OT: Culture Change at Texas

Submitted by Jack Daniels on

Came across an interesting article over at Barking Carnival, the UT website on SBNation.  Link: http://www.barkingcarnival.com/2014/1/14/5308182/culture-change-at-texas

Seems like Charlie Strong has wasted no time getting the program back on track. He's put in place guidelines for his players to follow, some of which might seem familiar.

I copied and pasted the meaty part of the article: 

  1. Players will attend all of their classes and sit in the front two rows of all of their classes.  GAs, academic folks, position coaches will be checking constantly now.
  2. No headphones in class.  No texting in class.  Sit up and take notes.
  3. If a player misses a class, he runs until it hurts.  If he misses two classes, his entire position unit runs.  If he misses three, the position coach runs.  The position coaches don't want to run.
  4. No earrings in the football building.  No drugs.  No stealing.  No guns.  Treat women with respect.
  5. Players may not live off campus anymore, unless they're a senior who hits certain academic standards. The University will buy out the leases for every player currently living off campus and put them in the athletic dorm.
  6. The team will all live together, eat together, suffer together, and hang out together.  They will become a true team and learn to impose accountability on each other.  The cliques are over.
  7. There's no time for a rebuild.  "I don't have time for that."  The expectation is that Texas wins now.
  8. Players will learn that they would rather practice than milk a minor injury.
  9. The focus is on winning and graduating.  Anything extraneous to that is a distraction and will be stamped out or removed.
  10. Strong met individually with seniors and key leaders and re-emphasized that the plan is to win now. They can lead the new culture or be run over by it.
  11. "I don't want to talk about things.  I'd rather do things.  We just talked.  Now it's time to do."

It seems to me like most of these things would already be in place, but I guess not.  Reading through the list actually reminded me of the passages in Bo's Lasting Lessons where Bo talked about what changes he brought to Michigan when he first arrived, i.e making the team live on campus, stressing academics first, respect everyone, and more.  I'm impressed by Strong.

 

 

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mGrowOld

January 14th, 2014 at 10:57 PM ^

"No earrings in the football building.  No drugs.  No stealing.  No guns.  Treat women with respect."

I love this list and hope Strong crushes it in Texas but I'm sorry the stuff coaches have to admonish players not to do these days is pretty amazing to me.  They seriously have to tell people not to steal things and to not own guns?  Is that something that the average 18-21 year old isn't aware of?  "Oh....sorry coach.  I didnt know I wasnt suppose to rob that liquor store at gunpoint.  Nobody told me that wasn't allowed anymore.  My bad."

Joined: 10/04/2010

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A2YpsiBlue

January 14th, 2014 at 11:40 PM ^

"I didnt know I wasnt suppose to rob that liquor store at gunpoint."  Obviously, they were speaking in general terms & I was simply reinforcing the idea that guns are used for much more than just crime.

Joined: 08/29/2012

MGoPoints: 784

GoBLUinTX

January 14th, 2014 at 11:28 PM ^

during hunting season we would bring our shotguns to HS and check them in with the vice principal until after school.  My HS was within a 10 mile radius of Stadium and Main.  Anyway, when first I lived in TX...oh, 35 years ago or so, shotguns and longarms in the back windows of pickup trucks were all the rage.  I returned some 25 years later and no more guns in the pickups.

Guess cultures do change.

Joined: 12/02/2013

MGoPoints: 5895

jmblue

January 15th, 2014 at 11:12 AM ^

I'm not sure why people think this is something peculiar to the South or that it's related to hunting.  I don't think Strong is referring to hunting rifles.    

Many recruits come from inner-city neighborhoods where gun violence is unfortunately a regular occurrence, and high school students in those schools often bring weapons to school or at least try to.  

 

Joined: 11/07/2008

MGoPoints: 102720

maizenbluenc

January 15th, 2014 at 8:24 AM ^

I seem to remember way more news stories about school busses and cows getting shot during deer hunting season in Michigan, than I do down here. I don't think it's so commonplace that it just doesn't get reported down here, or the NRA pays off the news. Granted it could be that the deer hunters in Michigan were unused to handling guns and firearm / hunting safety, and the hunters down here have been doing so since they were 7. However, I am guessing a sizeable number of people in Michigan own guns and teens have access to them.

Now Texas, that is a whole 'nother animal all to itself. Heck half, the players probably walk around campus with guns openly displayed in holsters. The lineman probably all wear ten gallon hats (which will make it even harder to see in class).   s/

Joined: 07/21/2009

MGoPoints: 10630

pescadero

January 15th, 2014 at 11:07 AM ^

"They seriously have to tell people not to steal things and to not own guns?"

 

This is Texas we're talking about.

 

Much like Michigan, hunting is a pretty big deal.

 

When I started at Michigan, I owned 4-6 guns. Most of the males I graduated from High School with owned at least one.

 

 

Joined: 03/28/2013

MGoPoints: 12004

bronxblue

January 15th, 2014 at 11:23 AM ^

Yeah, I was thinking the same thing.  I get the "don't be a prima donna" part of the rules, but telling people "don't commit felonies" feels like it should be a given with most people.  Or, at the very least, if they ARE going to do that, it probably isn't worth the breath to tell them not to.

Joined: 11/22/2008

MGoPoints: 171358

User -not THAT user

January 15th, 2014 at 4:57 PM ^

There is no minimum age to possess firearms under Texas law. Texas law prohibits intentionally or knowingly selling, renting, leasing, or giving or offering to sell, rent, lease, or give any firearm to any child younger than age 18.1 However, it is an affirmative defense to this offense that the parent or the person having legal custody of the minor had given written permission for the sale or, if the transfer was other than a sale, the parent or person having legal custody had given effective consent.2 Federal age restrictions impose stricter limits. 

...because TEXAS:

"

Joined: 06/05/2012

MGoPoints: 2422

BayWolves

January 14th, 2014 at 11:04 PM ^

You ain't kidding. I sat behind Greg Skrepenak back in the early 90s and it was not a pleasure as I couldn't see a damn thing.  I moved because neither of us was in the front row.

Joined: 06/21/2011

MGoPoints: 11056

mGrowOld

January 14th, 2014 at 11:11 PM ^

Im pretty sure Miss Rita's Nachos arent on the menu in the dining room anymore and the football bust music probably got switched up a bit too.  Something a bit more uptempo I suspect.

And players were told no more setting fire to the homeless and robbing casinos.  Other than that - business as usual.

 

Joined: 10/04/2010

MGoPoints: 212665

SF Wolverine

January 14th, 2014 at 11:05 PM ^

I could not understand how Texas dropped as fast as they did.  No coaching change, they seemed to be getting the same level of recruits, but just seemed not to be very cohesive.  Strong may lose some guys -- he probably wants to - but the guys left seem likely to get it going again.

Joined: 10/04/2010

MGoPoints: 24875

Frito Bandito

January 14th, 2014 at 11:09 PM ^

Very impressive. I have no doubts that Strong will make tremendous strides at Texas.

It makes me a bit sad that I don't know what Hoke's policy is regarding on and off campus living. Anyone?

Joined: 03/01/2012

MGoPoints: 9805