Poll: Perkins or Curry

[Alasippi]

Re: Perkins or Currry

Curry was not a good recruiter, he was an average recruiter and an average Coach. I was in TTown back then and I can tell you Perkins was a real good recruiter. The yer he left for Tampa Bay, he was headed to having a top 3 recruiting class. Once he left Curry could not keep up with the recruiting game at all. Curry signed 1 QB in 3 years for example..remember who? Ray Stanton form NY and never played a second. Perkins signed Sutton, Newberry, Ray, Dunn and Hollingsworth (all but Hollingsworth were rated the top 5 QBs in there class). Qb's is an example. Coach Stallings had to scratch for QBs when he arrived because Curry had not signed any and didnt have any committed (Jay Barker was not on Curry's radar). So to me Curry could not recruit, was an average field coach as well. Perkins was a real good recruiter (the best recruiter before Saban) and was an average field coach. Both are jerks though. SO the answer is Perkins would rate by me the better of the 2. The order of the Bama coaches in my lifetime in my Opinion:

1)Coach Bryant (No Brainer)
2)Coach Stallings (No Brainer)
3)Coach Saban (Still a work in progress)
4)Coach Perkins
5)Coach Fran
5)Coach Shula (Took the training wheels off)
6)Coach Curry (Toss up really between Shula and Curry)
7)Coach Dubose

What about Mike Price, the only Bama coach who never lost a game?
And also the coach who wanted to change the Fight Song from "Yea Alabama" to "Strippidty Do Dah-Strippity Day"

 

[TommyMac]

Re: Perkins or Currry

Bill Curry could chew Perkins up and spit him out as a coach and recruiter.
Perkins 5-6 team was one of the most talented teams ever assembled at Bama.
Curry's 26-8 record for his three years is THE best first three year record of any coach in Alabama history including this guy named Bryant.
He recruited 90% of the seniors on the 92 National Championship Team.
He was smart enough to hire coaches like Homer Smith. Remember the 49 straight points we scored against Ole Miss??? When was the last time any offense we've had did anything similar to that?
I personally think Curry was a very under rated coach.
Perkins tore the tower down. That's my most vivid memory of him.

alasippi

You must be blood kin to Bill Curry. :wink:

While I admire your passion in trying to pass off a sow's ear as a silk purse, I gotta call BS on your post. First of all, The University of Alabama gave BC what little success he could point to after 17 years as a HC. 17 freaking years and only BAMA could make him a winner.

So let's take a look at the record of this coaching titan as you portray him. At Ga. Tech he only won 31 games in 7 years, finishing with a winning percentage of .423. Hardly Hall of Fame stuff there, agreed? Then in only 3 years at ALABAMA, he went 26-10 until the enormity of the job caused him to flee to Kentucky, where football expectations are considerably less that at BAMA.

Sad thing is, that even with Kentucky's much lower expectations, he still managed to underachieve. Seven years in Lexington only added 26 wins to little Billy's ledger before the UK mercifully put an end to Curry's so-called "coaching career."

His stay at Kentucky did offer us a glimpse at why he was so inept while posing as a HC though. He tried to make Tim Couch into an option QB, which you can be assured that that is something that Ray Perkins would have never tried to do, hell, not even Ray Perkin's mother would have attempted that.

Here's a quick recap of Curry's 17 years as an imposter. At Ga. Tech, he averaged 4.4 wins per year which doesn't seem to say much about his so-called recruiting skills. At ALABAMA he averaged 8.7 wins per season, almost DOUBLE what he averaged at Tech. Then, at Kentucky he limped out averaging 3.7 wins per season which was enough to turn the stomachs of even the UK fans who regard football as a minor diverson leading up to the basketball season.

Geez, just imagine what his record would've been if instead of his 3 years at BAMA, he had instead coached those 3 years at some CFB whistle stop? It would be brutal.

 

[Bama-fo-life]

To me this is like choosing between a prostate examination or "getting fixed."

 

[Alanbama27]

Anyone who believes that Perkins is the better coach is crazy in my book. Their records speak for themselves. Curry was the much better college coach and while I love Coach Perkins for his time at Bama, I also blame him for the Shula debocle to a degree and for attempting to rid us of all things Bryant when he took over for Coach Bryant. I know it was a no-win situation he was in from a publicity standpoint but he stunk up our entire program by moving so far away from Coach Bryant and for frankly being a lousy coach...not to mention for leaving us when we finally got a bunch of good recruits.

Anyway, I don't think it is a contest given Curry's on-the-field coaching ability versus Perkins, but neither excited me then or now!

 

[bama119]

Is there any way that the name of Curry could be erased from the Bama record boods and the minds of Bama fans? I will make the same statement today I did the day he was hired: PURE STUPIDITY!!!!!!

 

[beardensdaman44]

Perkins.... Ol' Curry couldn't even beat that other school across the state, a la brick through the window.

 

[Probius]

Coach Curry did win an SEC championship and took us to the Sugar Bowl. I think that puts him over Coach Perkins.

 

[TiderMan]

Perkins.... Ol' Curry couldn't even beat that other school across the state, a la brick through the window.

He was however, 3-0 against Penn State and 3-0 against UT. I think he was better than Perkins.

 

[Alasippi]

He was however, 3-0 against Penn State and 3-0 against UT. I think he was better than Perkins.

Here's my main dilemna with this debate.
Would somebody please tell me one good thing Ray Perkins ever accomplished at the University of Alabama as a coach???
SEC titles- Perkins-0, Curry-1
10 win seasons-Perkins-0, Curry-1
Losing seasons-Perkins-1, Curry-0
Seriously guys...I'm confused.
Question?? If Tiffin doesn't make the most miraculous and gutsy kick in the history of Alabama football, and we lose to Auburn to finish 4-7 intead of 5-6, would you still be voting for Perkins??
Or would you have thrown a brick through his window?????

alasippi

 

[mailman]

I choose C Wink.

 

[CapstoneTider]

Re: Perkins or Currry

What about Mike Price, the only Bama coach who never lost a game?

You'll notice he's not listed as being the head coach either. :wink:

Once he left Curry could not keep up with the recruiting game at all. Curry signed 1 QB in 3 years for example..remember who? Ray Stanton form NY and never played a second.

You left out Danny Woodson.

I know Steve Christopher was in the 1990 Stallings class but I believe Curry is the one who had recruited him. Coach Stallings recruited Barker and Jason Jack was added security for Curry's neglect at the QB position the past few years.

 

[TiderMan]

Here's my main dilemna with this debate.
Would somebody please tell me one good thing Ray Perkins ever accomplished at the University of Alabama as a coach???
SEC titles- Perkins-0, Curry-1
10 win seasons-Perkins-0, Curry-1
Losing seasons-Perkins-1, Curry-0
Seriously guys...I'm confused.
Question?? If Tiffin doesn't make the most miraculous and gutsy kick in the history of Alabama football, and we lose to Auburn to finish 4-7 intead of 5-6, would you still be voting for Perkins??
Or would you have thrown a brick through his window?????

alasippi

I agree with you that Curry was a better coach, but let's straighten out a few things:

Perkins did have a 10-3 season in his last year in 1986

Tiffin's kick against AU came in 1985 and we ended up 9-2-1 that season.

In 1984 we finished 5-6 and beat AU when their kicker (McGinty) missed a last second 38 yard field goal.

Also as I seem to recall nobody was really that upset that Perkins left and we all thought Bobby Bowden was coming to T-Town.

 

[TiderMan]

Re: Perkins or Currry

Curry was not a good recruiter, he was an average recruiter and an average Coach. I was in TTown back then and I can tell you Perkins was a real good recruiter. The yer he left for Tampa Bay, he was headed to having a top 3 recruiting class. Once he left Curry could not keep up with the recruiting game at all. Curry signed 1 QB in 3 years for example..remember who? Ray Stanton form NY and never played a second. Perkins signed Sutton, Newberry, Ray, Dunn and Hollingsworth (all but Hollingsworth were rated the top 5 QBs in there class). Qb's is an example. Coach Stallings had to scratch for QBs when he arrived because Curry had not signed any and didnt have any committed (Jay Barker was not on Curry's radar). So to me Curry could not recruit, was an average field coach as well. Perkins was a real good recruiter (the best recruiter before Saban) and was an average field coach.

Perkins did have some highly touted QB recruits in the 80's as you mention, but most of those did not pan out. Mike Shula (84-86) and a walk-on named David Smith(87-88) got most of the starts during that time frame. Hollingworth came through in 1989 after Jeff Dunn was hurt aginst KY.

 

[JTBAMA1]

Check Curry's record everywhere he's been. He had a losing record at Georgia Tech, winning record at Bama, and a losing record at Kentucky. Bama made him LOOK like a good coach. He showed how bad he was everywhere else. If not for Homer Smith, there is no telling what his record at Bama would have been. He was not that great of a recruiter. He would not go into the inner cities, Perkins would, even though he did get burned out recruiting. Tampa Bay just offered way too much money to turn down. No one beat the doors down to take Curry away. Kentucky would never had taken him away if the PTB had wanted him to stay.

 

[JPT4Bama]

Perkins, without a doubt. Curry was-is a complete total poser. And you can't use the ridiculous "Curry recruited "whatever % of the '92 team" argument without using the same logic regarding Curry playing with Perkin's players and so on. :BigA:

One thing left out of this argument so far is the fact that most of Perkin's 1st couple of teams consisted of players recruited for the wishbone and not the more pro style of offense Perkins brought. And..as far as that '92 team under Stallings, several of the top players were frosh and sophmores such as-Barker, Langham, Lynch, Tommy Johnson, David Palmer and Michael Rogers, just to name a few.. :BigA:

Lastly, as some of my esteemed fellow posters have pointed out, Curry was a complete failure everywhere but Bama not to mention he is a lying piece of poop!!! :mad2:

 

[thunderz7]

Is the coach that built the NJGiants super bowl team a better coach than Curry?
DU!
Take a truthful look at the talent level and state of the program when Perk took over.
Guys I love Coach Bryant as much as anyone, but the program was on a bad downslide when he went out.
Perk had it coming back when Joab ansd gang hired Curry.
At the time I voted 54 % of the voters were right,
22% know nothing about football.

T7

 

[derek4tide]

I agree with you that Curry was a better coach, but let's straighten out a few things:

Perkins did have a 10-3 season in his last year in 1986

Tiffin's kick against AU came in 1985 and we ended up 9-2-1 that season.

In 1984 we finished 5-6 and beat AU when their kicker (McGinty) missed a last second 38 yard field goal.

Also as I seem to recall nobody was really that upset that Perkins left and we all thought Bobby Bowden was coming to T-Town.

Thanks for adding some facts to the discussion, TiderMan. Some people seem to leave those out in their arguments.:BigA:

 

[GrayTide]

I really don't think you will find any Alabama fan then or now who was hurt by either one of these coaches leaving. I do agree and have said before that the talent Perkins inherited from Coach Bryant was not that good and it was recruited to fit the Wishbone. On the other hand Curry inherited a wealth of talent, did a reasonable job of coaching, but he could not beat AU and that is what Alabama coaches are judged by. IMO had Perkins stayed he would have been very successful but who knows.

 

[boilerbama]

I think that Perkins just couldn't handle the job. He knew how to coach, just did not have that overall collegiate coaching ability. I really wish that I knew the inside information of why Perkins was chosen over Stallings and a couple of the other candidates after Bear stepped down. I know his success with the Giants played a role, plus being a disciple. I still would like to know how it all went down. That decision after the Bear had to be a heck of a process behind closed doors!!!!!

 

[GrayTide]

I think it is a well known fact that Coach Bryant would liked to have had Coach Stallings replace him. As I recall, and there may be a whole lot more to it, Coach Stallings was still under contract with the Cowboys and his brand of commitment would not allow him to simply break his contract even though the Alabama job was in the balance. Don't find people like that any more.