1997: Brian Ellerbe hired as interim University of Michigan men's basketball coach
This Week in Ann Arbor History in 1997 was a turning point for the University of Michigan men's basketball program, as then-athletic director Tom Goss hired Brian Ellerbe as interim head coach.
Popular head coach Steve Fisher, who led Michigan to its only NCAA title in 1989, had been tainted with an NCAA investigation. After Goss met with Fisher, he decided they didn't see eye-to-eye about the future of the basketball program, and Fisher was dismissed just days before practice started for the 1997-1998 season.
After a brief national search in which Goss interviewed 36 candidates, the athletic director decided he wasn't comfortable poaching a coach from another school at the 11th hour and would elevate someone from in-house instead. Despite only having been on staff since that May, Ellerbe got the nod over longer-tenured assistant Brian Dutcher.
Ellerbe was only 34 at the time, but held the team together that interim year for a 25-9 run, including an NCAA tournament berth and victory in the inaugural Big Ten tournament.
But the same NCAA issues that ended Fisher's tenure continued to hang over the program. That, coupled with the rise of Michigan State under Tom Izzo, made Ellerbe's tenure a tough one. Fan support was also tough to come by. In Ellerbe's first year, Michigan averaged 12,353 fans per home game. In his last year, only 10,447 showed up per game — fan support that it has taken years and a number of coaches to rebuild.
James David Dickson can be reached at JamesDickson@AnnArbor.com.