Feel good story about former WMU/Navy HC Uzelac getting Benton Harbor into the playoffs for the 1st time.

Former WMU and Navy HC (also football coaching gypsy) Elliot Uzelac had moved to the St. Joe / Benton Harbor lakeshore area to be closer to his grandchildren and to be HC of a stuggling St. Joe program in '06.  He coached there until 2011 when he retired with a record of 45-13.

Uzelac's retirement started driving his wife crazy and after 4 years she suggested he take the Benton Harbor job.  Benton Harbor seniors hadn't ever won a varsity game and the school had 25 straight losing seasons.  Uzelac (74) didn't get hired until July because Benton Harbor had to hire an athletic director before they could hire a footbll coach.  They went 5-4 this season and are in the playoffs for the first time in school history.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2015/10/holdholdhold_benton_harbor_coa.html#incart_most-read_

Great story, thanks for posting. I worked with a guy at Vandervoort's who, back in the mid-80's, was engaged to EU's daughter. Roger was going to be a cop. I wonder if they ever got married.

Apparently this was on GMA I wish he was wearing a different shirt, but still a nice story.

ABC News’ T.J. Holmes announced that the RetailMeNot app, as part of its new “Save It Forward” program, is giving a $10,000 scholarship to a Benton Harbor graduate. The scholarship will be called “The Coach Uzelac Scholarship.”

Plus the team is going to Disney World.

Glad to see Uzelac is using his celebrity to help Benton Harbor and their football team.

Uzelac got one of his former players from umaa, Jerry Diorio, to leave his teaching position at Wayland Union HS where he was also the football coach for 6 years to come to Benton Harbor as an assistant principal and become his assistant at BH.

Uzelac won't wear WMU gear. Things have never been the same after they wooed him back to his alma mater, never came through with promises made when hiring him and fired him 6 seasons later. Schembechler thought he go a raw deal and rehired him. Hence the umaa gear.

Uzelac was one of Bo's minions. He probably has a basement full of um clothing. Coincidentally, that's where all um clothing belongs.

tGreenWay wrote:Uzelac was one of Bo's minions. He probably has a basement full of um clothing. Coincidentally, that's where all um clothing belongs.

The Dude keeps his in the closet.

Turtleneck wrote:

tGreenWay wrote:Uzelac was one of Bo's minions. He probably has a basement full of um clothing. Coincidentally, that's where all um clothing belongs.

The Dude keeps his in the closet.

Except on game days.