Jacie
1/26/2011, 10:02 AM
First there was Frannie, Dennis Franchione, leading TCU to a 10-1 record. He bailed on them before a bowl game to take the coveted job at Alabama. After two seasons he jumped ship again, ahead of NCAA sanctions for Texas A&M, where he was unable to finish higher than third in the Big XII (five losses to OU but he did beat sa*et twice!). He was released after the 2007 season, interviewed but was not hired for a number of vacancies until this month. He is the new head coach at Texas State.
Then came Mike Price. While at Washington State he was a National Coach of the Year and made a Rose Bowl appearance (one all Sooners remember), which he parlayed into a hire to lead the Crimson Tide then . . . fired before his team played a down (I don't see going to a strip club is any big deal but I guess they are a little more sensitive down in Mobile). He landed at (and is still coaching) UTEP (took his 6-6 team to a bowl this year).
Dan Hawkins put Boise, Idaho on the map, with a respectable 53 wins in five years run that got him the job at Colorado. As bad as the puffs were under the Hawk, it is hard to believe they went to a bowl game under Dan (as a 6-6 qualifier) in his second year. It was downhill from there, however, and he is currently living on the buyout of his contract.
Rich Rodriguez, took West Virginia to two BCS bowls (winning both though he only coached the first one) and was one upset loss to Pitt from playing for the National Championship. He left WVU before the Fiesta Bowl to take the Michigan job where led them to lows never experienced in Ann Arbor and was let go after three seasons. He is credited with developing the no huddle offense, the run-version of the spread offense and the zone read out of the shotgun (that made ponyboy famous). He hasn't landed yet . . .
And the book is still out on Rick Neuheisel, at UCLA. He was promoted to his first head coaching job at Colorado after Bill McCartney retired. He was an instant wonderboy going 10-2 in the first two seasons. He left CU after four years and a major NCAA infraction that left the puffs reeling with two years probation and loss of scholarships. But Rick landed at Washingtion, went 11-1 his second year there, won a Rose Bowl. Except he was fired after four years of what was a tumultuous time with several incidents from gambling to letting the program run out of control. Ultimately, he was paid a lot of money after suing the school and the NCAA. The weasel was hired by another Pac 10 school, UCLA. Despite being a great recruiter, he has yet to see success on the field (though I give him kudos for beating the whorns last year) and he is on the spot this year to win or else. If he loses this job, it will be long fall for Neuheisel, I suspect.
The point of this little history lesson, the coaching landscape is littered with stories of phenomenal coaches who took a team from obscurity to greatness, only to see a career unravel when their reach exceeded their grasp (Tyrone Willingham is another member of the club). Some fell because of things that happened off the field, others couldn't make it on a bigger stage. Success is not guaranteed no matter how good a resume a coach brings to the table. What might have happened to Bob Stoops had he jumped ship after 2000? Or Chris Petersen after 2007? Or Gary Patterson? These are examples of coaches who elected to stand pat and continue to build on success rather than market it to the highest bidder. They each may in time be accorded legend status at their respective schools. It's a sure bet Fran, Mike, the Hawk, Rich Rod and the weasel never will.
Then came Mike Price. While at Washington State he was a National Coach of the Year and made a Rose Bowl appearance (one all Sooners remember), which he parlayed into a hire to lead the Crimson Tide then . . . fired before his team played a down (I don't see going to a strip club is any big deal but I guess they are a little more sensitive down in Mobile). He landed at (and is still coaching) UTEP (took his 6-6 team to a bowl this year).
Dan Hawkins put Boise, Idaho on the map, with a respectable 53 wins in five years run that got him the job at Colorado. As bad as the puffs were under the Hawk, it is hard to believe they went to a bowl game under Dan (as a 6-6 qualifier) in his second year. It was downhill from there, however, and he is currently living on the buyout of his contract.
Rich Rodriguez, took West Virginia to two BCS bowls (winning both though he only coached the first one) and was one upset loss to Pitt from playing for the National Championship. He left WVU before the Fiesta Bowl to take the Michigan job where led them to lows never experienced in Ann Arbor and was let go after three seasons. He is credited with developing the no huddle offense, the run-version of the spread offense and the zone read out of the shotgun (that made ponyboy famous). He hasn't landed yet . . .
And the book is still out on Rick Neuheisel, at UCLA. He was promoted to his first head coaching job at Colorado after Bill McCartney retired. He was an instant wonderboy going 10-2 in the first two seasons. He left CU after four years and a major NCAA infraction that left the puffs reeling with two years probation and loss of scholarships. But Rick landed at Washingtion, went 11-1 his second year there, won a Rose Bowl. Except he was fired after four years of what was a tumultuous time with several incidents from gambling to letting the program run out of control. Ultimately, he was paid a lot of money after suing the school and the NCAA. The weasel was hired by another Pac 10 school, UCLA. Despite being a great recruiter, he has yet to see success on the field (though I give him kudos for beating the whorns last year) and he is on the spot this year to win or else. If he loses this job, it will be long fall for Neuheisel, I suspect.
The point of this little history lesson, the coaching landscape is littered with stories of phenomenal coaches who took a team from obscurity to greatness, only to see a career unravel when their reach exceeded their grasp (Tyrone Willingham is another member of the club). Some fell because of things that happened off the field, others couldn't make it on a bigger stage. Success is not guaranteed no matter how good a resume a coach brings to the table. What might have happened to Bob Stoops had he jumped ship after 2000? Or Chris Petersen after 2007? Or Gary Patterson? These are examples of coaches who elected to stand pat and continue to build on success rather than market it to the highest bidder. They each may in time be accorded legend status at their respective schools. It's a sure bet Fran, Mike, the Hawk, Rich Rod and the weasel never will.