Keeping it in the family, or not?

[1BamaNita]

Wishbonesooner made a comment in another thread, and, on more consideration, I thought some points deserved their own thread.

For some reason, Bama has had the reputation of wanting to consistently hire within the family. Wishbonesooner alluded to this by commenting that Bama might have to do as OU did and "hire outside the family", in order to bring the team back to prominence. After considering the coaching hires since Coach Bryant, I find myself wondering why we have this reputation.

Bama has hired 7 coaches since Coach Bryant retired: Perkins, Curry, Stallings, Dubose, Franchione, Price and Shula. Of those, only 3 have truly been from within the family (played at Bama) when they were hired. Stallings BECAME family, but remember he graduated not from Bama, but Texas A&M.

It seems to me that Alabama has given outside coaches quite a fair chance, so where does this reputation come from?

 

[bayoutider]

Wishbonesooner made a comment in another thread, and, on more consideration, I thought some points deserved their own thread.

For some reason, Bama has had the reputation of wanting to consistently hire within the family. Wishbonesooner alluded to this by commenting that Bama might have to do as OU did and "hire outside the family", in order to bring the team back to prominence. After considering the coaching hires since Coach Bryant, I find myself wondering why we have this reputation.

Bama has hired 7 coaches since Coach Bryant retired: Perkins, Curry, Stallings, Dubose, Franchione, Price and Shula. Of those, only 3 have truly been from within the family (played at Bama) when they were hired. Stallings BECAME family, but remember he graduated not from Bama, but Texas A&M.

It seems to me that Alabama has given outside coaches quite a fair chance, so where does this reputation come from?

People not doing their homework.

 

[POWERLINEMAN42]

i dont particulary(sp? lol) like keeping it in the family. puts too much pressure on the coach right away. i was actually suprised at coach fran's first year and how little people griped. he took less heat his first year than shula did and neither was 'great' years. but it does get old hearing what 'coach bryant' would have done. i know he brought us back to the top and kept us there for many years but time goes on.

 

[TommyMac]

fRan's first year wasn't great, but they did improve and closed with a rush including a bowl win.

 

[AlexanderFan]

Wishbonesooner made a comment in another thread, and, on more consideration, I thought some points deserved their own thread.

For some reason, Bama has had the reputation of wanting to consistently hire within the family. Wishbonesooner alluded to this by commenting that Bama might have to do as OU did and "hire outside the family", in order to bring the team back to prominence. After considering the coaching hires since Coach Bryant, I find myself wondering why we have this reputation.

Bama has hired 7 coaches since Coach Bryant retired: Perkins, Curry, Stallings, Dubose, Franchione, Price and Shula. Of those, only 3 have truly been from within the family (played at Bama) when they were hired. Stallings BECAME family, but remember he graduated not from Bama, but Texas A&M.

It seems to me that Alabama has given outside coaches quite a fair chance, so where does this reputation come from?

I do believe CGS had ties to the "patriarch" of Alabama football: Paul Bryant. Alabama tradition of "keeping it in the family" exists: just look at our AD, Mal Moore. What experience did he have at being an AD? I don't think he did, and we may have turned down a more qualified candidate just because he didn't come from the "family". Don't be delusional, this family thing exists and has been proven time and time again.

 

[1BamaNita]

I do believe CGS had ties to the "patriarch" of Alabama football: Paul Bryant. Alabama tradition of "keeping it in the family" exists: just look at our AD, Mal Moore. What experience did he have at being an AD? I don't think he did, and we may have turned down a more qualified candidate just because he didn't come from the "family". Don't be delusional, this family thing exists and has been proven time and time again.

Uh, I believe I was specifically addressing the head coaches in my post and didn't say anything about AD's. But while we're on the subject, since you commented that Mal had no AD experience, are you one of those favoring hiring Ozzie when he retires? He has no AD experience either, and being a GM of an NFL team is different than running a major college athletic department.

Yes, I know Stallings had ties to Coach Bryant, but that was at another school entirely. That doesn't automatically make him family, although, as I said, he did become family after being here.

One last thing, and, as I said in another post, it's a pet peeve of mine on message boards. Just because someone has a different opinion than yours doesn't make them delusional (or a sunshine pumper, or wearing crimson colored glasses etc., etc.) Why resort to belittling someone just because they don't share your opinion? (and saying someone is delusional is belittling)

 

[BamaFan in Germantown]

I'm in favor of hiring the best coach available, no matter where he went to school.
Just to set the record straight, Coach Stallings was family, he was assistant under Coach Bryant at Bama from 1958 until 1964.
Go hire the best available.
:biga2:

 

[RobK]

Yes, I know Stallings had ties to Coach Bryant, but that was at another school entirely. That doesn't automatically make him family, although, as I said, he did become family after being here.

Actually, Coach Stallings was an assistant under Coach Bryant at Bama for a significant period of time, if my memory serves me correctly. No, indeed he didn't play here, but he learned how to coach here.

To make a decision on coaching hires based upon getting someone "from inside" or "outside the family" is silly. You hire the best available coach that is the best fit. If you can get a guy with Bama ties, that's great because he's probably less likely to bolt for greener pastures (Coach Perkins being the notable exception) and already understands the passions of the fan base and pressures of the job. If there's not a great hire available from within (such as when we hired Fran), you get the best one you can.

"Family" connections should be a secondary factor, but not an insignificant one. Other schools bash Alabama when we hire "one of our own", because they can dig up the "living in the past" mantra they love and because no other program in the nation has a stable of connected coaching talent as deep as ours.

RTR!!! :biga:

 

[CHATTBRIT]

I would like to see Ozzie take over for MM when he retires not because he is a member of the family but because he has been successful at everything he has done as a player and in the front office. Whether he would give up his job in pro football for all the garbage he would have to go through as AD, is another thing.

 

[1BamaNita]

To make a decision on coaching hires based upon getting someone "from inside" or "outside the family" is silly. You hire the best available coach that is the best fit. If you can get a guy with Bama ties, that's great because he's probably less likely to bolt for greener pastures (Coach Perkins being the notable exception) and already understands the passions of the fan base and pressures of the job. If there's not a great hire available from within (such as when we hired Fran), you get the best one you can.

"Family" connections should be a secondary factor, but not an insignificant one. Other schools bash Alabama when we hire "one of our own", because they can dig up the "living in the past" mantra they love and because no other program in the nation has a stable of connected coaching talent as deep as ours.

RTR!!! :biga:

Actually, I'd forgotten that Coach Stallings was an assistant here. My mistake.

Essentially though, I agree with what you said about basing coaching hires on whether their "family" or not is silly, I just obviously didn't make the point well. Other teams have hired former players, or grads. Sometimes it works out and sometimes it doesn't. I just don't understand why Bama gets all the grief about it.

 

[AlexanderFan]

Ozzie Newsome is the General Manager of one of the top teams in the NFL over the past couple of years. He has worked his way up through the organization by holding a variety of positions related to coaches, players and the business aspect of professional football. General Manager of an NFL team is not a position given away to just anyone. Specifically what has Mal Moore done to deserve the AD position at one of the most storied programs in the United States? Other than being the OC on the NC team under Stallings, I don't see any other reason except hanging around the program for a very long time and being tied to Coach Bryant.

As far as the delusional comment goes, I'm sorry if I offended you. I respect other people's opinions on this board far more than some. I'm not screaming for anyone to get banned for negative comments and actually think some "tempered negativity" is worthwhile on a board dedicated to discussion. You can only hear "Alabama's the greatest" posted so many ways before you puke, I'm sure.

 

[AlexanderFan]

RobK

I would take exception to that remark about coaching with one simple word: Miami.

 

[1BamaNita]

I agree that an NFL GM position is not given to just anyone, but still believe it's much different than being an AD for a major college program. That's not to say I don't think Ozzie would be a good choice, either, just that it's not automatic because he was an NFL GM.

An NFL GM has to deal with one sport only, rather than the gamut of sports a college plays. The staff is smaller (only one coaching staff vs one for every sport played.), as well as the roster of the team (only about 55 pro football players vs 85 in college & that's just the football team). The one big disadvantage is dealing with the prima donna attitudes of professional players, however, there are attitudes with amatuers as well. The difference is those pro players can be traded, or released, more easily than you can with scholarship athletes.

I love Coach Moore, and while I think he's done okay under the circumstances, I've never said he was a world class AD. I do think he was probably the best choice at the time.

 

[Ramah Jamah]

In Coach Moore's defense (and I have been one of his biggest critics), he wanted a member of the family because of what Fraud did. He wanted someone who REALLY cared about the University. Plus I think Moore has done a pretty good job with other sports (I.E. basketball).

 

[AlexanderFan]

Coach Moore's crowning achievement of his tenure at AD will not be the coaches he's hired or the turmoil he's endured (which he has managed about as well as any), but it will be the improvements to the facilities at Alabama. That is the biggest reason I support him, even though I am very quick to criticize his qualifications and his decisions. Putting Alabama on par or above the rest of the conference in facilities will allow the tradition of the university to help sway the fines atheletes in all sports to once again return to the University of Alabama.

 

[RobK]

I would take exception to that remark about coaching with one simple word: Miami.

Actually, Miami's program was rekindled and lifted to the upper echelon by Howard Schnellenberger, himself a Coach Bryant player at UK and a longtime Coach Bryant assistant with the Tide. So, CPB's influence was felt there, as well, even though Coach Schnell didn't play here.

Speaking of Miami, I can't name a single former Cane player that's a head coach in college or NFL assistant anywhere, so you're comment confuses me. There are plenty of former Bama players in the coaching ranks today. Perhaps you can refresh my memory but, to me, UM seems more like a stopping-over place for coaches from someplace else rather than a program that fosters deep ties.

RTR :biga: