Figuring I need to get “into the routine” of getting a
post out on Monday Mornings, I decided to put together an olio of sorts as to
what’s been happening in the college football world.
Coaches
Top 25 Poll
Sponsored by AMWAY?
Seriously? Oh well….
Pat
Forde runs down the 25 most intriguing coaches in College Football.
It’s a compelling list, and it got me to thinking about who my TOP 10 ALL TIME intriguing coaches would be. Granted, I have to more or less go with the
coaches from the time I’ve been alive, but I then decided I could open it up to
coaches from the past based on what I’ve read or learned about them. So, (limiting
this to football), I’m going to run down my Top 10 Coaches of the Game that if
I had a chance to invite them all to dinner and have them tell stories, well,
the dinner would last well into the wee hours of the morning!
1. Bear Bryant – Legendary. Definitely a coach you wish you could have
seen in person or be lucky enough to score a handshake or an autograph at some
point. Bo talked about being a little
in awe of him in his autobiography, and if Bo is in awe of someone, well, he
deserves a spot on my list.
2. “Bo”
Schembechler – I know that some of the ohio people that read this will
immediately scream “HOMER!” at this, but I think the student of Woody was
eventually a better coach than his coach and teacher at ohio. I know that a lot of what I’m basing that on
is subjective, but here’s a simple question:
Don’t parents and coaches want their children and proteges to be better
than they are? So, didn’t Woody achieve
that in Bo?
3. Woody
Hayes – Without Woody, ohio would have been nothing. They still revere him down in Columbus. He made ohio more ohio than anyone else could
have. If it weren’t for his career
ending blemish, I’d probably have him above Bo, but that’s just too much to
overcome. Also goes without saying that
certain coaches know when to hang up the whistle.
4. Joe
Paterno – With the exception of the revelations of what happened in the late 90’s
and through the early 2000’s, Joe Pa was one of the greats, regardless. He unfortunately didn’t have the ability to
keep someone close to him that was in sync with social issues as time
progressed. To assume that “horsing
around in the shower” with small boys was okay was just wrong…but I hate to
think that it diminishes in any way all the other great things the man did on
and off the field. Rumor has it that anew statue of JoePa will be put on display in State College in front of theTavern Restaurant. And while I know this
will anger a lot of people, well, it’s okay.
The real criminal is behind bars.
Let’s enjoy the memory of Joe Pa.
5. Tom
Osborne – An inspiring coach that led a team from the middle of nowhere to the
heights of collegiate football more often than not. Osborne is rumored to be a gentlemen’s
gentlemen, off the field of course, but a helluva football coach on it. A top 10 list wouldn’t be complete without a
mention of Tom. Of course, I could have
done without the split National Title in 1997, but that’s in the past!
6. Jimmy
Johnson – I Absolutely HATED this guy when he was at Miami, but either I’ve
come around or he’s softened a bit and isn’t the Ass Hat I originally thought
he was. I would enjoy sitting down with
him and hearing some stories at this point.
7. Lou
Holtz – I know, he was and still is one of the plethora of reasons I hate the
domers at this point, but that doesn’t make him any less intriguing. Yes, there was the book that more or less
lambasted Holtz and his time in South Bend, but still, he is a compelling coach
that shaped the lives of many young men.
8. Steve
Spurrier – I questioned putting the Heisman trophy winning QB at Florida, head
coach at Duke, Florida and now South Carolina for the simple fact that he left
his alma mater to coach in the NFL and now is coaching a rival in the SEC. But then it hit me, if that’s not intriguing,
what is?
9. Nick Saban – Why not? I bash the guy so much on this blog, but at the same time, there probably will never be another coach that has a run like he’s had in college football.
10. TIE: Fielding H. Yost - Les Miles – Yost simply
because I would have loved to hear the man talk in person. And he is a legend…someone that changed the
game. With respect to Miles, he’s a Bo
Schembechler protégé that many think has exceeded his coach and mentor in
individual and team success. While that
could be argued a lot of different ways, I think it’s impossible to think that
any dinner table would be boring if Les was in attendance.
Early
Intriguing Games You Need To Circle the Calendar For RIGHT NOW!
August 28th:
Texas A&M at South Carolina – An early SEC Matchup right out of the
gate! I like it!
August 30th:
PSU @ UCF – I just wanna see Franklin on the sidelines and see if the
Lions and pull off the upset…
August 30th:
WVU @ Alabama – Can Holgerson upset Alabama early? Dana and Saban will be interesting never the
less…
August 30th:
Okie State vs. Florida St. – Hmmm…Will there be a hangover on the
Seminole side of the ball?
September 6th:
Sparty @ Oregon – Sparty vs. the Quack Attack…Whoever wins this will be
a pre-season top 4 finalist candidate, for sure.
September 6th:
USC @ Stanford – Ditto
September 6th:
Michigan @ domers – Nobody…NOBODY wants to lose the last one…I expect
all out war in South Bend…
September 12th: UCLA @ Texas – Mora vs. Strong…Does the new
coach get a home upset of the Pac12 favorite?
September 20th: Clemson @ FSU – There’s a lot of revenge
brewing in South Carolina for this game…Beware Seminoles!
TO
ALL THE ENGINEERS WHO READ THIS BLOG
The Best "Hot/Crazy" chart I've seen in awhile....How come we didn’t think of this? I mean, I guess we all kind of had it in the
back of our minds, but still, why didn’t one of us write it down and market it? And again, don't let those Unicorns go!!!And let's not forget Barney's Version!!
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