Life after coach Bryant
- Thread starter oldford
- Start date
Coach Stallings without a doubt. With his long history with Coach Bryant, he seemed to be a natural choice.
We'd have a few more NC's and a lot less turmoil to have to work through.
We'd have a few more NC's and a lot less turmoil to have to work through.
if he hadn't left we'd have a few more NCs and he'd be grooming Shula as his replacement as we speak
It strikes me that we're advocating Stallings with the benefit of hindsight. In 1982, Stallings was essentially a career assistant, with a short and not terribly successful tenure as HC at ATM. While I think he might have been Bryant's first choice, and would have worked out fine, he would have needed Bryant's support in the early years. When Coach died, that was a real problem for lots of reasons.
A better question might be, with the benefit of hindsight, what are the key woulda' coulda' shoulda' turning points over the past 25 years?
Here are mine:
January, 1980 -- Coach doesn't retire. We're fresh off an NC in dominating fashion. We now know that Coach is just beginning to feel the effects of age, stress and hard living. If he retires here, we probably hire Stallings or Bowden, but Bryant stays on as AD.
If we hire Stallings, Bryant being in the AD spot gives him breathing room to outlive his ATM record, and all is well. If we hire Bowden, AD Bryant would never have allowed the disciplinary ambiguity that will forever taint Bowden's otherwise stellar career. Either way, we are in for another 20 years of success.
1980 - 82 -- Coach stays on, getting sicker and sicker, losing firm control of the program at the last (remember Shotgun Simon??? That would never have happened to a healthy Bryant).
January, 1983 -- Coach dies, leaving Perkins who has little or no college coaching background to fend for himself. He's a PR disaster who would have benefitted tremendously from having AD Bryant being a guiding force while he learned the off-field aspects of the job in an OJT role.
January, 1987 -- We have a second chance to hire Bowden and don't. Instead, we go for Bill Curry (man, that hurt to type!).
Early AM, January 2, 1993 -- Antonio Langham gets drunk and writes his name on a cocktail napkin in a bar in New Orleans.
March, 1993 - fall, 1994 -- Hootie and Stallings mismanage the incident, giving it life far beyond what it would have otherwise had.
1996 -- Bob Bockrath and Andrew Sorensen mistake Stallings' lack of polish for lack of worthiness. Stallings gets fed up and quits.
1997 -- In an example of the Peter Principle on steroids, Mike Dubose is hired.
August, 1999 -- We don't fire Dubose over Debbiegate.
January, 2000 -- Compounding the August blunder, we mistake players' leadership for coaching prowess, and extend Dubose's contract.
BTW, just a supposition here, but my guess is that Sorensen's blunder with not firing Dubose for off-the-field behavior sent Witt to school, prepping him for the Price fiasco.
December, 2003 -- Fran runs.
April, 2004 -- Price meets his Destiny (sorry, I couldn't resist).
The really sad thing is that, if ANY ONE of these things either doesn't happen at all, or happens later (e.g. Bryant's untimely death), we're not in the mess we're in now.
I think the true tragedy of Bryant's death is that since then, there has been NOBODY who is both strong enough to manage the Athletic Department, and enough of a PR guy not to come off being perceived as a jerk of the first order. We simply haven't had a first-rate leader in the AD since 1981, Bryant's last year of being even close to healthy.
I believe Pat Dye would have been high on Coach Bryant's list if, as we all know he hadn't already taken the Barn job.
... the old adage holds true... if a frog had wings he wouldnt bump his a$$..... holds true here, woulda shoulda coulda...I asked my son several years ago when he was 3, what time is it... his reply, " the time is on the clock", while we are rich in tradition, pride in the past, our time is now. Bamas time so to speak is now, with a great opportunity to move forward, out of the shadows of NCAA sanctions, out of the mediocrity of the last few seasons, and still hold the Bear close to our hearts. I love history as much as most... and am blessed to have been brought up in an era the produced probably Bamas greatest years ever...but Bama, its fans, and the media need to look ahead, to the future of Bama football..... ok maybe 2 outta 3 aint bad...
Even if PD was high on Bear's list, after seeing the way he ran the program at Auburn I am very glad he did not become our coach.
As for the post I agree that Stallings would have been the best choice, even if he only had been a head coach once and was unsuccessful.
[This message has been edited by rolltide92276 (edited 04-20-2004).]
1997 -- In an example of the Peter Principle on steroids, Mike Dubose is hired.
lmao..hehehe
1996 -- Bob Bockrath and Andrew Sorensen mistake Stallings' lack of polish for lack of worthiness. Stallings gets fed up and quits.
This still Pizzes me off. Stallings stength
coach lives here (Caruthers). I get the drift from him Stallings might still be around without the bumbling of those two jokers. BTW are Bockrath and Sorensen "bama men ?"
lmao..hehehe
1996 -- Bob Bockrath and Andrew Sorensen mistake Stallings' lack of polish for lack of worthiness. Stallings gets fed up and quits.
This still Pizzes me off. Stallings stength
coach lives here (Caruthers). I get the drift from him Stallings might still be around without the bumbling of those two jokers. BTW are Bockrath and Sorensen "bama men ?"
One has to consider the timing involved. Emory Bellard was then having success at MSU and he invented the wishbone, which Bryant ran to perfection. He might have been a good candidate.
FWIW, I don't think Perkins got the full cupboard that many believed he walked into when he accepted the job. The 84' season was when this became quite apparent. The Bear's last team (82') was less than invincible, UGA was in the midst of a great run and Auburn was on the cusp of a great run. The timing to succeed Bryant was especially bad for any coach no matter the caliber of the coach.
By his 4th season (86'), Perkins has assembled a great collection of talent. For all the years I watched great Bryant teams annually beat UT, I don't think I have ever seen a Bama team disassemble a Vol team like Perkins' 86' squad did in that 56-28 win.
IMHO, the bar was set too high for Perkins and I imagine many Bama fans could not fathom its program actually having to undertake a rebuilding process. I think Perkins did a super rebuilding job as evidenced by Curry's 10-0 start in 89' (in which many of the upperclassmen would have been recruited by Perkins). IMHO, had Perkins stayed he would have had some nice runs and some occasional titles (like Dooley and Dye), but the last SEC dynasty had come to pass.
FWIW, I don't think Perkins got the full cupboard that many believed he walked into when he accepted the job. The 84' season was when this became quite apparent. The Bear's last team (82') was less than invincible, UGA was in the midst of a great run and Auburn was on the cusp of a great run. The timing to succeed Bryant was especially bad for any coach no matter the caliber of the coach.
By his 4th season (86'), Perkins has assembled a great collection of talent. For all the years I watched great Bryant teams annually beat UT, I don't think I have ever seen a Bama team disassemble a Vol team like Perkins' 86' squad did in that 56-28 win.
IMHO, the bar was set too high for Perkins and I imagine many Bama fans could not fathom its program actually having to undertake a rebuilding process. I think Perkins did a super rebuilding job as evidenced by Curry's 10-0 start in 89' (in which many of the upperclassmen would have been recruited by Perkins). IMHO, had Perkins stayed he would have had some nice runs and some occasional titles (like Dooley and Dye), but the last SEC dynasty had come to pass.
There is and will not be any life after Coach Bryant! There will never be another Coach like him! Coach Stallings was as close as we will ever get, and he was run off! What a bunch of idiots there at the BOT!
I don't think that we will ever enjoy the winning tradition again. We may if dave rader and joe kines improve or they are let go.
Roll Tide!
I don't think that we will ever enjoy the winning tradition again. We may if dave rader and joe kines improve or they are let go.
Roll Tide!
One of the problems with this whole sentimental looking back is that the game was in the midst of changing and we probably didn't realize it.
Alabama ruled the roost in the SEC for all but about four years between 1960-1980. Hell, we even won an SEC title in 1981. But here's what a lot of folks didn't see.
1. The sudden surge of Georgia, Auburn, and Florida. Players who at one time would have been automatic Bama material now had more options - esp. when Dye and other recruiters were able to say, "The old man ain't gonna be there when you leave." That probably hurt us more than anything.
2. Arrogance. Let's face it. We blew it recruiting Bo Jackson because we'd been so good for so long. Don't feel bad, everybody does it. Jeez, when Auburn got good in the late 1980s, they did the same thing - and their record during that time frame is nowhere near as spectacular as ours over the long haul.
3. The hiring. Well, I haven't liked a single coach we've hired to be honest with you. I grew into Stallings, but that's it. I'm willing to give Shula some time. But Perkins was a dolt, Curry was - well, Curry was a nice guy who was in over his head - but let's give him credit because he recruited the seniors who won the last NC. Stallings - well I nearly fainted when I heard he was the choice to replace Curry. His 0-3 start didn't exactly endear me to him, either.
Dubious was a dimbulb who had no business being a head coach, much less at Alabama. Fran was like fifth in line because everybody kept using us to get better contracts. Price was only hired because it was thought he'd bring our offense into the 1980s with some throwing - and the only thing he threw was one dollar bills at Destiny.
4. Perkins getting the shaft. Perkins walked into an impossible situation, the same one faced by Doug Barfield (Auburn), Earle Bruce (Ohio State), Ray Goff, Gary Moeller, and Rick Neuheisel (at CU). Compared to those other guys, Perkins got off lightly. His losing season was largely the result of our arrogant recruiting following the back-to-back NCs of the late 1970s.
If we had hired Stallings in 1982, we'd have been better off. He was a DC for the Cowboys. And Stallings would have been better off, too, since he wouldn't have been working for that dolt, Darth Bidwill in Arizona.
We might have won a national title in 1986 under Stallings - and possibly 1989. Otherwise, I think the results would have been about the same.
Alabama ruled the roost in the SEC for all but about four years between 1960-1980. Hell, we even won an SEC title in 1981. But here's what a lot of folks didn't see.
1. The sudden surge of Georgia, Auburn, and Florida. Players who at one time would have been automatic Bama material now had more options - esp. when Dye and other recruiters were able to say, "The old man ain't gonna be there when you leave." That probably hurt us more than anything.
2. Arrogance. Let's face it. We blew it recruiting Bo Jackson because we'd been so good for so long. Don't feel bad, everybody does it. Jeez, when Auburn got good in the late 1980s, they did the same thing - and their record during that time frame is nowhere near as spectacular as ours over the long haul.
3. The hiring. Well, I haven't liked a single coach we've hired to be honest with you. I grew into Stallings, but that's it. I'm willing to give Shula some time. But Perkins was a dolt, Curry was - well, Curry was a nice guy who was in over his head - but let's give him credit because he recruited the seniors who won the last NC. Stallings - well I nearly fainted when I heard he was the choice to replace Curry. His 0-3 start didn't exactly endear me to him, either.
Dubious was a dimbulb who had no business being a head coach, much less at Alabama. Fran was like fifth in line because everybody kept using us to get better contracts. Price was only hired because it was thought he'd bring our offense into the 1980s with some throwing - and the only thing he threw was one dollar bills at Destiny.
4. Perkins getting the shaft. Perkins walked into an impossible situation, the same one faced by Doug Barfield (Auburn), Earle Bruce (Ohio State), Ray Goff, Gary Moeller, and Rick Neuheisel (at CU). Compared to those other guys, Perkins got off lightly. His losing season was largely the result of our arrogant recruiting following the back-to-back NCs of the late 1970s.
If we had hired Stallings in 1982, we'd have been better off. He was a DC for the Cowboys. And Stallings would have been better off, too, since he wouldn't have been working for that dolt, Darth Bidwill in Arizona.
We might have won a national title in 1986 under Stallings - and possibly 1989. Otherwise, I think the results would have been about the same.
As much as I have grown to dislike him in his later years, I have to agree w/ an earlier poster in saying that I think, if he had not taken the Auburn job, Pat Dye would have been very successful at Bama in the '80s and we would probably have a few more nc's notched on our belts.....
Its funny how things worked out about that time. I think around the 82' season was when Bill Curry succeeded Pepper Rogers at Georgia Tech and fired some assistant coach from the Georgia Tech staff named Steve Spurrier. Thus, I suppose Spurrier was available for the Bama job notwithstanding his relative inexperience at such time. Personally, I think Bama should have hired Johnny Majors, which would have guaranteed at least 1 win each season since Bama always beat UT when CJM was on the sidelines.
I am also surprised no one has mentioned Jackie Sherrill. After 82', Jackie had just finished 3 straight 11-1 seasons at Pitt, and beat UGA in the Sugar Bowl. Jackie played for the Bear and was a Bama man. He was also then one of the hottest coaching properties in college football considering the aforementioned 33-3 run with some obscenely talented squads.
Danny Ford was also fresh off the 81' national title season at Clemson. There is another Bryant disciple.
Charlie Pell was also building some talented UF squads that would finish in the top 10 in 83'. There is another Bryant man.
Maybe I should have headed up the coaching search?
Danny Ford was also fresh off the 81' national title season at Clemson. There is another Bryant disciple.
Charlie Pell was also building some talented UF squads that would finish in the top 10 in 83'. There is another Bryant man.
Maybe I should have headed up the coaching search?
It seems like all those guys have had problems with the ncaa. No, I'm not ignorant of the last ten years, but back then ncaa troubles were the furthest thing from Alabama's mind. Would it suprise some to find out Mal Moore was extremely close to being hired?
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