good example for that.
"I've told our quarterbacks, whenever I've started a new year with a new quarterback, to go back and look at Tom Brady's last drive in his first Super Bowl," DeBord said. "He checked the ball down a lot (eschewing primary receivers to throw underneath the defense.)
"He had to make a couple of throws (downfield) during that drive, but he played smart. And that's all you have to do. Just play smart. Don't try to be hero. Take what they give you. I know that all sounds simple, but it's the mentality you have to have."
DeBord said one of the things he's realized as a coach over the years is that, while big-risk/big-reward plays have their place, a four- or five-yard gain "is still a pretty good football play."
And he knows there are times in almost any game when the defense knows the offense has to run the ball and the offense needs to be able to do so.
At the same time, he knows that the current Hoosiers, on paper, have the potential for a potent passing attack. He wants to limit turnovers, limit Lagow's interceptions, but also wants to play to the team's strengths.
"I don't believe in playing scared," DeBord said, "but I believe in playing smart. We've got receivers and we've also got a great tight end -- I like Ian Thomas a lot.
" … So we've got to be able to throw the football. We're going to play to our strengths and I hope that's both running and throwing the football, but I don't believe in playing scared. And we're not going to play that way."
Sheridan said DeBord has plenty of personal strengths to which he can play.
"He's a wonderful man," Sheridan said. "He's outstanding. Great Christian, great husband, great father, great grandfather – and he can coach football, too, which is a bonus added to all of that.
"I can't say enough great things about Coach DeBord, and I know that's the kind of person Coach Allen wanted to hire for his staff. Coach Allen has done that from the top down."
Lagow sees it that way, too.
"Playing for 'Coach DeBo' is awesome," Lagow said. "He's a really patient coach while also being demanding. He loves telling you when you do a good job – not getting overly excited about it, but he'll pull you aside and say, 'Hey, that was a big-time play.' He doesn't let you get away with a lot, but I haven't seen him chew into people much.
"Our coaching staff is really into teaching and helping people grow, as players and men, without trying to demean them on the field. That's hard to do, a lot of the time. They're so passionate and we're passionate. It's easy to get caught up in those emotions and start screaming and yelling. And that's something I haven't seen Coach DeBord do a lot in a negative way."
DeBord feels nothing but positive about his return to his Hoosier roots and reconnection with Tom Allen.
"It's been great," DeBord said. "I love this state. I grew up here. It's where I played football, high school and college football. It's where my coaching career started and it's where my coaching career is going to end. I'm going to stay here."
Answering the call.
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