AU as head coach U

[lemonade_drinker 1]

Who is the last Auburn coach to not win a coach of the year award and a conference title? That goes back to Doug Barfield 76-80. AU has been solid at head coach since 1950 with the arrival of Shug. Add in Iron Mike Donahue and some guy named Heisman and you have HCU.

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

When I look at the last head coach we had....and the current one we have...I'm hard pressed to say we're close to HCU

 

Off the top of my head, Ohio State has a better argument, probably ND, Alabama & Michigan too

GT has some popular names in that department, Nebraska, Texas, USC, Oklahoma 

For what you're saying, we have alot of guys that have succeeded at least one year, but we aren't a program that have many consistent years back to back. So I would retort with, would you rather have many coaches that have at least one great year under their belt, or 2-3 legendary elite coaches, with a few lessers thrown in. Because outside of Shug, I don't think anyone would even attempt to argue we have a coach close to that uppermost tier.

[augolf1716 21,096]

Lobo's HCU

[auburn4ever 1,266]

Wonder where Gus Malzahn fits in with that group. 12-2, 7-1 (2013),  8-5, 3-5 (2014),  7-6, 2-6 (2015),  8-5, 5-3 (2016).

[Brad_ATX 13,654]

The answer is Miami Ohio, otherwise known as "The Cradle of Coaches".  They boast two Pro Football HOF members and four College Football HOF members as former coaches.

Weeb Eubank

Paul Brown

Sid Gillman

Ara Parseghian

Woody Hayes

Bo Schembechler

 

[lionheartkc 6,150]

6 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

When I look at the last head coach we had....and the current one we have...I'm hard pressed to say we're close to HCU

Off the top of my head, Ohio State has a better argument, probably ND, Alabama & Michigan too

GT has some popular names in that department, Nebraska, Texas, USC, Oklahoma 

Seriously?  Between Stallings and Saban, Alabama was a coaching train wreck for years. Notre Dame hasn't had a really successful head coach since the 80s when Holtz was there.  Michigan could be potentially considered, but a lot of that has to do with them sticking with Shenbechler and Carr for as long as they did. Everyone else was mediocre and Harbaugh is still proving himself. 

All the other schools you listed are the same thing. They have 1-2 big names and everyone else has been nothing to write home about or a train wreck (see Kiffin and Sark at USC, the end of Pelini at Nebraska, and Strong... the first coach since the 1930s to have a losing record at Texas). Oklahoma struck gold with Stoops, but everyone else since Switzer was mediocre or a total bust. 

Which takes us back to the OPs initial point.  Every head coach at Auburn since Pat Dye has won a national coach of the year award (Dye did not win one)... even the two that you don't like.  Auburn is, in fact, the only school to have 4 separate coaches receive a coach of the year award since 1990.  I can also add that we have the most undefeated teams of any school since 1990.

[fredst 9,064]

1 hour ago, auburn4ever said:

Wonder where Gus Malzahn fits in with that group. 12-2, 7-1 (2013),  8-5, 3-5 (2014),  7-6, 2-6 (2015),  8-5, 5-3 (2016).

I think right after Gene Chizik...

[lionheartkc 6,150]

2 hours ago, auburn4ever said:

Wonder where Gus Malzahn fits in with that group. 12-2, 7-1 (2013),  8-5, 3-5 (2014),  7-6, 2-6 (2015),  8-5, 5-3 (2016).

Coach of the Year - 2013.

[Rednilla 5,383]

11 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

When I look at the last head coach we had....and the current one we have...I'm hard pressed to say we're close to HCU

 

Off the top of my head, Ohio State has a better argument, probably ND, Alabama & Michigan too

GT has some popular names in that department, Nebraska, Texas, USC, Oklahoma 

For what you're saying, we have alot of guys that have succeeded at least one year, but we aren't a program that have many consistent years back to back. So I would retort with, would you rather have many coaches that have at least one great year under their belt, or 2-3 legendary elite coaches, with a few lessers thrown in. Because outside of Shug, I don't think anyone would even attempt to argue we have a coach close to that uppermost tier.

I would argue that Pat Dye was a better coach than Shug, personally. The REC did their job of cutting his tenure short, but he had us at the top of the heap for several years.

[weagl1 1,781]

What I'm worried about is the future not the past.  Expectations are sky high this year and if we lose 5 or 6 games including UGA and Bammer I don't think Gus will be around next year.  

[GTNupe11 2,033]

8 minutes ago, weagl1 said:

What I'm worried about is the future not the past.  Expectations are sky high this year and if we lose 5 or 6 games including UGA and Bammer I don't think Gus will be around next year.  

As he shouldn't be in that scenario. 

[War Knight 514]

14 hours ago, Dual-Threat Rigby said:

When I look at the last head coach we had....and the current one we have...I'm hard pressed to say we're close to HCU

 

Off the top of my head, Ohio State has a better argument, probably ND, Alabama & Michigan too

GT has some popular names in that department, Nebraska, Texas, USC, Oklahoma 

For what you're saying, we have alot of guys that have succeeded at least one year, but we aren't a program that have many consistent years back to back. So I would retort with, would you rather have many coaches that have at least one great year under their belt, or 2-3 legendary elite coaches, with a few lessers thrown in. Because outside of Shug, I don't think anyone would even attempt to argue we have a coach close to that uppermost tier.

While I largely agree with you, Alabama's recent coaching history outside of Saban is atrocious.

[GwillMac6 20,607]

This speaks more about Auburn as a program and how great our potential can be when frickin Terry Bowden and Gene Chizik can have undefeated seasons more than anything. Just think if we had a GREAT coach in place how consistently great we could be.

[boomstick 1,315]

1 hour ago, GwillMac6 said:

This speaks more about Auburn as a program and how great our potential can be when frickin Terry Bowden and Gene Chizik can have undefeated seasons more than anything. Just think if we had a GREAT coach in place how consistently great we could be.

I think there's two ways to look at that. The potential is there to be consistently great, but the reality is we've never been consistent. The fact that we have the last 4 coaches at Auburn have won a national COY honor and they're all different shows the inconsistent nature of this program. And I'm not sure this program could ever sustain the type of success some other programs can, even with a truly great coach. I'd love to find out though. 

[NoALtiger 3,849]

It definitely points to our inconsistency. High highs and low lows for all our coach of the year winners. 

[augolf1716 21,096]

5 hours ago, Rednilla said:

I would argue that Pat Dye was a better coach than Shug, personally. The REC did their job of cutting his tenure short, but he had us at the top of the heap for several years.

It would be close but Pat never had to fight the Bear in his prime......no one and I mean no one, well maybe nick,  can touch the bear as for coaching and controlling the state of football. Shug had to go against bear for almost 20 years. I would say its 50/50 

[Dual-Threat Rigby 8,641]

9 hours ago, lionheartkc said:

Seriously?  Between Stallings and Saban, Alabama was a coaching train wreck for years. Notre Dame hasn't had a really successful head coach since the 80s when Holtz was there.  Michigan could be potentially considered, but a lot of that has to do with them sticking with Shenbechler and Carr for as long as they did. Everyone else was mediocre and Harbaugh is still proving himself. 

All the other schools you listed are the same thing. They have 1-2 big names and everyone else has been nothing to write home about or a train wreck (see Kiffin and Sark at USC, the end of Pelini at Nebraska, and Strong... the first coach since the 1930s to have a losing record at Texas). Oklahoma struck gold with Stoops, but everyone else since Switzer was mediocre or a total bust. 

Which takes us back to the OPs initial point.  Every head coach at Auburn since Pat Dye has won a national coach of the year award (Dye did not win one)... even the two that you don't like.  Auburn is, in fact, the only school to have 4 separate coaches receive a coach of the year award since 1990.  I can also add that we have the most undefeated teams of any school since 1990.

Like I said, its all about if you want large valleys of success and dry spells. Or strings of semi-success. Most of the programs I listed do happen to have more wins 

[GwillMac6 20,607]

2 hours ago, boomstick said:

I think there's two ways to look at that. The potential is there to be consistently great, but the reality is we've never been consistent. The fact that we have the last 4 coaches at Auburn have won a national COY honor and they're all different shows the inconsistent nature of this program. And I'm not sure this program could ever sustain the type of success some other programs can, even with a truly great coach. I'd love to find out though. 

A great coach would be consistent that is why they are great! lol. That is what I am getting at. Just curious why do you not think we could ever sustain consistently being good and sometimes great like other programs who are on our level in the historical standing all time? We are the biggest sleeping giant out there! WE AMAZINGLY have accomplished so much too where we are a fringe top 10 program all time CLOSE to blue blood status and yet we have never had 1 great coach. 2 really good ones (MAYBE 3 depending on how you view tubs. Though I think he was just good. The other coaches were well before my time and I do not know enough to makes heads or tails of it.) in dye and SHUG not to mention a administration/PTB/BOT never working in 1 constant motion with the goal being to be consistently great in football. IMO to many people that matter care about beating bama more than they do about being great overall. If we were consistently great beating georgia and bama will take care of itself. We have to commit fully to it. I am hoping this new president has that aspiration as clearly our last president did not. So basically we have accomplished all of this with so many things holding us back and in spite of ourselves! haha. I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish WHEN (not if) we become a well oiled machine.

[AUpreacherman22 3,876]

No. We're not HCU. Dye and Shug top the list. Heisman has name recognition. Donahue and Tubs were good. I can't think of anyone else who would be notable. (Gene and tot both had their undefeated seasons, but career-wise, no)

[boomstick 1,315]

26 minutes ago, GwillMac6 said:

A great coach would be consistent that is why they are great! lol. That is what I am getting at. Just curious why do you not think we could ever sustain consistently being good and sometimes great like other programs who are on our level in the historical standing all time? We are the biggest sleeping giant out there! WE AMAZINGLY have accomplished so much too where we are a fringe top 10 program all time CLOSE to blue blood status and yet we have never had 1 great coach. 2 really good ones (MAYBE 3 depending on how you view tubs. Though I think he was just good. The other coaches were well before my time and I do not know enough to makes heads or tails of it.) in dye and SHUG not to mention a administration/PTB/BOT never working in 1 constant motion with the goal being to be consistently great in football. IMO to many people that matter care about beating bama more than they do about being great overall. If we were consistently great beating georgia and bama will take care of itself. We have to commit fully to it. I am hoping this new president has that aspiration as clearly our last president did not. So basically we have accomplished all of this with so many things holding us back and in spite of ourselves! haha. I cannot wait to see what we can accomplish WHEN (not if) we become a well oiled machine.

JMO. I'm not sure we have a large enough fan base or alumni base that cares enough about being an elite football team to put us into that category. And because there isn't a large enough faction, those few that do have the money and power can't collectively come together to make it happen. It ends up being a power struggle amongst the powerful, and the football program suffers for it. And I think we compare too often and too much to Alabama. They're always the measuring stick. No other program in the country has that type of measuring stick less than 200 miles from them in the same state. 

So, the lack of cohesion, the constant cross-state comparison, and not having some built-in advantages that being a state school creates is something that I think will always cause the program to be inconsistent. Doesn't mean we can't have great seasons on occasion and possibly string together multiple successful seasons. I just don't think sustained success in the form Bama is showing now or other schools like Ohio St, Oklahoma, FSU, or Clemson is likely to happen. 

Boy would I love to be wrong and eat crow on that though. 

[GwillMac6 20,607]

19 minutes ago, boomstick said:

JMO. I'm not sure we have a large enough fan base or alumni base that cares enough about being an elite football team to put us into that category. And because there isn't a large enough faction, those few that do have the money and power can't collectively come together to make it happen. It ends up being a power struggle amongst the powerful, and the football program suffers for it. And I think we compare too often and too much to Alabama. They're always the measuring stick. No other program in the country has that type of measuring stick less than 200 miles from them in the same state. 

So, the lack of cohesion, the constant cross-state comparison, and not having some built-in advantages that being a state school creates is something that I think will always cause the program to be inconsistent. Doesn't mean we can't have great seasons on occasion and possibly string together multiple successful seasons. I just don't think sustained success in the form Bama is showing now or other schools like Ohio St, Oklahoma, FSU, or Clemson is likely to happen. 

Boy would I love to be wrong and eat crow on that though. 

THE ONE AND ONLY good thing about alabama is that they keep us on our toes and I think it will keep the big time money guys HUNGRY to be a consistently great program. They will keep enough people caring to be a elite football school. I think as the old guard phases out and the guard is ushered in that it can only be good for the overall well being of Auburn to get the good ol boy system to go by the wayside. I see all of what you are saying and you make strong points but clemson had been a NOBODY since the early 80's till they tripped over dabo. They had no clue what they had in him. Heck he was only solid his first few years there. Clemson is a lesser version of us. I know they are in a much easier conference but Auburn in the college football world historically holds more cache and reverence. We have had the talent late.y That has not been the problem. We are top 10 in recruiting on some site every year since 2008. We recruit like a school that pours every resource in to being a consistent power BUT the play on the field has not reflected the talent we get unfortunately the last 2 years. Mainly because of the QB situation and Gus doing mind numbingly stupid things. The iron bowl rivalry I think will help creature a eagerness to be consistently great since we do NOT want to have to put up hearing their crap 365 days a year. Honestly all it takes is that 1 great coach. What is fsu without bowden? a complete and utter afterthought AND THEY have done it in a much more competitive state with all those programs down there. 1 of these days it will be our time to be lucky and we will strike gold with a all time great coach. I truly believe that. 

[milehighfan 1,239]

If I'm not mistaken I believe one of our head coaches was a Notre Dame grad who  played for Knute Rockne. Jack Meagher was his name and he coached at Auburn from 1934-42 and compiled a record of 48-37. He also led Auburn to its first two bowl games, the Bacardi Bowl in 1936 and the Orange Bowl in 1937

That will conclude this trip in our way-back machine

 

[augolf1716 21,096]

1 hour ago, milehighfan said:

If I'm not mistaken I believe one of our head coaches was a Notre Dame grad who  played for Knute Rockne. Jack Meagher was his name and he coached at Auburn from 1934-42 and compiled a record of 48-37. He also led Auburn to its first two bowl games, the Bacardi Bowl in 1936 and the Orange Bowl in 1937

That will conclude this trip in our way-back machine

 

The good old days how I miss them

[lionheartkc 6,150]

15 hours ago, GwillMac6 said:

This speaks more about Auburn as a program and how great our potential can be when frickin Terry Bowden and Gene Chizik can have undefeated seasons more than anything. Just think if we had a GREAT coach in place how consistently great we could be.

Unfortunately, it's a never ending cycle at Auburn. We have a great season, mostly when we are an upperclassmen laden team with stellar lines and usually at least one star player on both sides of the ball. Then we drop off a little the next year, when a lot of guys graduate or leave early. The PTB get all up in arms that we had a drop off at all and start interfering with how the team is coached. The fans start talking hot seat and our rivals use that as recruiting fodder. This causes the coach to struggle to rebuild the team, often creating even more of a drop off the next year. The coach still manages to recruit well and build the team back up, but before he can complete the job, the fans and PTB run him out of town. One to two seasons later, the next coach uses the players that the previous coach recruited to rebuild to have another great season. Lather, rinse, repeat.