Gary Gibbs and Frank Solich

[SteelClip49]

I could be totally wrong but I know they were both good coaches but the fans, players, big time supporters weren't quite there with it?

Solich won a Big XII Title in 1999 and guided the Huskers to the 2001 NCG but after 7-7 in 2002 and 9 wins in 2003 they had enough I guess.

Were both let go pretty much for the same reasons?

[freshchris05]

These gentlemen had the misfortune of following...



http://sportsmed.starwave.com/media/pg2/2002/0509/photo/osborne_i.jpg

[freshchris05]

(Barry Switzer, Tom Osborne)

or as us effin hillbilies like to refer to them: the king and his b*tch








:D... but in fairness, Dr. Tom was a great coach








But.... just for ****s and giggles




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8tcxfQ3_bs

[Leroy Lizard]

I'm not sure about Solich, but Gibbs' move to a passing offense hurt him with the fans. Right or wrong, if a new coach comes in and makes the team look different than it did before, he'd better win. (This is why new coaches should never change the schools' uniforms.)

Once the move the passing offense struggled, Gibbs refused to go back to the option out of stubbornness. For example, we blew Missouri out of the water with Steve Collins and it looked like OU was back in form, but then Gibbs switched back for the OSU game with disastrous results. Gibbs would have rather lost a game than concede to the fans. This didn't help him.

[KantoSooner]

And Gibbs had that deer-in-the-headlights look to him.....following Barry's "I'm screwing you now, you can't figure out how, so you better just lay back and enjoy it" sh*t eating grin....well, it just didn't inspire confidence. Coaches need a personality and Gibbs really didn't have one.

[yermom]

losing a bunch to Texas and going 6-6 didn't help either

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I'm not sure about Solich, but Gibbs' move to a passing offense hurt him with the fans. Right or wrong, if a new coach comes in and makes the team look different than it did before, he'd better win. (This is why new coaches should never change the schools' uniforms.)

Once the move the passing offense struggled, Gibbs refused to go back to the option out of stubbornness. For example, we blew Missouri out of the water with Steve Collins and it looked like OU was back in form, but then Gibbs switched back for the OSU game with disastrous results. Gibbs would have rather lost a game than concede to the fans. This didn't help him.

it wasn't just the fans, he split the locker room with those shenanigans

[CobraKai]

it wasn't just the fans, he split the locker room with those shenanigans

Yep. That was my sophomore year. A large percentage of the players were firmly behind Collins.

[GKeeper316]

ya i still cant believe neb fired solich...

damn good coach who just got hit by the changing coaches loses you a few top recruits and hurts you a couple years down the road paradigm.

[BHB 91]

Gibbs also caved in to Cale's dad back when Cale was a freshman and threatened to pull him out of OU. This and the Gaddis injury screwed Gibbs big time.

[btk108]

Gibbs?....someone hand me a bullet so I can put myself outta misery

[BHB 91]

As bad as things might have seemed last year with injuries and frustrating play calling, I am still so glad we have Stoops and company. Imagine if we were stuck in time 15 years ago with the Gibbs, Bourbon, and Blake. Man, I need a drink!

[DarrellZero]

Gibbs is a superb coordinator / position coach, but not head coach material.

[BHB 91]

I agree, Gibbs was and has been a great coordinator throughout his career.

[btk108]

la la land....can we say coasting?

[Collier11]

I could be totally wrong but I know they were both good coaches but the fans, players, big time supporters weren't quite there with it?

Solich won a Big XII Title in 1999 and guided the Huskers to the 2001 NCG but after 7-7 in 2002 and 9 wins in 2003 they had enough I guess.

Were both let go pretty much for the same reasons?

Not quite sure about Gibbs as I was a little young to understand but with Solich, it was two things IMO

1) He was the 1st coach after Osborne so 9 wins wasnt enough to satisfy
2) He suffered some really bad losses

[OU_Sooners75]

I'm not sure about Solich, but Gibbs' move to a passing offense hurt him with the fans. Right or wrong, if a new coach comes in and makes the team look different than it did before, he'd better win. (This is why new coaches should never change the schools' uniforms.)

Once the move the passing offense struggled, Gibbs refused to go back to the option out of stubbornness. For example, we blew Missouri out of the water with Steve Collins and it looked like OU was back in form, but then Gibbs switched back for the OSU game with disastrous results. Gibbs would have rather lost a game than concede to the fans. This didn't help him.


What hurt him with this fan is the fact that he was unable to beat Nebraska and Colorado!

[King Barry's Back]

I'm not sure about Solich, but Gibbs' move to a passing offense hurt him with the fans. Right or wrong, if a new coach comes in and makes the team look different than it did before, he'd better win. (This is why new coaches should never change the schools' uniforms.)

Once the move the passing offense struggled, Gibbs refused to go back to the option out of stubbornness. For example, we blew Missouri out of the water with Steve Collins and it looked like OU was back in form, but then Gibbs switched back for the OSU game with disastrous results. Gibbs would have rather lost a game than concede to the fans. This didn't help him.

Wow, Leroy, is that how you see it? That sure is an interesting take, and maybe we can chat about that sometime.

I sure do remember it differently, almost the opposite. What I remember is Gibbs playing conservative, run-first football -- and the fans screaming that he needed to throw the ball -- but still he almost never did.

Also, you say "if a new coach comes in and makes the team look different than it did before, he'd better win." I'd amend that to, "a coach better win."

At the end of the day, we can all go round and round on Coach Gibbs. Frankly, I think he's a very good football coach, I think he's a fine man and an excellent leader for the university, and he's probably a genuinely great football mind. But, at that time, 20 years ago -- he just wasn't ready to be a head coach. At least not at such a big time program like OU.

You know, he had played under Barry Switzer, GAd under Barry Switzer, got his first coaching job under Barry Switzer, and worked up to coordinator under Barry Switzer.

I always thought that Gibbs would have benefitted from having coached under someone else -- you know, broaden his influences. Switzer was just so extroverted and emotional. Gibbs is more reserved and cerebral. I think if Gibbs had coached a few years under a HC with a style closer to his own, I think he would have profited from that.

FWIW -- A few years ago, there were rumors that Coach Gibbs might get an HC job in the NFL. I'd be real happy to see it, if it ever develops. If it doesn't, well, Gibbs has had a fine career either way. Nothing to be ashamed of.

Just as an aside -- I'd really like to see Josh Heupel go coach someplace else for a while. Same reason -- get some experience under another influence. He did spend the year at AZ, but if Josh moved up to O-coordinator in another successful program, I think he'd be better off. Just my 2 cents.

Solich got fired for not winning enough (like Gibbs), although Solich did have more success. He also got fired because their AD was an idiot, so you have to account for that.

Seems alot of coaches get fired because their ADs are idiots. I didn't really relize until this year how common that is.

[RacerX]

Excellent leaders have player walk-outs?

[OU_Sooners75]

King Barry's back

You will have to forgive the village idio...know it all.

Lizard know it all and he is not afraid to let you know. And he is the only one that is allowed to have a correct opinion.

[King Barry's Back]

King Barry's back

You will have to forgive the village idio...know it all.

Lizard know it all and he is not afraid to let you know. And he is the only one that is allowed to have a correct opinion.

It's true that if you are going to go toe-to-toe with Leroy, you've got to be ready to bring your A-game, but in this case -- our disagreement is really just one of our own perception, what we remember (v. what we've forgotten), and what the people that happened to be around us thought.

Leroy's whole circle may have been angry at Gibbs for throwing the ball too much, and the people I happened to know thought that he didn't throw it enough.

Just funny to me how people remember different things.

Bottom Line: Both Gibbs and Solich should have been let go, but the "firers" should have done a better job as "hirers" in finding the replacements.

And if Solich=Gibbs, and Callenberger=Schellenberger, where does Bo Pelini fit in the mix? He turned in a good season this year, and seems to be a pretty good (and very passionate) coach -- so he's no John Blake. Don't think he's a Bob Stoops either, but we'll see.

[OU_Sooners75]

I was in high school when Gibbs was the coach. He was the coach that was recruiting me (I chose elsewhere thanks for them firing him).

However, I distinctly remember a lot of people being pissed because he was something like 2-13-1 against Texas, Colorado, and Nebraska.

[stoopified]

However, I distinctly remember a lot of people being pissed because he was something like 2-13-1 against Texas, Colorado, and Nebraska.It was 3-15-1 but yeah THAT is the reason Gibbs was run out of town.

As for his change to a PASSING offense.his failure was only half-a$$ed embracing the passing game.If you are going to abandon the greatest rushing offense in the the history of college football( Wishbone) then you need to fully embrace passing the football.

[StoopTroup]

I'm not sure about Solich, but Gibbs' move to a passing offense hurt him with the fans. Right or wrong, if a new coach comes in and makes the team look different than it did before, he'd better win. (This is why new coaches should never change the schools' uniforms.)

Once the move the passing offense struggled, Gibbs refused to go back to the option out of stubbornness. For example, we blew Missouri out of the water with Steve Collins and it looked like OU was back in form, but then Gibbs switched back for the OSU game with disastrous results. Gibbs would have rather lost a game than concede to the fans. This didn't help him.

You don't know **** about Gibbs.

Did you turn that in for extra credit after a low grade on a term paper?

[TXBOOMER]

Gibbs may be a good coach. I absolutely hated him when he was the head coach here. As I look back on it he was obviously in a tough spot but when you live and die on OU football as I did back then it was tough to take.

[Leroy Lizard]

I think some of your memories are pretty clouded. We have a passing game now that works, so it is hard to think that we would have opposed a passing offense in the past. But we did. And I did.

The whole "should Steve Collins start" affair was caused by Collins' skill in running the option. (IIRC, the 1989 offense with Collins at QB was one of the best we have had; we had no defense.) Does anyone really think that the fans were calling for Collins to come in and pass?

By the time Collins graduated, Gibbs had lost the fans.

The OU fan base very much wanted to continue the option tradition, and it lasted even into Blake's career with Brandon Daniels as QB. I remember when OU went into the wishbone formation and the crowd just went nuts. I distinctly remember Al Eschbach commenting that Blake's move to the option was to appease the fan base.

You guys have short memories.

[w0lfe]

I agree, Neb shoulda never fired solich

[LePetomaine]

I think Gary Gibbs was/is a good football coach. But, as I recall it (aside from following a legend -- which seldom works out well) two things sunk him: (1) He made promises to recruits re playing time, then followed through with that. This cost him the locker room. Veteran, solid players saw young hot-shot getting the minutes, when the older guy was clearly the better choice. And (2) he became rather paranoid with the media near the end. I think that made the bosses think they needed a better CEO, and not just a good football mind. Still, wish him luck; those were not fun times.

boomer sooner

[jkm, the stolen pifwafwi]

I think Gary Gibbs was/is a good football coach. But, as I recall it (aside from following a legend -- which seldom works out well) two things sunk him:


1 cale gundy
2 chad davis

[Position Limit]

gotta agree with leroy on this one. hell, solich's arrogance led him to the same crap at nebraska. they had a machine in running the power option and solich slowly moved away from that. he had eric crouch throwing the damn ball and not running much option.
with gibbs it was the same thing. greatest offense ever and he needs to put his own identity own the team. pure hubris. barry handed him the keys to the kingdom but that wasnt good enough. i remember those days like it was yesterday. and that decision led to the mounting losses to texas, neb, colo, etc... i saw it coming a mile away at the time. if nebraska was able to compete for championships in the 1990's with the power option, then ou sure as hell could have with the wishbone. what a wasted decade at the hands of one mans arrogance. screw gibbs. i wish i was the one who poured the beer over his head after the 4th loss to texas.

[Leroy Lizard]

Just think: We had the two Taylors, Steve Collins, and Chris Melson on the team. We were stacked at option QB, so what do we do? We abandon it. (Wasn't Otis Taylor the top option recruit in the country when we got him out of Houston?)

Remember what Steve Collins' option did to Pitt? That was a very good offense, and we completely ditched it. And then watched Nebraska crush everyone in its path with essentially the same offense.

[Leroy Lizard]

Here is a blast from the past regarding Chad Davis:

http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=19951107&slug=2151247


Quarterback Chad Davis, who has started the past 21 games for Washington State, has been benched by Cougar Coach Mike Price.

Although Price declined to elaborate on his decision after practice last night in Pullman, he and Davis confirmed the move.

"I still feel like I'm the starting quarterback, but he (Price) has benched me and I've got to be a man about it and keep my head up," Davis told a Spokane newspaper.

Either redshirt freshman Ryan Leaf or senior Shawn Deeds will start Saturday against Stanford in Pullman. Price was expected to announce later today if Davis, a junior, will play at all.

Davis told the Spokesman-Review in Spokane he was being benched because of the negative way he responded to being removed from last Saturday's game at California at the start of the second quarter. Instead of helping Deeds signal plays from the sideline, Davis mingled with reserves near the end of the bench.

"Of course I wasn't helping give signals and doing all of that, but I was mad," Davis said. "And, yes, I said some things on the sideline I probably shouldn't have said. But I think in the heat of battle, when it happens like that, anyone would have reacted the same way."

After Davis completed one of four pass attempts for nine yards in the first quarter, Price replaced Davis with Leaf at the start of the second quarter with the score tied 3-3.

Leaf completed one of seven passes for two yards, muffed a handoff that resulted in a lost fumble and fumbled a center snap that Cal recovered.

The Cougars did not generate a first down during the period as California scored 24 unanswered points en route to a 27-11 victory.

"Sure I'm upset about it, but I think any person would be," said Davis, a junior who transferred to WSU from Oklahoma in 1993. "I've started 21 games for this football team and I know that I didn't play good every single play of every single quarter. . . .

"But I always gave it 100 percent, and I still feel I'm the starting quarterback here. But he's benching me and I've got to keep my head up."

Until last Saturday, Leaf, from Great Falls, Mont., had played only in mop-up situations in six games. He has completed four of 20 passes for 90 yards.

Deeds, from Poulsbo, has played little since 1993, when he completed 41 of 100 passes for 599 yards and two touchdowns. He saw no action last season and has appeared in only one game this year.

[Sooner04]

Gibbs against Texas: 1-5
Gibbs against Colorado: 0-5-1
Gibbs against Nebraska: 1-5

2-15-1 against the powers that be will get you canned whether you coach for Oklahoma or Western Michigan. It was the manner of some of those setbacks ('90, '91, '94 Texas---'92 Colorado tie---'91 Nebraska) that would just crush your spirit. Gibbs snatched defeat from the jaws of victory like nobody's business.

I'll go to my grave saying the '90 team might be the most underrated squad in the history of the program. We lost 14-13 to Texas while running 30 more plays than they did. We lost 33-31 to Iowa State on QB Draw Day in Norman and we lost 32-23 to Colorado, the eventual (cough cough) national champs.

We did not lose games like that under Switzer. He was the greatest close game coach who ever lived. But we lost them under Gibbs, and we lost them at the most inopportune time. He could never escape that stigma.

Abandoning the option certainly didn't help either.

[Huskerballz]

What did Solich in:

1.) Nebraska going 7-7 in 2002
2.) Steve Pedersen becoming Athletic Director
3.) **** poor recruiting

Edit: Can't say P!ss??

[Leroy Lizard]

There is no point in censoring a word if you simply replace one of the characters to get around it.

[PLaw]

I think Gary Gibbs was/is a good football coach. But, as I recall it (aside from following a legend -- which seldom works out well) two things sunk him: (1) He made promises to recruits re playing time, then followed through with that. This cost him the locker room. Veteran, solid players saw young hot-shot getting the minutes, when the older guy was clearly the better choice. And (2) he became rather paranoid with the media near the end. I think that made the bosses think they needed a better CEO, and not just a good football mind. Still, wish him luck; those were not fun times.

boomer sooner

That's a new perspective for me to digest.

Regardless, Gibbs inherited a dung pile and was able to keep us out of the ncaa death house. For that, I applaud him.

BOOMER

[jkjsooner]

The OU fan base very much wanted to continue the option tradition.

That's not the way I remember it. In 1989 the perception was that OU could not beat the Miami's of the world by running the option - maybe the Nebraska power option but not the wishbone.

The fans were frustrated that we switched to a more traditional offense, recruited a stud QB, yet still only halfway embraced a passing game.

I think the Texas losses hurt Gibbs more than anything. Colorado and Nebraska had better teams than OU. Texas only had the better team one year. Those first couple of losses we were vastly superior to Texas yet we kept finding ways to get beat.

In retrospect, Gibbs has some really bad luck his first year. Keeping in mind that Charles Thompson would have been the starting QB, we end up losing both Steve Collins and Tink Collins for a time and had to start Chris Melson. He should never have been anything but fourth string. Then we turned around a lost Gaddis for the year.

[OU_Sooners75]

There is no point in censoring a word if you simply replace one of the characters to get around it.


And there is no point for you pointing that out.

[OU_Sooners75]

That's not the way I remember it. In 1989 the perception was that OU could not beat the Miami's of the world by running the option - maybe the Nebraska power option but not the wishbone.

The fans were frustrated that we switched to a more traditional offense, recruited a stud QB, yet still only halfway embraced a passing game.

I think the Texas losses hurt Gibbs more than anything. Colorado and Nebraska had better teams than OU. Texas only had the better team one year. Those first couple of losses we were vastly superior to Texas yet we kept finding ways to get beat.

In retrospect, Gibbs has some really bad luck his first year. Keeping in mind that Charles Thompson would have been the starting QB, we end up losing both Steve Collins and Tink Collins for a time and had to start Chris Melson. He should never have been anything but fourth string. Then we turned around a lost Gaddis for the year.

Tink Collins, Great guy!

[Collier11]

There is no point in censoring a word if you simply replace one of the characters to get around it.

like doosh, azz, d1ck, etc...? :D

[OU_Sooners75]

like doosh, azz, d1ck, etc...? :D

LOL

Its liztard...what do you expect...the guy begs for attention...and if I ignore him, then it would be too boring here.