opinion: Former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr enjoying his retirement

"There's only one place for me," Carr said. "And that place is Michigan. To be honest, I'm having too much fun retired to ever consider coaching again."

Semi-retired, actually. An associate athletic director, Carr spends his days "touching a lot of bases" at the University, doing public speaking to help various academic departments, from the College of Engineering to the medical school.

The position gives Carr the chance to promote the University where he built his career, and the time to broaden his horizons.

Carr was recently in attendance for the Institute for Social Research's MLK Symposium lecture by Robert Bobb, emergency financial manager for Detroit Public Schools.

And for the last 18 months or so, Carr has been the face of Governor Jennifer Granholm's Mentor Michigan campaign, encouraging adults in the state to take a child under their wing. 

Leisa Thompson | The Ann Arbor News

"Almost everyone who's been successful has had a mentor figure in their lives," Carr said. 

Carr said one of the biggest perks when he coached was mentoring the young men he had recruited. Some mature on campus, for others it takes years, but most come around eventually.

"The coach-player relationship can be a strained one," Carr explained in his office at Weidenbach Hall. With 70-plus players to manage, it's easy for player and coach not to see eye to eye on issues like playing time, commitment, and attitude.

"I always tell the guys that, one day, we'll be friends," Carr said. "They don't believe me until they leave campus and we reconnect."

Carr said that seeing former players like Tai Streets, Larry Foote, and Charles Woodson give back to their communities and to the University has been a privilege.

Another honor is watching former players compete at the highest level.

Foote and LaMarr Woodley played for the Pittsburgh Steelers team that won Super Bowl 43.  Woodson was voted the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year in 2009.

Carr was a guest in Miami in December when former Michigan quarterback and three-time Super Bowl winner Tom Brady and the New England Patriots squared off against former Michigan quarterback Chad Henne and the Miami Dolphins.

"I barely blinked the entire time," Carr said, save for a few Wildcat plays when Henne was on the Dolphins' sideline.

That weekend in Miami also gave Carr the chance to catch up with Jake Long, Henne's left tackle at Michigan and now with the Dolphins, and other Wolverines involved in the game.

"That experience was a beautiful thing," Carr said.

Like his mentor Bo Schembechler, Carr hopes one day to be remembered not only for the wins, losses and titles, but for the way his teams played the game.

"From the players we recruited to the coaches we hired to the way we prepared," Carr said, "I honestly wouldn't change a thing."

James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.