The result: "Bo's Lasting Lessons: A Legendary Coach Teaches the Timeless Fundamentals of Leadership."

The book, co-authored by Schembechler and Bacon, will be in stores Tuesday.

"My favorite comment that I've heard is, `Bo's gone, but I can still hear him in this book,' because that means I did my job," Bacon said. "If you miss Bo, you can spend more time with him by reading this book.

"If you didn't know him, you can learn more about him and his leadership lessons that are transferable to anybody and anything."

Schembechler died Nov. 17 at age 77. He coached the Wolverines from 1969 through 1989, where he accumulated a record of 194-48-5.

"I started writing in earnest right after our final interview in October, and I'm sure I would've talked to him more with follow-up questions," Bacon said. "With his unfortunate death, it allowed me to do about 40 additional interviews with former coaches and players that opened up other sides of his stories."

Bacon said that after writing a feature on Schembechler for The Detroit News, the retired coach in 1996 gave him the boxes -- unsolicited -- filled with game plans, correspondence and other papers.

Current Michigan coach Lloyd Carr and the Wolverines, who opened the season with two home losses for the first time since 1959, could find inspiration in the book.

"If you lead long enough, sooner or later you're going to suffer through a disappointing year," the 28th chapter begins. "When that happens, get down to the core of the problem immediately -- and fix that, and ONLY that!

"Too often I see leaders panic, and throw away all the things that got them there in the first place. The WORST thing you can do is abandon all the things you were already doing right, and make everything else worse."

Bacon said after expenses are covered, proceeds from the book will be split by him and Schembechler's estate -- benefiting the "Heart of a Champion Fund."