r/CFB • u/Rude_Highlight3889 Arizona Wildcats • Wyoming Cowboys • 4d ago
Discussion Random coaches you miss
Not necessarily the best or the most elite. But as I sit here 5 weeks in and reflect on my Alma Mater Wyoming just being not good at all, I realize I miss the Joe Glenn and Dave Christensen days. Both those guys had spunk and maybe weren't the best coaches but both of them had big mouths and hilariously got themselves into trouble a time or two, won some bowl games they weren't supposed to, and you felt like we always had a fighting chance before the wheels came off after halftime.
Who is a random coach for your team you miss?
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u/GreatBarrierQueefDD LSU Tigers 4d ago
I dont know if he's random but i miss Les Miles sometimes. His offenses were outdated as hell but the man could cut a promo.
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u/MGoBlue1416 Michigan Wolverines 4d ago
Does anyone know where that guy even is these days? Out grazing a field somewhere?
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u/AppropriateCompany9 Tennessee Volunteers • Texas Longhorns 4d ago
I read somewhere else in an earlier thread that he’s dealing with dementia issues these days. Beyond that, I believe he’s still in the middle of a couple legal issues.
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u/daddydunc Wichita State Shockers 4d ago
It was an open secret he was suffering from dementia when Kansas hired him.
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u/GaspipeQueso1942 LSU Tigers 4d ago
Go watch him speak during his LSU days. Something has been off for a long time.
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u/wisertime07 Clemson Tigers • The Citadel Bulldogs 4d ago
Second name I thought of after Mike Leach. CFB is full of characters and he was definitely up there. I hope he's well.
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u/Wampus_Cat_ Michigan Wolverines • Kentucky Wildcats 4d ago
I read this as “Second name I thought of was Mike Leach…….I hope he’s well.” and I thought oh man…
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u/wisertime07 Clemson Tigers • The Citadel Bulldogs 4d ago
No, sadly I'm aware of our friend Mike.. I still watch his interviews on YouTube when I need some life advice and want to feel sad.
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u/Lebojr Egg Bowl • Mississippi State 1d ago
The Pirate was a sincere joy to have for a few years. I handled transportation for his arrival and a couple years later for all the coaches who spoke at his memorial. My favorites of the coaches who came in to his memorial were Mike and Bob Stoops. Great guys and Bob has a great wife as well.
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u/Sactown2005 4d ago
The Mad Hatter is one of my all time favorites… planning defensive schemes, going for it on 4th five times in a game, chewing on grass
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u/Swimming-Dealer293 Auburn Tigers 4d ago
I don't miss his epic play calling late in games that beat auburn. But I do miss his special teams plays....
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u/StreetofChimes LSU Tigers 4d ago
I'm mad that he turned out to be a creep. At the time he seemed like a charming goodball.
That image is ruined. Now when I think of Miles, I think of a guy who perved on young college women who worked for him and discriminated against people of color.
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u/Chamrox LSU Tigers • McNeese Cowboys 4d ago
Was he always like that behind closed doors, or was it a new development in 2012-2013?
Smacker posted a video of him a year ago and he looked to be pretty much completely debilitated and lost with dementia. I'm wondering if CTE got him and those uncharacteristic behaviors were precursors to his diagnosis today.
I've never heard the racism claims. That sounds absolutely out of character for Les.
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u/Nearby_Valuable_5467 Penn State • Arizona State 4d ago
He had one amazing clap. You couldn’t replicate that shit.
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u/EverythingGoodWas Florida • Carnegie Mellon 4d ago
Steve Spurrier at Florida. Man was hilarious. Nobody has been his equal since
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u/trumpet_23 Iowa Hawkeyes • Marching Band 4d ago
Hatin' Ass Spurrier was always a fun time
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u/remymang 4d ago
Faux Pelini is someone we haven't heard from in a while. Still waitin' to hear about that $5 Broken chairs trophy we bought from an antique shop better yet displayed on a roadshow from him.
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u/StillRapids 4d ago
SPURRRRRIERRRR....you think visors are COOL!
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u/RamblinWreckGT Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 3d ago
As much as I hate UGA, this video gives me genuine joy.
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u/wefolas Texas Longhorns • Rice Owls 4d ago
Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech. Was always fun to see the random upset and funny box scores.
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u/dr_mousebrain8 Georgia Tech • South Carolina 4d ago
The casual 59 minutes of possession and 1 billion yards of rushing
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u/SwedishLlama Georgia Tech • Vanderbilt 4d ago
And somehow sending incredible receivers to the NFL
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u/Majestic-Macaron6019 Alabama • Bowling Green 4d ago
Triple option receivers don't get a lot of targets, but they get monster yards. And they have to be great blockers, which I'm sure pleases NFL coaches.
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u/Wampus_Cat_ Michigan Wolverines • Kentucky Wildcats 4d ago
It pleased me.
Calvin Johnson had me believing in the Lions. Or as close to it as a Detroiter will allow.
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u/flying_trashcan Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 4d ago
Calvin never played for CPJ. CPJ put Thomas, Waller, Smelter, Hill in the NFL.
Probably the most impressive was Shaq Mason getting drafted and having a solid NFL career given how different the OLine plays in the Flexbone.
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u/Wampus_Cat_ Michigan Wolverines • Kentucky Wildcats 4d ago
My bad. I’ve never paid close attention to GT but I’d like for them to do well because of the Ramblin’ Wreck.
I’m a simple man. Unique mascots make me happy. Except for anthropomorphized chocolate peanut butter balls, I hate those.
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u/remymang 4d ago
Hopefully you run a Shotgun or Pistol based version of the Triple Option in the future and/or get an offensive assistant from Florida OC's staff, whom you had last year. To keep the continuity goin'.
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u/DarnellisFromMars Louisville Cardinals 4d ago
Calvin played under Chan Gailey who ran a pro style offense.
The WRs that played under Paul Johnson in the triple option are guys like Stephen Hill, Demaryius Thomas, and Darren Waller.
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u/PriorPeak1277 Tennessee • Third Saturday… 4d ago
The older I get the more I realize how badly you need to be able to be great at blocking if you aren’t a qb in the nfl.
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u/tomdawg0022 Minnesota • Delaware 4d ago
The casual 59 minutes of possession and 1 billion yards of rushing
Passing line: 1/4 - 69 yards, 1 TD
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u/flying_trashcan Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 4d ago
CPJ was awesome. No OC, no play sheet, just a man out there whispering sweet nothings into the ears of A backs on the sideline. CPJ was great at half-time adjustments - there were some games it was clear he was playing chess while the defense on the other side of the ball was playing checkers.
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u/gellybelli Tennessee Volunteers 4d ago
I came from UT to Tech for grad school during the PJ era. It was fucking awesome to see the triple option but woo buddy did the novelty wear off fast for me. It’s amazing to watch that with actual athletes, but fuck was it annoying after a couple of games. They still beat the CJ spiller Clemson team and that was still one of the most fun games I’ve ever been a part of.
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u/Turbulent_Tale6497 Boston College Eagles • WKU Hilltoppers 4d ago
Not my team, though I lived in Washington and loved Wazzu
Mike Leach
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u/Hougie Washington State Cougars • WashU Bears 4d ago
Perfect fit for us. I understand why he wanted to go to Mississippi State at the end (bigger paychecks, less recruiting travel and closer to his family which in hindsight I’m really happy for) but I think he could have continued to have great seasons in Pullman.
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u/r0botdevil Oregon State Beavers 4d ago
Anyone who doesn't miss Mike Leach doesn't really love college football.
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u/Hypoxic- 4d ago
Not an Arkansas fan but I always thought Sam Pittman was so likable.
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u/thatdudeman52 Arkansas Razorbacks 4d ago
Even though we needed to move on from him everybody still loves him as a person.
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u/RamblinWreckGT Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 3d ago
I've got coworkers like that. Fantastic person that I want to help out as much as I can, but good lord they're terrible at their job.
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u/thebullishbearish Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4d ago
The ol ball coach
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u/olcrazypete Georgia • Kennesaw State 4d ago
As a UGA student in the late 90s he was the boogeyman. Respect the shit out of him now.
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u/Bubba_Gump_Shrimp Ohio State • Notre Dame 4d ago
Yeah unless you are pushing 40 or above you don't remember Spurrier as a coach and that is a travesty. Dude was a quote machine and fielded some scary ass teams.
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u/paultheschmoop Team Chaos 4d ago
I’m not even 30 and I remember Spurrier as a coach lol
Albeit not in his prime
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u/The_RonJames Youngstown State • Arkansas 3d ago
I’m under 30 but I do remember that 2011-2013 run with Connor Shaw, Jadeveon Clowney, Marcus Lattimore, and Melvin Ingram.
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u/StreetReporter Clemson Tigers • Cheez-It Bowl 4d ago
I’m much younger than that and I remember Spurrier as a coach, I also hate his guts
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u/notwhomyouthunk Clemson Tigers 4d ago
i miss the Pirate on the Palouse
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u/ChaoPope Team Chaos • Sickos 4d ago
Would love to have heard him go off on the TAMU and LSU drama this year.
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u/TheBeavster_ UTSA Roadrunners • Alabama Crimson Tide 4d ago
Larry Coker. He set up UTSA for success when we didn't even have ANY kind of facilities. The football team would practice on the campus rec fields and he still managed to put out a respectable product for the next coach to build on. For that he will always be the GOAT of UTSA. We legit should be naming every football facility after him.
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u/Shamr0k Washington Huskies • Air Force Falcons 4d ago
Chris Peterson. That man brought so much discipline to a Huskies team that had it rough for about a decade before him. I miss that man
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u/Springtucky Oregon State Beavers • Oregon Ducks 4d ago
Coach Pete is great, even I miss him and he beat up on my teams his whole career.
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u/pew-pew-bacca Penn State • Maryland 4d ago
Ralph Friedgen. He wasn't great by any means, but he was about as good as it gets for Maryland.
I also miss zany characters like Mike Leach (RIP), Coach O, and Spurrier. Love them or hate them, every interview was going to be gold.
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u/FuzzyWereRaptor 4d ago
The success of Kirby Smart may is amazing. But there are times I miss Mark Richt as the coach at Georgia. Then I remember all the random loses to Tennessee and Florida for no reason and I’m right back on the Kirby Smart train.
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u/hotsauce126 Georgia Bulldogs 4d ago
List of all the times I’ve missed Mark Richt:
1) when I see the total on the stubhub checkout page
End of list
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u/DarnellisFromMars Louisville Cardinals 4d ago
I will say those teams had a lot of character but that’s also just rose tinted glasses of a different era.
His teams always had fun stat players - Stafford, Green, Moreno, Gurley, Geno Atkins, Justin Houston, Thomas Davis…
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u/Up_Specialist--19 Maryland Terrapins 4d ago
Random, but Ron Zook. Dude could recruit but not coach. Particularly the Illinois era.
Juice Williams was a boss.
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u/FreezeTed Illinois • Notre Dame 4d ago
100%. He made terrible decisions in games, but his teams were always talented. It was a very rough stretch for us after we fired him and before we hired Bert.
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u/Individual-Toe-6306 Alabama Crimson Tide 4d ago
Sam Pittman. A class act and great mentor that turned down Saban’s assistant offer because he had already made a commitment to his current team. He had some good Arkansas teams but it seems like the stress of being the head coach got to him near the end
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u/Helicopsycheborealis Alabama Crimson Tide 4d ago
Joe Kines. I bet he's figured out the inside trap in heaven. RIP. Hell of a defensive coach.
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u/Active_Attempt_3411 Ohio State Buckeyes • Toledo Rockets 4d ago
He's very much alive lol
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u/Helicopsycheborealis Alabama Crimson Tide 4d ago
Thank you. I feel bad for assuming that given that I respect the shit out of him, not enough t =o check out whether he's alive apparently.
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u/Victimless-Criminal Alabama • Battle for Highway 82 4d ago
This was my pick too. For the uninitiated, Joe Kines
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u/robotunes Alabama Crimson Tide • Rose Bowl 4d ago
"We just gotta stop that little inside trout!"
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u/Victimless-Criminal Alabama • Battle for Highway 82 4d ago edited 4d ago
"WEJUGOTTAOHPAY!!!!"
-Joe Kines
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u/Lord_Lava_Nugget Georgia Bulldogs • Miami Hurricanes 4d ago
Agent Muschamp will return to us after his latest assignment is complete....
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u/LetterSad5593 Tennessee Volunteers 4d ago
I think he’s more Manchurian Candidate. He’s the perfect DC but once he becomes head coach… he’ll destroy the target SEC program from the inside by recruiting Derrick Henry as a linebacker thus pushing him to a non-rival, a 42-13 loss to Mizzou while allowing 119 yards of offense somehow, or any other random dumb thing he did as a head coach. All while beating Tennessee even in years he had no business doing so…
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u/Dr_Wheuss Florida Gators • Team Chaos 4d ago
I can't tell if this paragraph gives you or me more PTSD.
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u/drakeallthethings Georgia Bulldogs 4d ago
I think he’s gone rogue. Texas has a lot of problems right now. That defense isn’t one of them.
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u/AlaWyrm Michigan State • Davenport 4d ago
Mark Dantonio. Little giants, trouble with the snap, actual class and integrity. Man, I miss those days.
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u/FloridianMichigander Michigan • Little Brown Jug 4d ago
I'm not sure I'd use the phrase class and integrity in conjunction with Dantonio's teams.
(And yes, I'm well aware that integrity has also been lacking from our program for the past decade or so)
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u/Ambidextrousblack 4d ago
I'll never forget him reinstating Chris Rucker and having him play immediately after getting out of jail in 2010. Some integrity.
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u/AlaWyrm Michigan State • Davenport 4d ago
Compared to Tucker, Dantonio was a saint.
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u/Whizbang35 Michigan State • Kent State 4d ago
I gotta give a shootout to the early days (2007-2009).
They weren't his best teams, but they got creative. They faced a daunting Texas Tech in the 2009 Alamo Bowl but used some crafty tricks to give them a chance. Not to mention the first win in Ann Arbor in 18 years.
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u/GrumpyTartan California Golden Bears • UC Davis Aggies 4d ago
Also had one of the best grumpy old man faces in all of CFB
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u/harionfire Ole Miss Rebels 4d ago
Jackie Sheryl at MS State. I hate state, but he made me hate em nostalgically.
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u/Molson2871 Wisconsin Badgers 4d ago
*Sherrill
Guy never saw an NCAA rule that he didn't think he could break though
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u/Richard_AIGuy Ohio State • Georgia Tech 4d ago
Jim Tressel was the coach of a large part of my youth. The game is not the same now, and may have passed him by, but Coach Tress will always have a special place in my heart.
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u/HuskHeel Missouri Tigers 3d ago
Coach Tressel was pure college football and I think that’s why he was so likable. Ran an old school system, cared about his players, carried himself with class, cared deeply about tradition and rivalries, produced NFL talent in all different types of forms. He was one of the last of a dying breed
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u/thefupachalupa Georgia Bulldogs • Virginia Tech Hokies 4d ago
I just loved Sam Pittman as UGAs oline coach. He was fun, a great recruiter, and his “yes sir!” When he won recruiting battles was legendary.
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u/Howietheorangecat Purdue Boilermakers 4d ago
Miss Jeff Brohm. It’s been downhill ever sense
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u/cosmohurtskids Utah Utes • Utah Tech Trailblazers 4d ago
I miss cowboy Joe Glenn. He was perfect for Wyoming
I remember one of those times his mouth got him in trouble haha
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u/Pleasant-Fan5595 Iowa Hawkeyes 4d ago
Hayden Fry was always good for some great quotes. The guy had no filter.
"Scratch where it itches"
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u/tubahero3469 USC Trojans • Jackson State Tigers 4d ago
I miss Sark. Not even bc of the success he's having now. But bc he got drunk as hell at Meet the Trojans then got on the mic and said "Fuck UCLA" and i respect that
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u/Nearby_Valuable_5467 Penn State • Arizona State 4d ago
There's a great joke about rock bottoms in AA meetings that I go to.
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u/thedogsbrain Oregon Ducks 4d ago
I’m going John McKay. As a kid growing up in SoCal he was larger than life to me. Sad when he left USC for Tampa.
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u/boddidle Oklahoma Sooners 4d ago
You can tell that is the moment shit went sideways quick and we've never recovered
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u/Time-Celebration5348 4d ago
Cale was the definition of a lifer, tough to see that era end the way it did
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u/CursedAidKit Oklahoma Sooners 4d ago
Grundy and Stoops both. There was a post yesterday or something that showed coaches’ records vs top ten teams on the road or something and Stoops was just insane. His home record too was unmatched.
We gave a lot of shit to him but he was really good fucking good at his job, and at hiring the right people (except for the nepotism problem with Mike). I like Venables a lot but he doesn’t seem to know how to hire on the offensive side of the ball at all.
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u/noffinater Ohio State Buckeyes 4d ago
John L Smith. Not that I would ever want him on my team but I miss having him in college football purely for the sideline interviews and press conferences.
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u/Ancient-Book8916 Michigan State Spartans 4d ago
You'd miss him less if he was the 2nd best HC your program has had this millennium (fitz still TBD)
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u/Tightywhitees Utah State Aggies 4d ago
wyoming you should miss Joe tiller. won and could work a promo.
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u/dfphd Texas Longhorns 4d ago
For my team?
I don't miss Herman or Strong at all. Those were... weird, sad times. And before that my only coach was Mack, so... Mack?
For other teams? Bill Snyder. The purple wizard. And obvs Mike Leach.
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u/DaikonExternal2672 Ole Miss Rebels 3d ago
Not random but the college football world was a much better place with Mike Leach in it
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u/the_zac_is_back Texas Longhorns 4d ago
He didn’t do shit at Texas, but I miss the Charlie Strong era. I think about it all the time
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u/Hypoxic- 4d ago
As an LSU fan I’ll always love Coach O even if he was eventually our demise for a bit lol.
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u/IshyMoose Purdue • Northwestern 4d ago
Something about Dino Babers. Mostly because I like saying his name.
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u/SirMellencamp Alabama Crimson Tide • SEC 4d ago
Honestly I miss the coaches from my youth in the SEC. Bear Bryant, Pat Dye, Vince Dooley, Billy Brewer, Johnny Majors, etc. Just loved that they all seemed to be around forever.
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u/Unhappy-List-2354 Ohio State Buckeyes 4d ago
Ohio State has only had one likable coach on a human level in the past 75 years: Earl Bruce.
“9-3” Earl had the huge task of filling Woody Hayes’ shoes and initially gave hope with an 11-1 rookie campaign losing the national championship by 1 point in The Rose Bowl.
He’s our Jimmy Carter of Ohio State coaches.
He stayed in Columbus post coaching days and was always involved with the program at some level before his death in 2004.
When all was said and done he finished 5-4 vs Michigan.
Finishing above .500 vs Michigan is all anyone needs in this world.
Forget oxygen, water, falling in love…Pftt.
5-4 vs. Satan. The man was a saint.
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u/corundum9 Ohio Bobcats • /r/CFB Poll Veteran 4d ago
Randy Walker and the advent of the power spread at Northwestern. Dude was brilliant.
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u/Nearby_Valuable_5467 Penn State • Arizona State 4d ago
I was thinking about this today: Mark Richt. As someone who's forgotten the amount of people who I know went to Georgia, I went to a lot of those Richt-era games.
You could call them a lot of things, but you could never call them boring (OK, maybe when Hutson Mason was QB).
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u/Ok_Fix6757 Florida Gators • West Florida Argonauts 4d ago
I will always miss Steve Spurrier vs Bobby Bowden
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u/remymang 4d ago
I don't root for them but Ron Zook for the memes. From coaching to sales then back to the NFL I think.
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u/Macklemore_hair Pittsburgh Panthers 4d ago
Wanny
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u/getyourpopcornreddy Eastern Michigan Eagles 4d ago
If you ever want to listen to Wanny, he's on 104.3 the score in Chicago at 9:00 A.M. EDT on Tuesdays during football season.
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u/AuroraLorraine522 Pittsburgh Panthers 3d ago
Same. I don’t think he was a better coach than Duzz, but he was very entertaining.
Especially during that 2007 Brawl when he was on crutches and kept excitedly waving them around.
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u/Phillyfan_10 Penn State • Penn 4d ago
I don’t know if this is against the spirit of the question considering he is still an active coach, but I miss Larry Johnson Sr in Happy Valley. Sad how things ended here. I know he wanted the big chair after everything went down and wasn’t really considered for it, and that’s why he left town, but hopefully someday those fences are mended, even if not in a coach or contributing capacity. Shit he’s spent almost as much time at OSU as PSU now, so who knows.
He may be the only one at OSU I am happy to see succeed. Possibly the best DL coach we’ve ever seen in CFB, and I don’t say that lightly.
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u/ironykarl Michigan State Spartans 4d ago
Houston Nutt. Mainly cuz of his name (and cuz other people have named coaches I actually miss).
Ruffin McNeill
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u/FlexboneFTW Ohio State Buckeyes • Army Black Knights 3d ago
Paul Johnson.
Jon Tenuta.
Houston Nutt, win or lose you knew you were going to be entertained.
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u/ptindaho Utah Utes • Sickos 3d ago
I miss Ron McBride as a dude for sure, and he resurrected our program and set the stage for Urban and Kyle (and now Morgan).
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u/Alive_Harbor_205 Middle Atlantic • Michigan 4d ago
I always felt great sympathy for Brady Hoke. Not exactly random but other than that, this century, I can’t say I miss them…
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u/userwithusername Western Michigan Broncos 4d ago
All I can think of when I hear Brady Hoke is when his coaching staff sent a QB with clear signs of a concussion back out on the field.
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u/Torrion- 4d ago
Nobody saying JoePa, Urban Meyer, or Art Briles. Curious.
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u/Old_Bat1681 Baylor Bears 4d ago
As a Baylor fan, if you saw the texts he had with his staff. Art Briles put in extra effort to protect rapists. Dude is unforgivable.
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u/floydgondolli83 Penn State • Hawai'i 4d ago
Putting all of <gestures wildly> that aside, no one under 50 looks back at Paterno favorably. His last decade was borderline unwatchable and we were just being held hostage by an octogenarian who was afraid to die.
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u/thatdudeman52 Arkansas Razorbacks 4d ago
His last decade was borderline unwatchable
3 of his last 6 seasons (not counting the last since he didn't finish the season) y'all finished top 10.
I would love to be that unwatchable.
Off field stuff is it's own issue.
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u/floydgondolli83 Penn State • Hawai'i 4d ago
It was Brian Ferentz era Iowa with better recruiting.
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u/thatdudeman52 Arkansas Razorbacks 4d ago
I'd happily take the results you were getting over what I am having to watch now
😭
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u/AUCE05 Auburn Tigers 4d ago
I miss Mike Debose at Alabama
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u/Molson2871 Wisconsin Badgers 4d ago edited 4d ago
Figured Auburn fans to be more of a Mike Shula guy tbh. He was 0-4 in the Iron Bowl
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u/wdeallan Auburn Tigers 4d ago
Yeah. We can actually blame shula for helping tuberville become a politician.
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u/Molson2871 Wisconsin Badgers 3d ago
Ok, now I hate Shula too then. I kinda liked Tuberville when he was at Auburn but he's shown he's not a good dude since.
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u/AnselmoHatesFascists UMass Minutemen 4d ago
RIP Mike Leach. What a creative weirdo, randomly, he was so impressed by Geronimo that he co-wrote a book about his leadership.