Jerry Hanlon
Encyclopedia
Jerry Hanlon is a former American football
player, coach, and radio broadcaster. He was a halfback
on the 1953–1955 Miami University
teams that won two Mid-American Conference
championships under Ara Parseghian
. Hanlon was an assistant football coach at the University of Dayton
(1965), Miami University
(1966–1968), and the University of Michigan
(1969–1991). He was also an announcer for Michigan Wolverines football
games on WJR
radio from 1993 through 1995.
, where he played basketball and football. He later attended Xavier University
and Miami University
. At Miami, he played football for Ara Parseghian
. He played halfback on the 1953–1955 Miami teams that won two Mid-American Conference
championships under Paraseghian.
Hanlon graduated from Miami in 1956 and began a career in coaching. He was an assistant football coach under John McVay
at Central Catholic High School in Canton, Ohio
for four years from 1957 to 1960. He was also the head basketball coach at Catholic Central in 1960. From 1961 to 1963, he was the head coach at Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio
. In 1961, Hanlon's first season as a head coach, his team started out with three losses and then won six straight. Hanlon compiled a 19–5–3 record in three years at Ursuline and won the Youngstown city championship in 1963. In 1964, he was the head coach at St. Edward High School
in Lakewood, Ohio
.
on a coaching staff that included head coach John McVay
and assistants Joe Eaglowski, Tom Moore, George Perles
, and Ed Youngs.
In 1966, Hanlon accepted a position on Bo Schembechler
's coaching staff at Hanlon's alma mater, Miami. Hanlon served as an assistant coach under Schembechler for three years at Miami.
in 1969, Hanlon was one of several assistant coaches from Miami to follow Schembechler to Ann Arbor
. He joined the Michigan football staff in 1969 and was the only assistant coach to serve on Michigan's staff during all 21 years that Schembechler was head coach. Hanlon was the team's offensive line coach for 17 years (1969–1981, 1988–1991) and the quarterback coach for six years (1982–1987). He was credited with developing 19 All-American offensive linemen at Michigan, including Dan Dierdorf
, Reggie McKenzie
, Jumbo Elliott and Greg Skrepenak
.
In 1992, Hanlon retired from coaching, announcing that he wished to spend more time with his family. At the time of his retirement from coaching, Hanlon was appointed as the University of Michigan's assistant director of development and alumni relations. Hanlon also served as the color commentator on WJR
's radio broadcasts of University of Michigan football games during the 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons.
" Association.
Hanlon maintained a close friendship with Schembechler after the two retired from coaching. Detroit Free Press
columnist Mitch Albom
wrote that Hanlon was with Schembechler when Bo spoke to the Michigan football team shortly before he died in 2006. Albom wrote about the relationship between the two coaches:
As of 2005, Hanlon was living in Ann Arbor. He told a reporter at the time, "I still live in the same house I moved into in 1969. I couldn't afford to move in, and now I can't afford to move out."
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...
player, coach, and radio broadcaster. He was a halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
on the 1953–1955 Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
teams that won two Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
championships under Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
. Hanlon was an assistant football coach at the University of Dayton
University of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
(1965), Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
(1966–1968), and the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
(1969–1991). He was also an announcer for Michigan Wolverines football
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...
games on WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
radio from 1993 through 1995.
Early years
Hanlon attended Taylor High School in North Bend, OhioNorth Bend, Ohio
North Bend is a village in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 603 at the 2000 census.-History:President Benjamin Harrison was born in North Bend. His grandfather, President William Henry Harrison is buried in the William Henry Harrison Tomb State...
, where he played basketball and football. He later attended Xavier University
Xavier University (Cincinnati)
Xavier University is a co-educational Jesuit university in the United States located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The University is the sixth-oldest Catholic university in the nation and has an undergraduate enrollment of about 4,000 students and graduate enrollment of 2,600 students. Xavier is primarily...
and Miami University
Miami University
Miami University is a coeducational public research university located in Oxford, Ohio, United States. Founded in 1809, it is the 10th oldest public university in the United States and the second oldest university in Ohio, founded four years after Ohio University. In its 2012 edition, U.S...
. At Miami, he played football for Ara Parseghian
Ara Parseghian
Ara Raoul Parseghian is a former American football player and coach of Armenian descent. He served as the head football coach at Miami University , Northwestern University , and the University of Notre Dame , compiling a career college football record of 170–58–6...
. He played halfback on the 1953–1955 Miami teams that won two Mid-American Conference
Mid-American Conference
The Mid-American Conference is a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I college athletic conference with a membership base in the Great Lakes region that stretches from Western New York to Illinois. Nine of the twelve full member schools are in Ohio and Michigan, with single members...
championships under Paraseghian.
Hanlon graduated from Miami in 1956 and began a career in coaching. He was an assistant football coach under John McVay
John McVay
John McVay is a former American football coach who rose through the coaching ranks from high school, through the college level, and to the NFL...
at Central Catholic High School in Canton, Ohio
Canton, Ohio
Canton is the county seat of Stark County in northeastern Ohio, approximately south of Akron and south of Cleveland.The City of Caton is the largest incorporated area within the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan Statistical Area...
for four years from 1957 to 1960. He was also the head basketball coach at Catholic Central in 1960. From 1961 to 1963, he was the head coach at Ursuline High School in Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown, Ohio
Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Mahoning County; it also extends into Trumbull County. The municipality is situated on the Mahoning River, approximately southeast of Cleveland and northwest of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...
. In 1961, Hanlon's first season as a head coach, his team started out with three losses and then won six straight. Hanlon compiled a 19–5–3 record in three years at Ursuline and won the Youngstown city championship in 1963. In 1964, he was the head coach at St. Edward High School
St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio)
St. Edward High School is private, all-male Catholic, college-preparatory high school located in Lakewood, Ohio, a western Cleveland suburb. It was founded in 1949 and is operated in the by the Midwest Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. It is one of three remaining...
in Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
.
Dayton and Miami
In 1965, Hanlon was the defensive backfield coach at the University of DaytonUniversity of Dayton
The University of Dayton is a private Roman Catholic university operated by the Society of Mary located in Dayton, Ohio...
on a coaching staff that included head coach John McVay
John McVay
John McVay is a former American football coach who rose through the coaching ranks from high school, through the college level, and to the NFL...
and assistants Joe Eaglowski, Tom Moore, George Perles
George Perles
George J. Perles is a former American football player and coach. He was a defensive line coach, defensive coordinator, and assistant head coach for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers from 1972–1981 and the head coach at Michigan State University from 1983–1994...
, and Ed Youngs.
In 1966, Hanlon accepted a position on 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...
's coaching staff at Hanlon's alma mater, Miami. Hanlon served as an assistant coach under Schembechler for three years at Miami.
University of Michigan
When Schembechler accepted the head coaching position at the University of MichiganUniversity of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
in 1969, Hanlon was one of several assistant coaches from Miami to follow Schembechler to Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2010 census places the population at 113,934, making it the sixth largest city in Michigan. The Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 344,791 as of 2010...
. He joined the Michigan football staff in 1969 and was the only assistant coach to serve on Michigan's staff during all 21 years that Schembechler was head coach. Hanlon was the team's offensive line coach for 17 years (1969–1981, 1988–1991) and the quarterback coach for six years (1982–1987). He was credited with developing 19 All-American offensive linemen at Michigan, including Dan Dierdorf
Dan Dierdorf
Daniel Lee "Dan" Dierdorf is a former American football player and current television sportscaster. He played 13 NFL seasons and has worked for ABC's Monday Night Football and CBS as a color commentator since retiring from football....
, Reggie McKenzie
Reggie McKenzie (guard)
Reginald McKenzie is a former American football player. He played at the offensive guard position for the University of Michigan from 1969 to 1971 and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1971. He also who played 13 years of professional football for the Buffalo Bills and Seattle Seahawks...
, Jumbo Elliott and Greg Skrepenak
Greg Skrepenak
Gregory Andrew Skrepenak is a convicted felon, a former Luzerne County, Pennsylvania commissioner and a former professional American football offensive lineman in the National Football League for the Los Angeles/Oakland Raiders and the Carolina Panthers. He was convicted after admitting he...
.
In 1992, Hanlon retired from coaching, announcing that he wished to spend more time with his family. At the time of his retirement from coaching, Hanlon was appointed as the University of Michigan's assistant director of development and alumni relations. Hanlon also served as the color commentator on WJR
WJR
WJR is a radio station in Detroit, Michigan, United States. It broadcasts a news/talk format. It is a class A clear channel station whose broadcasts can be heard throughout most of the Midwest, eastern United States and Canada at night, making it one of the most powerful radio stations in the...
's radio broadcasts of University of Michigan football games during the 1993, 1994 and 1995 seasons.
Later years
In 1997, Hanlon was inducted into the "Cradle of CoachesCradle of Coaches
The Cradle of Coaches is a nickname given to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio for producing star football coaches including Earl Blaik, Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Bill Arnsparger, George Little, Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, John Pont, Carmen Cozza, Bill Mallory, Jim...
" Association.
Hanlon maintained a close friendship with Schembechler after the two retired from coaching. Detroit Free Press
Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
columnist Mitch Albom
Mitch Albom
Mitchell David "Mitch" Albom is an American best-selling author, journalist, screenwriter, dramatist, radio and television broadcaster and musician. His books have sold over 30 million copies worldwide...
wrote that Hanlon was with Schembechler when Bo spoke to the Michigan football team shortly before he died in 2006. Albom wrote about the relationship between the two coaches:
"Hanlon was one of the assistants who came from Miami (Ohio) when Bo was hired to take over the Wolverines. He was beside Bo every game of the coach's tenure in Ann Arbor. Like other members of Bo's universe, it seems he has, over the years, come to walk like Bo, even look like Bo. Two days ago, he dropped by Schembechler's office and chatted. Then he went with him to the locker room for Bo's last address to the team. It would turn out to be the last time he saw him. 'Bo told me he was having trouble breathing,' Hanlon said. 'But he was going anyhow. In the locker room, Lloyd asked him if he wanted a stool. He said 'Hell, no, I don't want any stool.' ' Hanlon said Bo's address was moving and inspiring and all about the team."
As of 2005, Hanlon was living in Ann Arbor. He told a reporter at the time, "I still live in the same house I moved into in 1969. I couldn't afford to move in, and now I can't afford to move out."