Mike DeBord, a longtime University of Michigan assistant with stints as a college head coach and NFL staff member, has died.
DeBord, who last coached at the University of Kansas in 2021, passed away earlier Tuesday at the age of 69. The cause of death was complications of a stroke DeBord suffered in 2021, according to Angelique Chengelis of the Detroit News.
“Very sad news — Mike DeBord, former Michigan offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, has died according to his son,” Chengelis tweeted .
DeBord’s son Tyler first broke the news of his father’s death in a post on Facebook.
“The world lost a great man today,” Tyler DeBord wrote . “He taught me so much in life, I am so grateful the good Lord blessed me with the best dad! He was a man of faith, an unbelievable dad, husband, grandpa, and man! For all his successes in life, he always stuck to his small town roots and never forgot where he came from. He had a great sense of faith, work ethic, love for family, football, and life. His loss will be felt by many because of the impact he had on everyone he touched. He loved fiercely, and we loved him!”
© David P. Gilkey, Detroit Free Press, Detroit Free Press via Imagn Content Services, LLC
A native of Muncie, Indiana, DeBord played college football at Manchester College in the Hoosier State before beginning his coaching career at Franklin College in 1982.
In his four decades as a coach, DeBord spent 14 years at the University of Michigan over three separate stints. During the first one (1993-99), he served as the program’s offensive line coach for four seasons and offensive coordinator for three, running the offense for the Wolverines’ 1997 national championship team.
After a four-year run as head coach at Central Michigan from 2000-03, DeBord returned to Ann Arbor and spent the next four seasons on Lloyd Carr’s staff. He also coached under Jim Harbaugh as an offensive analyst in 2020.
DeBord also spent five seasons in the NFL as an assistant coach with the Seattle Seahawks and Chicago Bears, and was the offensive coordinator at Tennessee (2015-16), Indiana (2017-18) and Kansas (2021). In 2019, he was the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Fleet of the AAF.
Our thoughts and prayers are with DeBord’s family and friends during this difficult time.
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