OT - Powerful Texas booster derides Charlie Strong hire
You think Michigan has had "faction" problems in the past? Powerful Texas booster Red McCombs says the hiring of Charlie Strong was a "kick in the face" and that Strong might be a "great position coach, maybe a coordinator" but isn't UT head coach material.
http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/10257706/booster-red-mcc…
Apologies if this discussion ends up veering into political territory. I just wanted to point out that no matter how bad people thought the infighting at Michigan following Carr was, I think we are about to see Texas go though something exponentially worse.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:52 PM ^
It would be one thing to say, "This guy's really only had two good years as a head coach and therefore isn't good enough for us." That's a defensible position, albeit one I don't agree with. But to say he's not head coach material is something else, though maybe something just born of laziness.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:46 PM ^
(somewhat) the same things about Hoke would have made Brian a racist had Hoke been black?
January 7th, 2014 at 3:02 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 3:17 PM ^
says the guy defending one. Well played.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:29 PM ^
Comparing Strong's record to Hoke's is not such a great comparison.
No other major college team would have hired Hoke at that time (or today, for that matter) -- you can't say that for Strong.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:43 PM ^
Hoke had never been a coordinator, and had a sub .500 head coaching record when Michigan hired him. That's a bit different.
January 7th, 2014 at 4:00 PM ^
The crux of this is a bunch of fist biters are borderline concern trolling. They're the ones bringing race into it, not some ancient billionaire who thought Texas could get Saban or Harbaugh or Gruden.
January 7th, 2014 at 4:38 PM ^
I don't even know what that means!
January 7th, 2014 at 7:43 PM ^
So pretty much Coach Hoke? I think a lot of us think the same thing of Hoke now but we're not accused of being racist. If McCombs happened to be a woman/Hispanic/Asian/black would this be an issue? Nope. But because he's "an old Southern guy" he has to be racist, right? Not just a guy with an inflated ego who thinks the UT job should be able to grab Saban at will?
January 7th, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^
yes. and that chance is 99.8%
January 7th, 2014 at 2:10 PM ^
He did buy an NFL team with a black head coach. It really sounds like he's insulted that his $100M and perceived expertise didn't get him more involved in the process.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:31 PM ^
Calling an experienced head coach a "position" coach and maybe a coordinator is pretty damning (not to mention one coming off a 1-loss season). That is a lot worse than saying we settled and could've/should've gotten a stronger candidate.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:34 PM ^
"Great position coach, maybe a coordinator"
Are you serious dude? Dude won 23 games the last 3 seasons, including a BCS bowl.
What an arrogant, stupid man.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:35 PM ^
Why? Because some idiot white guy still cannot accept that the Civil War ended well over 100 years ago?
January 7th, 2014 at 1:47 PM ^
as you accuse him of making. Are you related, by chance?
January 7th, 2014 at 2:15 PM ^
In fairness, Strong's resume is better than Mack Brown's was when Texas hired him back in '97. McCombs is apparently a friend and supporter of Brown. McCombs not only said that Strong wasn't fit to be the coach at UT, but that he "would make a great position coach, maybe a coordinator." Never mind the fact that Strong turned around Louisville and beat an SEC team in a BCS bowl, or that he won two national championships as a defensive coordinator at Florida. Brown didn't have any similar accolades on his resume when he was hired by UT. It's hard not to notice that the main trait distringuishing Strong from Brown is Strong's race.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:34 PM ^
Actually, Brown was one of the hot names in coaching when Texas hired him. He'd taken a UNC program that was in horrible shape and went 10-2 and 11-1 his last two years there. He just couldn't get over the FSU hump (FSU then was pretty much like Alabama now).
I think both guys were pretty strong candidates when hired.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:02 PM ^
about Texas so that shouldn't surprise you.
January 7th, 2014 at 3:31 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 1:37 PM ^
If Strong wins 11 or more games the next couple of years, most asshole boosters will shut up. Fewer than 10 wins two years in a row, and there will be a lot more than this booster questioning the hire.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:40 PM ^
All it takes is winning. If he wins, he's good and that douche booster will fall in love. If he loses, all hell will break loose like it has here since the Rich Rod era and it will probably be worse.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:44 PM ^
My guess would be that McCombs is moreso pissed off that Texas get Harbaugh or Saban to agree to some otherworldly amount of money, so that Texas would have to go to the booster to get it, and they could buy their way into controlling the program.
Strong better become a good politician in the next 5 years, or it may not matter how much he wins.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:01 PM ^
Texas has enough money that they don't need to ping any single booster to chip in on paying the head coach.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:47 PM ^
Always good to screw them over before the coach gets on campus. Worked wonders for the program and fanbase here.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:48 PM ^
I wondered how an African-American head coach would fly with the rich boosters in TX. Apparently, McCombs thinks that if you are rich enough, you are exempt from civil rights legislation. I'm surprised he didn't say that Strong "lacks the necessities" to be a head coach.
I hope Strong gets enough support to succeed wildly at UT and relegate McCombs to "rich booster who doesn't run the program anymore" status.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:20 PM ^
that purchased a Vikings team coached by Denny Green - Green was there for several years after the purchase. I suspect McCombs is guilty of the same crime RR committed - he has an accent.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:27 PM ^
No, McCombs bought the Vikings in 1998. Green was hired in 1992.
EDIT: You edited before I hit 'Save'. Your original post said that McCombs hired Green. It's true that McCombs kept Green on, but that's not quite the same as hiring Green.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:33 PM ^
It does seem to be enough to convince you that he is racist, based on nothing other than a picture.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:55 PM ^
No, but Brown's resume when he was hired isn't any better than Strong's. The fact that McCombs was a huge supporter of Brown but thinks Strong isn't even a great coordinator is eyebrow-raising, at the very least.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:57 PM ^
Did you even read the interview? What it really looks like is McCombs had his heart set on Jon Gruden and thought he paid enough to have a say in the hire. When they didn't take his choice, McCombs threw a temper tantrum. Why assume it's race when it's clearly a power struggle?
January 7th, 2014 at 4:09 PM ^
Because his comments aren't limited to his complaints about not being consulted. He's basically saying Strong isn't good enough to be a head coach, which is ridiculous.
January 7th, 2014 at 4:23 PM ^
Look at some of the things that other rich people say when they're throwing a public hissy fit. It doesn't have to be rational; a lot of it is flat ridiculous. These people are used to getting their way. He's making the point that his choice was the right coach and everyone else was crap compared to his choice.
EDIT: Edited.
January 8th, 2014 at 8:05 AM ^
most "rich" people throwing "hissy fits" are usually savvy enough not to make an implicitly racist comment, e.g. the whole only good enough to be a coordinator discussion.
January 8th, 2014 at 10:42 AM ^
Tater. WTF does any of this have to do with civil rights legislation? Seriously. WTF?
January 7th, 2014 at 1:51 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 1:53 PM ^
is not surprising. It was inevitable.
Texas fans will have zero patience for this guy, he needs to win right away.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:59 PM ^
The fact that Strong doesn't play well with boosters and the schmoozing I think he'll find himself railroaded out of town the second Saban calls them up and says he is ready.
January 7th, 2014 at 1:59 PM ^
Whan Texas hired Mack Brown in '97, he was a good-but-not-great ACC coach who had never won a conference championship and had never beaten Florida State. Strong has at least as good a resume as Brown did in '97.
McCombs is 86 years old and probably senile.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:04 PM ^
probably smells too.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:25 PM ^
Charlie Strong 4 years at Louisville 37-15
Mack Brown last 4 years at Carolina 34-12
The only difference to me is Charlie did it against decidedly weaker competition and inherited a program on much better footing than Mack Brown did at Carolina.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:36 PM ^
The only good competition in the ACC when Brown coached at North Carolina was Florida State, whom Brown never beat. His best "win" was a tie against Georgia Tech the year that GT won the national championship. Strong's Louisville team dominated a one-loss Florida team in the Sugar Bowl. And Louisville wasn't in great shape when Strong got there; they hadn't had a winning season in three years.
January 7th, 2014 at 8:57 PM ^
Ageism. Disgusting and pathetic.
January 8th, 2014 at 10:17 AM ^
is a little like criticizing [insert coach's name here] for never beating UCLA under Wooden.
I'm looking at the Massey website--there's criticism of their supposed weak schedules in those years and I want to use something that's SOS-adjusted instead of just polls or records--and in the 90s FSU finished the year ranked 4, 3, 2, 1, 3, 3, 2, 2, 3 and 1.
There's never been a run like that ever, anywhere.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:07 PM ^
I wonder how he felt about me.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:40 PM ^
I'm pretty sure he personally unfurled your golden parachute.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:07 PM ^
January 7th, 2014 at 4:15 PM ^
Because he's a rich entitled bastard who is pissed that the new Texas AD didn't consult him on the hire?
January 7th, 2014 at 2:12 PM ^
Personally I think Strong is a GREAT hire for Texas.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:14 PM ^
to go to the NFL vs. staying in a secure college job: loud-mouthed jerk boosters. Unlike an average jerk fan, in college the coach has to put up with these idiots at money-raising events, personal meetings sometimes, and other functions. In the NFL, they just have to make two people happy: the owner and GM/President.
Some of these Texas boosters must think that every great coach in college or the pro's should be lining up to take their HC job. Now they're learning what Michigan did when your program stops winning at the rate it once did for a few years.
January 7th, 2014 at 2:15 PM ^
How does the OP know it will be worse or even close to it? When Brown loyalists leak information to the Dallas Morning News that causes a ridiculous investigation on Strong and one of their starters is encouraged to transfer to Oklahoma, we can talk about their problems being merely on par. That's how bad things were here.