Who Is The Worst Coach To Win A National Title?

[selmaborntidefan]

So I check this thread after a couple of days and some of our Bama fans are still in their "acting out" phase.

Forget Fulmer, Mack Brown, and Tuberville. Forget Les Miles

Mack Brown took a terrible Tulane team in three years from one win to six and Shreveport. They had three
consecutive losing seasons before he got there. He had two 1-10 seasons at North Carolina and built
the program. His last two years there they went 20-3 and two of those three losses were to that
Florida State juggernaut of the 1990s. He took over a Texas team that had been bludgeoned by
UCLA, 66-3, the year before. His first year he won nine games. His next 12 years he won AT LEAST
nine games every year, and double digits in NINE of those.

He's had a two-year dry spell. And you seriously think he's the worst coach ever to win a title?
A guy who rebuilt TWO programs and provided solid footing to a third? That's BAD?

As I said earlier - Chizik does not have a long enough resume yet. The problem in his case is that he
could conceivably throw together five 8-win seasons and just so long as he beat Alabama twice, he'd
still have a job at Auburn.

Johnny Majors - legitimate choice
Bobby Ross - legitimate choice
Larry Coker - legitimate choice

 

[SimplyTide]

So I check this thread after a couple of days and some of our Bama fans are still in their "acting out" phase.

Forget Fulmer, Mack Brown, and Tuberville. Forget Les Miles

Mack Brown took a terrible Tulane team in three years from one win to six and Shreveport. They had three
consecutive losing seasons before he got there. He had two 1-10 seasons at North Carolina and built
the program. His last two years there they went 20-3 and two of those three losses were to that
Florida State juggernaut of the 1990s. He took over a Texas team that had been bludgeoned by
UCLA, 66-3, the year before. His first year he won nine games. His next 12 years he won AT LEAST
nine games every year, and double digits in NINE of those.

He's had a two-year dry spell. And you seriously think he's the worst coach ever to win a title?
A guy who rebuilt TWO programs and provided solid footing to a third? That's BAD?

As I said earlier - Chizik does not have a long enough resume yet. The problem in his case is that he
could conceivably throw together five 8-win seasons and just so long as he beat Alabama twice, he'd
still have a job at Auburn.

Johnny Majors - legitimate choice
Bobby Ross - legitimate choice
Larry Coker - legitimate choice

By your criteria - other folks have different criteria. That isn't "acting out", it is simply a difference of opinion.

 

[CapstoneTider]

There are some good answers that I have read. Mine answer is a coach who inherited a machine and limited his influence as much as possible. His team started losing games in equal value to the ratio of players leaving from the old regime.

I want to mention two types of MO for new coaches to a program. One type completely, mentally and physically tears a team down and builds it back as quickl7 as possible, they usually have a a dismal start and progress begins, nearly like clockwork the second half of the second season........coaches Bryant, Stallings and Saban.

Another type does not tear down, but takes the good aspects and builds upon those while he recruits his players(Coach Fran and Shula). The team may closely resemble the prior team with the player leadership continuing on as it would have been. The team should not have a drop off from the prior season and should improve with a good coach. I personally believe the prior approach with the retarded start creates stored energy that can be used when the team starts coming together and the improvement spikes rapidly at around game 18 or so. I like a coach wiping the slate clean personally to this approach.

With a below average HC with the second approach inheriting a decent team, his teams and himself may have their finest performances in the earliest game, like Coach Shula's 2-1 start with a 7 point loss to #1 Oklahoma. IMO, his team during this second game looked miles ahead mentally and physically than from his last loss vs Auburn four years later. Coach Franchione's last regular season win, 31-0 displayed a better team than his first game loss to UCLA. Fran was a good coach*, Shula's personality makes it hard to be a good head coach.

To my answer. Larry Coker was the later type of coach and inherited a a machine from Butch Davis and basically rode it to a championship
17 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft

*Dennis Franchione was a good coach until he destroyed his name and the momentum he had build up from his ripid climb. He left whatever honor he had on the tarmack on Tuscaloosa Airport.

 

[RollinTider1335]

Lou Holtzth!!

 

[Alasippi]

There are some good answers that I have read. Mine answer is a coach who inherited a machine and limited his influence as much as possible. His team started losing games in equal value to the ratio of players leaving from the old regime.

I want to mention two types of MO for new coaches to a program. One type completely, mentally and physically tears a team down and builds it back as quickl7 as possible, they usually have a a dismal start and progress begins, nearly like clockwork the second half of the second season........coaches Bryant, Stallings and Saban.

Another type does not tear down, but takes the good aspects and builds upon those while he recruits his players(Coach Fran and Shula). The team may closely resemble the prior team with the player leadership continuing on as it would have been. The team should not have a drop off from the prior season and should improve with a good coach. I personally believe the prior approach with the retarded start creates stored energy that can be used when the team starts coming together and the improvement spikes rapidly at around game 18 or so. I like a coach wiping the slate clean personally to this approach.

With a below average HC with the second approach inheriting a decent team, his teams and himself may have their finest performances in the earliest game, like Coach Shula's 2-1 start with a 7 point loss to #1 Oklahoma. IMO, his team during this second game looked miles ahead mentally and physically than from his last loss vs Auburn four years later. Coach Franchione's last regular season win, 31-0 displayed a better team than his first game loss to UCLA. Fran was a good coach*, Shula's personality makes it hard to be a good head coach.

To my answer. Larry Coker was the later type of coach and inherited a a machine from Butch Davis and basically rode it to a championship
17 players from the 2001 Miami football team were drafted in the first-round of the NFL Draft

*Dennis Franchione was a good coach until he destroyed his name and the momentum he had build up from his ripid climb. He left whatever honor he had on the tarmack on Tuscaloosa Airport.

I despise Franchione worse than any coach in my lifetime. "Hold on to the rope" my behind.
When he didn't address the team upon leaving for A&M....I'll stop.

I'll simply say if I ever start a thread titled.."Biggest Hypocrite To Ever Coach At Bama" it will probably be the first unamimously agreed upon thread in Tidefans.com history.

sip

 

[CapstoneTider]

I despise Franchione worse than any coach in my lifetime. "Hold on to the rope" my behind.
When he didn't address the team upon leaving for A&M....I'll stop.

I'll simply say if I ever start a thread titled.."Biggest Hypocrite To Ever Coach At Bama" it will probably be the first unamimously agreed upon thread in Tidefans.com history.

sip

A small part of my post mentioned Fran, I can't tell if you are being funny or are up in arms? Bama fans should feel justified with his ultimate demise which resulted directly from his loss of reputation, hatred all over the internet for years, and being branded uncaring of his players. His career was ruined. He was on boardwalk but ended back up on start.

Enough of him. I used his name along with the other recent coaches in making a point, not the subject matter.

 

[Redwood Forrest]

Chizik still has decades left to help his case - jury still out.

Not sure I can vote for Coker - he had his team in 2 BCSCGs, with a late season shot at a third.

Gotta be Mack Brown for me. Who has done less with more?

I can't think of anyone who has done less with more.

 

[crimsonbleeder]

I think there is a significant difference between Miles and Coker. Miles has won a title and kept his program in the hunt almost every year.

Coker won one and his teams got worse each year.

Les is a much better recruiter and coach than Coker ever was.

we'll see about Les this year and after...if he can answer the bell, he earns his way off this list...

 

[bmcklv]

While not as bad as Brown, Coker and cheezdip, Shug Jordan could be in the conversation. In 25 years as a HC, he only had one championship year and NEVER won a major bowl. That would get you fired at Alabama, but the goobers named their freaking stadium after him. Just shows the difference in the two programs.

Thanks for the tidbit TM. I never knew this little gem.

 

[RedStar]

Maybe so, but Fulmer is closer to the best coach in the BCS era than he is to Coker. Coker is miles behind Fulmer.

(I can't believe I am defending Fulmer.)

In the BCS Era

1. Saban
2. Bowden
3. Meyer
4. Tressell
5. Carroll
6. Stoops
7. Brown
8. Fulmer
9. Chizik
10. Coker

You really think Fulmer belongs any higher on that list?

Yeah, Mack Brown is down, but look at his record from 2001-2009.
9 Straight 10+ win seasons, 1 National Title, 2 National Title Game Appearances.. Heck he won 10 games 3 different times at North Carolina

He definitely doesn't belong above Stoops. 1 National Title, 4 National Title Game apperances.

If we're strictly talking BCS Era, Fulmer's no better than bottom 3.

 

[TommyMac]

If you compare the first two years, Majors was 6-14 and Chizik 5-19. Not a big gap there. Extrapolate it to same number of games & Majors would be 7-17, not a big difference at all.

Segmenting records is a TBT, (typical barner trick).