OT: What are the 10 Worst College Football Coach Hiring Decisions of the 21st Century?
According Yahoo's Pat Forde's 100 minute Twitter session with 366 voters, the answers are:
10. Bill Callahan - Nebraska
9. Ron Turner - Florida International
8. Paul Pasqualoni - Connecticut
7. Greg Robinson - Syracuse
6. Mike Locksley - New Mexico
5. Ellis Johnson - Southern Mississippi
4. Derek Dooley - Tennessee
3. Lane Kiffin - USC
2. Steve Kragthorpe - Louisville
and finally...
1. Rich Rodriguez - Michigan
Entire article below. Your thoughts?
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/ncaaf--forde-yard-dash--judging-lane-kiffi…
October 2nd, 2013 at 8:14 AM ^
a big "meh". I supported him at Michigan, and don't hate him by any means, but I will never, never feel sorry for him. I also don't really care when Arizona loses. The street goes both ways, and he made a ton, a ton of money at Michigan. Also, Michigan paid WV and there were NCAA sanction costs. He might have deserved all the money he got, but it's really hard to feel sorry for him.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:49 AM ^
I think all that's fine, most of the people harping on this issue aren't asking anyone to feel sorry for him. I just get a little offended when people act like he came in here and shit on our pillow or something. The guy is pretty clearly a very good coach who didn't work out here for whatever reason, despite his best efforts. I think that's commendable, and it's certainly more than I can claim to have given to Michigan. No one goes around here saying they hate Bump Elliott and would have rooted against him at another school just becuase he lost a lot of games.
October 2nd, 2013 at 8:38 AM ^
Calm down. RR is no longer the coach of Michigan. He tried; he failed. How would you like to have a client or customer hang your failure over your head 3 years after you had left the job?
October 2nd, 2013 at 12:11 AM ^
October 2nd, 2013 at 2:46 AM ^
It could have been worse if Schiano had taken the job...
October 2nd, 2013 at 5:56 AM ^
October 2nd, 2013 at 8:39 AM ^
That username is the best username.
October 2nd, 2013 at 6:48 AM ^
I see Howard Schnellenberger upthread, though. He and Blake did a number on Oklahoma in the nineties.
October 2nd, 2013 at 7:45 AM ^
Blake did recruit well though. He brought in most of talent that allowed Stoops to get his national championship.
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:38 AM ^
I think that merits a spot in the top ten.
Edit: if you include the nineties in the 21st century. God I need more coffee.
October 2nd, 2013 at 7:47 AM ^
10. Lane Kiffin - USC
9. Lane Kiffin - USC
8. Lane Kiffin - USC
7. Lane Kiffin - USC
6. Lane Kiffin - USC
5. Lane Kiffin - USC
4. Lane Kiffin - USC
3. Lane Kiffin - USC
2. Lane Kiffin - USC
1. Lane Kiffin - USC
October 2nd, 2013 at 9:36 AM ^
They needed someone gullible enough to take the job during the sanctions and destroy their career. The climb-so-fast-you-can't-see-I-suck Kiffen took the bait, figuring he just might be able to win enough to hang on after his unjustifiable meteoric rise.
USC now has a guy easy to fire - just like they planned for. Kiffen's too fast success finally caught up to him.
October 2nd, 2013 at 8:16 AM ^
October 2nd, 2013 at 8:53 AM ^
October 2nd, 2013 at 8:54 AM ^
on two hands the number of people that thought RR was a bad hire. Yahoo sets the bar again.
October 2nd, 2013 at 1:09 PM ^
By the time Rodriguez was fired, I sadly agreed, it needed to happen.
In 2007, I thought he was exactly the right hire. I was thrilled.
I still believe that if he stands up for himself and makes absolutely sure he gets the money to hire Casteel, he would still be coach here.
That said, I love Hoke, and I see Michigan being a top 5 program from 2015 on.
Rob
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:10 AM ^
October 2nd, 2013 at 11:48 AM ^
October 2nd, 2013 at 12:04 PM ^
buy Mike Price to Alabama was a ridiculous situation.
October 2nd, 2013 at 12:09 PM ^
Lane Kiffin should easily be on that list twice lucky for him, Dooley was pretty bad and Tennesse fans forgot a little bit i guess.
October 2nd, 2013 at 12:46 PM ^
2. Lane Kiffin - Tennessee
1. Lane Kiffin - USC
Lane Kiffin - Oakland (nfl special)
Oh and Rich Rod
October 2nd, 2013 at 1:09 PM ^
I'm in the boat with Charlie Weiss being #1 on the list, $19 million buyout for someone who is not even coaching at your school anymore cannot be surpassed.
October 2nd, 2013 at 2:39 PM ^
My two favorite losers in one satirical op-ed piece.
http://collegefootballmock.com/rich-rodriguez-lane-kiffin-hard-come-back/
October 2nd, 2013 at 2:41 PM ^
No ND hires of Weiss or Willingham? Come on...Those two were pretty terrible in their own regard.
October 2nd, 2013 at 2:43 PM ^
October 2nd, 2013 at 3:46 PM ^
If you are talking about bad decisions being bad at the time that they were made, then RichRod isn't even in the Top 100. That looked like an excellent hire at the time of a guy who had taken a mediocre program to two BCS games in three seasons. There have been many decisions worse than that one.
October 2nd, 2013 at 4:09 PM ^
I'd put Lloyd on that list if it was the last 20 years and not just this century. Sure, there were wins and some great moments. But leading Michigan into becoming a catty, shadowy and poisonous cultural environment that placed a love on a specific kind of Michigan instead of Michigan as a whole is a crime stronger than anything positive he has done.
No one at Michigan has ever disappointed me more than Lloyd Carr and it was his all done after he stopped coaching. My stomach turned this summer when I saw a clip of him honking and waiving at Hoke on the golf course. He loves Brady because he came from his tree and thus is not a threat to his legacy. Truly unforgiveable attitude.
October 2nd, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^
We truly are spoiled if we think someone who compiled a 122-40 winning % and won a national title belongs on a top ten list of the worst coaching hires in ALL of D-1 football in the past 2 decades.
October 2nd, 2013 at 4:45 PM ^
Did you only read the first sentence of my post or do you seriously lack reading comprehension skills? THIS IS NOT ABOUT HIS RECORD. The guy sabotaged his successor. That will forever be deplorable, no matter how people try to spin it.
October 2nd, 2013 at 7:26 PM ^
Just to challenge the "Lloyd subverted Rich" theory as being an absolute, I'd refer people to last year's Hail to the Victors and Craig Ross' piece. It offers another side to the Three and Out coin from an insidery point of view. Worth reading and considering before saying that Carr did everything he could to keep RR from any success.
October 2nd, 2013 at 8:33 PM ^
I read it and I think it's fair to bring up. That said, Craig Ross is Carr's buddy and writing is his hobby, not his livliehood. I will take Bacon's word (especially given what I have heard from credible people about the original transcript of 3&O) over Ross's any day of the week.
FWIW, I don't think the theory is an absolute per se. But there is far too much to deny something really, really stunk. I think anyone who is honest and sensible can connect the rather obvious dots.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:35 PM ^
October 3rd, 2013 at 4:59 AM ^
Bacon was around Rodriguez doing a job. Ross is a lawyer who actually breaks bread with Carr on social calls. It takes a remarkably obtuse person to not be able to make the distinction.
If you think that Bacon is not more cautious about his reputation as a writer than Ross given their occupation, you really can't be helped.
October 3rd, 2013 at 3:38 PM ^
If you think a writer is more cautious than a lawyer you probably haven't paid attention to either profession very much. If Bacon was that cautious about his occupation he'd make far fewer mistakes.
The fact that you "break bread" with Bacon's people doesn't help your argument either.
October 2nd, 2013 at 4:03 PM ^
I hate these lists. Hindsight is 20/20, but RR was widely considered to be one of the best--if not THE best--coaches in the sport when he was hired. It was not a bad hire, it was a bad career.
Don't get me wrong--RR deserves the blame for ignoring the defense, failing to connect with Michigan's traditions, alumni, and fans, and for some general douchebaggery. But he worked his butt off and absolutely can coach--look at what he's done already at Arizona.
If the AD had done his job in supporting RR, along with Carr, alums, and the fanbase, he might have been a good hire. But someone needed to make sure that a proper defensive coordinator was hired, work with RR to avoid stupid screw-ups like the NCAA sanctions and some press conference blunders, and to help him forge a lasting relationship with the alums and fans. Didn't happen.
RR's failure was the program's failure, not just his. I wish him success and believe he's a great coach--he's just got shortcomings that neither he nor the AD addressed while he was at Michigan.
October 2nd, 2013 at 4:07 PM ^
Carr did not just NOT support RR. Many believe there is an excellent chance that his camp was behind the Free Press leaks. If true, he should not be welcomed back at Michigan. Period.
October 2nd, 2013 at 4:23 PM ^
Frankly, (glass half full here), I think that RR was good for the program in that his years taught us what it was like to suck at football. The vast majority of our fanbase (e.g. anyone younger than, say, 45) never really knew what it was like to be truly awful at football. The RR years have made us truly appreciate winning, and just how good we usually have it.
October 2nd, 2013 at 5:26 PM ^
When I sat in the rain and watched us lose to Ohio State for the sixth time in seven years and a celebrated senior class walked off the field 0-4 on a day we mustered 91 yards of offense and 3 points, I fully felt as if I was taught what it was like to suck at football.
October 2nd, 2013 at 10:32 PM ^
October 3rd, 2013 at 4:57 AM ^
41,000 posts. Many of them spent flatly defending Carr's honor. You're like a less inspired version of Section1.
October 3rd, 2013 at 3:36 PM ^
All created to trash Carr. Which is more sad?
October 3rd, 2013 at 4:51 PM ^
You did not go to UM and dedicate a huge part of your life to posting on this blog. Your unevolved and obvious posting style is reminiscent of an Excite forum from 1998. I'd say win several saddest of the year trophies, "M-Wolverine."
October 4th, 2013 at 4:26 PM ^
Since you're obviously 15 years old it couldn't be from memory.
The fact that you get banned over and over but have to keep coming back because of some pathological need to be a dick to everyone else (probably because no one in person will hang out with you anymore so the only people you can antagonize are on the web) is a sad cry for help. Most people would get the idea the first THREE TIMES you aren't liked, respected, or wanted around here. But you can't help yourself, we know, we know...
October 3rd, 2013 at 8:18 AM ^
All these other guys did was lose some football games. Why are they even in the discussion?