Happy Trails, Mike DeBord
1/2/2019 9:53:00 AM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Mike DeBord was really ready to ride off into a well-earned sunset at the end of 2016.
But he instead chose to work on behalf of Indiana football, and old friend Tom Allen.
"I had informed coach Butch Jones at Tennessee that I was, in fact, going to retire," DeBord recalled Monday. "Soon after that, Tom called."
DeBord and wife Deb were driving to see grandkids in Michigan, after he had helped orchestrate Tennessee's 38-24 win over Nebraska in the 2016 Music City Bowl, when Allen's cell phone call came in.
And Mike and Deb DeBord changed their plans, altering a major life decision, as a result of that call.
As an IU man, I have nothing but appreciation for that. And Hoosier fans everywhere should share that sentiment.
DeBord is now indeed retiring from coaching, specifically from his post as Indiana's offensive coordinator, with the official announcement issued Sunday night – exactly two years to the day after Allen called him to IU.
There is symmetry in that. And also in Muncie native DeBord having started and concluded his college coaching career in his home state.
"I've always had the greatest respect and affection for Indiana, as far back as when Eric played there," said DeBord of his brother, who played for Lee Corso at IU from 1977 through 1980. "And I coached with Terry Hoeppner at Franklin College, and I loved him. I loved Bill Mallory. Got to come watch Indiana practice when he was the head coach.
"So I'd had a close tie to Indiana, even though I'd never worked there. And one of my goals was always to work at Indiana at some point in my career. I didn't know if would happen or when it would happen, but it did. And I feel very fortunate to be associated with Indiana, especially with
Tom Allen. I've known him and his dad for a long time."
And if IU knows Tom Allen as head coach for a long time, DeBord feels the Hoosiers will be very well served. "I really believe Indiana is very fortunate, very lucky, to have him as the coach," DeBord said. "And it's going to pay off. It's going to. That's what I believe."
That is not blind faith talking. Nor just a friend sticking up for a friend. That is the voice of experience, of 37 years in coaching, including five seasons spent in the NFL and 16 at the highest levels of college football.
Indiana football fans have had patience preached to them for decades. And patience is a rarer virtue these days, in what has become an instant-gratification society.
DeBord understands that the two seasons he and Allen have coached together at Indiana, both 5-7 finishes bereft of bowl bids, came up a bit shy in terms of such gratification.
And DeBord knows many modern timetables for building football programs have changed. But, by contrast, he likes what he sees unfolding at IU.
"I think, on the outside, that people could be frustrated that we've only won five games each of the past two years," DeBord said, "but on the inside, I know what Tom Allen is building and how he's building it for long-term success.
"He's not taking any shortcuts. You can take shortcuts and you might be able to win immediately, but down the road it doesn't pay off, because you don't have that firm foundation that can sustain things. The way that Tom Allen is building this thing is the right way."
DeBord sees plenty of examples, elsewhere, of what he considers some wrong ways to approach things.
"In some places, 'winning now' trumps everything," DeBord said. "Or you have guys concerned about their own coaching careers and aspirations first, rather than the players and the program. There is just none of that in the Indiana football program.
"I've seen a big change in coaching with that 'win now' mentality. There isn't a 'building' sort of mentality, like there used to be, in a lot of places.
"It used to be, when you were hired, you were given at least five years – because your first recruiting class would be redshirt seniors and the players would all be guys you brought in. But for example, now, look at Houston, which made a change after just two years (jettisoning Major
Applewhite this past week). That's just the way this society is. In my opinion, that's wrong.
"Again, people on the outside (of a program) might be frustrated. I get that. But I've been around for a long time, and I know Tom Allen is building it right. And he's going to have success. And I'm going to smile, thinking about some of the critics, when he does that. I do know, having sat in those rooms and watching everything unfold, it is heading the right direction."
One overt sign of that is two straight Top 45 recruiting classes, including a 2019 group of signees rated the best Indiana has ever attracted since internet rating services arose around the turn of the century.
"His work ethic toward recruiting is second-to-none of anybody I've ever been around," DeBord said of Allen. "He's going to get players. He's going to get it done. There is no doubt in my mind. He's bringing in quality people and quality players.
"And there is a culture in that program right now that is, in my opinion, one of the best in the country. What I mean by that is players know they have to do right, and are expected to do right by each other and other people, but there is also a genuine caring about them, from all people associated with the program."
DeBord is going to miss all those people. And he freely admits regretting he will no longer get to coach the current Hoosiers, or the future Hoosiers already committed to the program.
In the quarterback room alone, DeBord sees not just returning redshirt junior starter Peyton Ramsey but also a pair of prized four-star recruits in redshirt freshmen Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle.
"Without a doubt, that was one of the things that was pulling at me a little bit with my decision (to retire)," DeBord said. "It's hard to make this decision because of the players, the kids we have coming back and the kids we have coming in, and certainly in that (quarterback) room.
"I think it is a feather in Tom Allen's cap. And that's (IU quarterbacks coach) Nick Sheridan, too."
Allen will now have to turn some of his recruiting prowess toward securing a new offensive coordinator, and the importance of that hire can hardly be overstated.
But count on Allen looking for someone with at least some of DeBord's personal characteristics, someone who thereby fits the Indiana culture.
"I have been fortunate to know him for many years and have the utmost respect for him, firstly as a man and secondly as a coach," Allen said of DeBord in the IU press release announcing the latter's retirement. "You won't find a more loyal, more hard-working or better individual with a bigger heart for people.
"It was a privilege to work alongside him the last two seasons."
That feeling is clearly mutual, but DeBord sensed it was time for him to exit the scene.
He has tired of the unending recruiting wars, not an unusual sentiment for long-time coaches. Asked if he might consider coaching in some form again, even if just volunteering at a local high school or youth program, DeBord responded:
"My wife has asked me the same question. I do know one thing. It won't be a job where recruiting is involved. But if I can help somebody, it the situation is right … I love football. I love studying it. All those things. But if I help anybody, it won't be helping them recruit."
DeBord also naturally wants to devote more time to family and friends – and he's grateful to leave of his own volition.
"I just found, these past few weeks, with recruiting and everything, that I didn't feel I could continue on at the pace I'd put in during past years," DeBord said. "I didn't want to cheat anybody. So I felt the time was right.
"(Former Michigan coach) Lloyd Carr always told me I'd know when the time was right, and I didn't know really what he meant by that, but now that I feel it, I understand. And I was very fortunate to be able to do it on my terms, when I wanted to do it, and not somebody else's."
Carr and DeBord won the national title in 1997, the first year of the latter's tenure as Michigan's offensive coordinator. DeBord was named Sporting News National Assistant Coach of the Year.
And the season DeBord's initially intended as his last, 2016 at Tennessee, would have served as a superb swan song.
The 2016 Vols' offense posted a school-record 63 touchdowns and 473 points (36.4 per game, second in the Southeastern Conference and 24th nationally). Tennessee QB Josh Dobbs was All-SEC, finishing fifth in school history with 7,138 passing yards.
For the seven seasons DeBord served as a FBS offensive coordinator before arriving at IU, his teams went 70-19 (including 43-13 in league play).
That sort of success didn't immediately materialize in Bloomington, for which DeBord took probably more than his share of slings and arrows.
But he knew that came with the gig.
Other than head coach, perhaps no staff position in football comes under more constant and critical scrutiny from media and fans than does offensive coordinator.
As is the case among players with quarterbacks, both too much credit and too much blame tend to accrue.
But DeBord didn't grouse about that, publicly, and certainly never claimed to be perfect. He would occasionally offer explanations for the layman, but not excuses.
He handled criticism the way he seemed to handle pretty much everything else. With class. And often with a wry sense of humor. The man was quick with a quip.
"I learned through the years that you have to have big shoulders and a thick hide," he said. "You don't deserve all the credit you get and you don't deserve all the blame you get. And, yet, you have to be able to handle it all. I tried to do that.
"It's a kid's game. I've always tried to keep that perspective."
Now DeBord gets to turn more of his attention to other kids – his own, and their kids.
He was already seriously into grandpa mode Monday, visiting a son and family in Illinois, while still taking time to accept a phone interview.
It was always about people. Now it's more about his own people.
"There are great people in the program," DeBord reiterated about IU football. "And I do mean great people. And they do a terrific job with their various tasks, but they all care about the players first … everyone is there to help Indiana win and to treat people right."
That was very much true of Mike DeBord.
And Hoosier fans should wish that retired Hoosier happy trails, with golden sunsets looming.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Mike DeBord was really ready to ride off into a well-earned sunset at the end of 2016.
But he instead chose to work on behalf of Indiana football, and old friend Tom Allen.
"I had informed coach Butch Jones at Tennessee that I was, in fact, going to retire," DeBord recalled Monday. "Soon after that, Tom called."
DeBord and wife Deb were driving to see grandkids in Michigan, after he had helped orchestrate Tennessee's 38-24 win over Nebraska in the 2016 Music City Bowl, when Allen's cell phone call came in.
And Mike and Deb DeBord changed their plans, altering a major life decision, as a result of that call.
As an IU man, I have nothing but appreciation for that. And Hoosier fans everywhere should share that sentiment.
DeBord is now indeed retiring from coaching, specifically from his post as Indiana's offensive coordinator, with the official announcement issued Sunday night – exactly two years to the day after Allen called him to IU.
There is symmetry in that. And also in Muncie native DeBord having started and concluded his college coaching career in his home state.
"I've always had the greatest respect and affection for Indiana, as far back as when Eric played there," said DeBord of his brother, who played for Lee Corso at IU from 1977 through 1980. "And I coached with Terry Hoeppner at Franklin College, and I loved him. I loved Bill Mallory. Got to come watch Indiana practice when he was the head coach.
"So I'd had a close tie to Indiana, even though I'd never worked there. And one of my goals was always to work at Indiana at some point in my career. I didn't know if would happen or when it would happen, but it did. And I feel very fortunate to be associated with Indiana, especially with
Tom Allen. I've known him and his dad for a long time."
And if IU knows Tom Allen as head coach for a long time, DeBord feels the Hoosiers will be very well served. "I really believe Indiana is very fortunate, very lucky, to have him as the coach," DeBord said. "And it's going to pay off. It's going to. That's what I believe."
That is not blind faith talking. Nor just a friend sticking up for a friend. That is the voice of experience, of 37 years in coaching, including five seasons spent in the NFL and 16 at the highest levels of college football.
Indiana football fans have had patience preached to them for decades. And patience is a rarer virtue these days, in what has become an instant-gratification society.
DeBord understands that the two seasons he and Allen have coached together at Indiana, both 5-7 finishes bereft of bowl bids, came up a bit shy in terms of such gratification.
And DeBord knows many modern timetables for building football programs have changed. But, by contrast, he likes what he sees unfolding at IU.
"I think, on the outside, that people could be frustrated that we've only won five games each of the past two years," DeBord said, "but on the inside, I know what Tom Allen is building and how he's building it for long-term success.
"He's not taking any shortcuts. You can take shortcuts and you might be able to win immediately, but down the road it doesn't pay off, because you don't have that firm foundation that can sustain things. The way that Tom Allen is building this thing is the right way."
DeBord sees plenty of examples, elsewhere, of what he considers some wrong ways to approach things.
"In some places, 'winning now' trumps everything," DeBord said. "Or you have guys concerned about their own coaching careers and aspirations first, rather than the players and the program. There is just none of that in the Indiana football program.
"I've seen a big change in coaching with that 'win now' mentality. There isn't a 'building' sort of mentality, like there used to be, in a lot of places.
"It used to be, when you were hired, you were given at least five years – because your first recruiting class would be redshirt seniors and the players would all be guys you brought in. But for example, now, look at Houston, which made a change after just two years (jettisoning Major
Applewhite this past week). That's just the way this society is. In my opinion, that's wrong.
"Again, people on the outside (of a program) might be frustrated. I get that. But I've been around for a long time, and I know Tom Allen is building it right. And he's going to have success. And I'm going to smile, thinking about some of the critics, when he does that. I do know, having sat in those rooms and watching everything unfold, it is heading the right direction."
One overt sign of that is two straight Top 45 recruiting classes, including a 2019 group of signees rated the best Indiana has ever attracted since internet rating services arose around the turn of the century.
"His work ethic toward recruiting is second-to-none of anybody I've ever been around," DeBord said of Allen. "He's going to get players. He's going to get it done. There is no doubt in my mind. He's bringing in quality people and quality players.
"And there is a culture in that program right now that is, in my opinion, one of the best in the country. What I mean by that is players know they have to do right, and are expected to do right by each other and other people, but there is also a genuine caring about them, from all people associated with the program."
DeBord is going to miss all those people. And he freely admits regretting he will no longer get to coach the current Hoosiers, or the future Hoosiers already committed to the program.
In the quarterback room alone, DeBord sees not just returning redshirt junior starter Peyton Ramsey but also a pair of prized four-star recruits in redshirt freshmen Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle.
"Without a doubt, that was one of the things that was pulling at me a little bit with my decision (to retire)," DeBord said. "It's hard to make this decision because of the players, the kids we have coming back and the kids we have coming in, and certainly in that (quarterback) room.
"I think it is a feather in Tom Allen's cap. And that's (IU quarterbacks coach) Nick Sheridan, too."
Allen will now have to turn some of his recruiting prowess toward securing a new offensive coordinator, and the importance of that hire can hardly be overstated.
But count on Allen looking for someone with at least some of DeBord's personal characteristics, someone who thereby fits the Indiana culture.
"I have been fortunate to know him for many years and have the utmost respect for him, firstly as a man and secondly as a coach," Allen said of DeBord in the IU press release announcing the latter's retirement. "You won't find a more loyal, more hard-working or better individual with a bigger heart for people.
"It was a privilege to work alongside him the last two seasons."
That feeling is clearly mutual, but DeBord sensed it was time for him to exit the scene.
He has tired of the unending recruiting wars, not an unusual sentiment for long-time coaches. Asked if he might consider coaching in some form again, even if just volunteering at a local high school or youth program, DeBord responded:
"My wife has asked me the same question. I do know one thing. It won't be a job where recruiting is involved. But if I can help somebody, it the situation is right … I love football. I love studying it. All those things. But if I help anybody, it won't be helping them recruit."
DeBord also naturally wants to devote more time to family and friends – and he's grateful to leave of his own volition.
"I just found, these past few weeks, with recruiting and everything, that I didn't feel I could continue on at the pace I'd put in during past years," DeBord said. "I didn't want to cheat anybody. So I felt the time was right.
"(Former Michigan coach) Lloyd Carr always told me I'd know when the time was right, and I didn't know really what he meant by that, but now that I feel it, I understand. And I was very fortunate to be able to do it on my terms, when I wanted to do it, and not somebody else's."
Carr and DeBord won the national title in 1997, the first year of the latter's tenure as Michigan's offensive coordinator. DeBord was named Sporting News National Assistant Coach of the Year.
And the season DeBord's initially intended as his last, 2016 at Tennessee, would have served as a superb swan song.
The 2016 Vols' offense posted a school-record 63 touchdowns and 473 points (36.4 per game, second in the Southeastern Conference and 24th nationally). Tennessee QB Josh Dobbs was All-SEC, finishing fifth in school history with 7,138 passing yards.
For the seven seasons DeBord served as a FBS offensive coordinator before arriving at IU, his teams went 70-19 (including 43-13 in league play).
That sort of success didn't immediately materialize in Bloomington, for which DeBord took probably more than his share of slings and arrows.
But he knew that came with the gig.
Other than head coach, perhaps no staff position in football comes under more constant and critical scrutiny from media and fans than does offensive coordinator.
As is the case among players with quarterbacks, both too much credit and too much blame tend to accrue.
But DeBord didn't grouse about that, publicly, and certainly never claimed to be perfect. He would occasionally offer explanations for the layman, but not excuses.
He handled criticism the way he seemed to handle pretty much everything else. With class. And often with a wry sense of humor. The man was quick with a quip.
"I learned through the years that you have to have big shoulders and a thick hide," he said. "You don't deserve all the credit you get and you don't deserve all the blame you get. And, yet, you have to be able to handle it all. I tried to do that.
"It's a kid's game. I've always tried to keep that perspective."
Now DeBord gets to turn more of his attention to other kids – his own, and their kids.
He was already seriously into grandpa mode Monday, visiting a son and family in Illinois, while still taking time to accept a phone interview.
It was always about people. Now it's more about his own people.
"There are great people in the program," DeBord reiterated about IU football. "And I do mean great people. And they do a terrific job with their various tasks, but they all care about the players first … everyone is there to help Indiana win and to treat people right."
That was very much true of Mike DeBord.
And Hoosier fans should wish that retired Hoosier happy trails, with golden sunsets looming.
Players Mentioned
QB
/ Football
QB
/ FootballFB: Week 3 (Indiana State) - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Monday, September 08
FB: Elijah Sarratt - KSU Postgame Press Conference (09/06/25)
Saturday, September 06
FB: Kellan Wyatt - KSU Postgame Press Conference (09/06/25)
Saturday, September 06
FB: Fernando Mendoza - KSU Postgame Press Conference (09/06/25)
Saturday, September 06