Research firm calling AU Alumni

[DyeCampAlum 335]

The polling question could be to see what the popularity of hiring Petrino would be. Not an awful idea if you plan on hiring someone with a shady past and want to see what percentage of the contributing alumnus would be on board.

That was exactly my thought. They want to know how big of a hit they take if they hire Petrino.

I say, if you have to ask....

[AuburnDad 0]

Anyone who questions Petrino's ability as a coach doesn't know what they're talking about. He's the only coach that's taken 2 programs to their FIRST BCS bowl game. Say you don't like him, but you can't question the man's coaching ability.

I can and will question his coaching ability when it comes to defense. He's an excellent offensive coach but getting slammed by 'Bama and LSU in his best year does not bode well, in my opinion, of any guaranteed success at Auburn. He might well be the best thing since sliced bread if he gets the right DC and lets them do their job. I just don't agree with taking a chance on that probability as much as I don't agree with his morals. If y'all think that will not be an issue with mamas and papas in the Bible belt, I can't say anything that will convince you otherwise.

[auburn4ever 1,266]

No one called me.

[aufootballrob 0]

Are we really playing UGA back-to-back, home & home, 2012 & 2013?

[OnthePlains 2,014]

Are we really playing UGA back-to-back, home & home, 2012 & 2013?

yes we are

[auburn4ever 1,266]

JJ batter not mess up this hire up. If he does, the fans and others will run him and TJ out of Auburn.

[TigerNBham 3]

AU64 we must probably should just agree to disagree.

Saban came into the SEC with a mediocre record at Mich State...that's history As a proven Head Coach @ a Big Ten School where they played hard nose football.

Talk to some UF folks about Muschamp and many of them would give him to AU but meanwhile, what was his W-L as "coach in waiting"? It is a title and a responsibility to learn the job of a HC, fund raising etc.

Urban Meyers came to the SEC as a WAC coach I think and everyone said his "offense" and style would not play in the SEC. - I agree.

Richt was a coordinator Glad to give you the slow one over the plate for a line drive single. He is a good coach.

Mullens was a coordinator - PUHLEEZE

Spurrier was at Duke before UF. Also, in "semi professional football as a HC" and well respected offensive mind. He was a gamble maybe, not a project.

Sumlin at Houston in USA or something. He looks good so far and every indication he can motivate previous underachiever, . time will tell.

Miles had a mediocre record at Oka State and LSU fans howled when they hired him Yes they did, and he was an experienced HC in a major conference.

Franklin was a coordninator at Maryland - SO , first coach @ Vandy is now your gold standard ? Good man at a hard job.

Kiffin was a former NFL coach.....and how did that work out? - Kiffy, , he was a bigger risk than any you mentioned. A panic hire for UT.

Should I go on? - Please don't unless you need to justify your arguement. If it makes you feel better ..............

You can put a saddle on it and call it a pony. But it barks, runs rabbits and howls @ the moon it is a dog.

Mine is and will be, hire the best prepared candidate with the highest probability for success, not just whoever is handy at the moment .

[Bathel 50]

I just don't agree with taking a chance on that probability as much as I don't agree with his morals. If y'all think that will not be an issue with mamas and papas in the Bible belt, I can't say anything that will convince you otherwise.

You mean those 4 and 5 star kids that come from one parent familys or multiple father familys... I don't think it will be a huge issue. If Auburn wins games and put kids in the NFL, all will be forgiven. These 4 and 5 star kids and familys are looking for the best road to the NFL and a large pay check... not a hard and fast rule, but on average I don't think they put moral conviction at the top of the list when looking at a program.

Now, if we don't win big games, that's a different story...

[yeaauburn 21]

I've received several calls but refused to pick up. Caller ID indicated Auburn University...thought maybe it was just a money grabbing call. I may answer next time. If they are looking for money then I will ask "who will be the next coach." If I don't get the answer I want I will just say "No Thanks"

[keesler 5,924]

I just don't agree with taking a chance on that probability as much as I don't agree with his morals. If y'all think that will not be an issue with mamas and papas in the Bible belt, I can't say anything that will convince you otherwise.

You mean those 4 and 5 star kids that come from one parent familys or multiple father familys... I don't think it will be a huge issue. If Auburn wins games and put kids in the NFL, all will be forgiven. These 4 and 5 star kids and familys are looking for the best road to the NFL and a large pay check... not a hard and fast rule, but on average I don't think they put moral conviction at the top of the list when looking at a program.

Now, if we don't win big games, that's a different story...

CGC only won the big games 1 out of 4 seasons he was here and the talented 4-5*'s just kept in a comin to AU.

[johnjacob 44]

The polling question could be to see what the popularity of hiring Petrino would be. Not an awful idea if you plan on hiring someone with a shady past and want to see what percentage of the contributing alumnus would be on board.

The truth of the matter is that if you hire Petrino, you're going to polarize a large chunk of the fan base. And I don't mean 'make them a little mad'. More like, shock them into reconsidering whether or not the Auburn family and administration believes in their own creed or not. It may not be as large of a pool as I might have originally thought, but I would be one of them. This is a chance for Auburn to prove we are more than a university seeking to win a few football games. Do we believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot win the respect of my fellow men? Because if we do, Petrino should not have our respect. The only reason he does is because he wins. I'm looking for more than just wins. Maybe I'm looking for too much?

Yes, you are looking for too much. It's football, not Bible camp. That being said I respect your concerns and would be happy to have Peterson, Patterson, Strong, or Malzahn as our coach, because they are good coaches and have not publicly done anything (yet) that offends members of our fan base such as yourself.

[AUgrad00 7]

You gotta be kidding me? are you for real.

Here would be my answer Fire JJ and Gogue, hire a real AD bring in Jeff Fisher money be damned. I have heard it all.

[cooltigger21 0]

Petrino, to me, would be the best choice, despite his personal issues that landed him unemployed to begin with. However, we wouldn't have to pay a buyout to get him here which may mean better assistants getting paid more money!

.

Money is not an issue. AU has the resources to pay top coaching talent.

[PCBAuburnaFan 1]

BREAKING NEWS:

As revealed earlier in the thread and mentioned by myself already, but no one seems to listen.

This call was NOT made by Auburn University but instead by a alumni at a research firm was curious. Just someone with too much money thinking about football.

[cooltigger21 0]

I just don't agree with taking a chance on that probability as much as I don't agree with his morals. If y'all think that will not be an issue with mamas and papas in the Bible belt, I can't say anything that will convince you otherwise.

You mean those 4 and 5 star kids that come from one parent familys or multiple father familys... I don't think it will be a huge issue. If Auburn wins games and put kids in the NFL, all will be forgiven. These 4 and 5 star kids and familys are looking for the best road to the NFL and a large pay check... not a hard and fast rule, but on average I don't think they put moral conviction at the top of the list when looking at a program.

Now, if we don't win big games, that's a different story...

.

These kids from that background need someone they can trust probably more than any other kids do. I just don't see how Petrino, with his record can get players to toe the line.

[BornaTiger 0]

BREAKING NEWS:

As revealed earlier in the thread and mentioned by myself already, but no one seems to listen.

This call was NOT made by Auburn University but instead by a alumni at a research firm was curious. Just someone with too much money thinking about football.

[IronMan70 3,277]

Listen you crazy bleeding heart's......If you want to be a successful LEADER OF MEN you have to be kind of an a**hole!! You have to be respected and feared!! Chizik is a great guy and someone you would want to lead your Sunday School but not your football team. We're not hiring a spiritual guidance counselor....it's a football coach!! If you think the past successful coaches we've had here on the plains were great upstanding gentlemen of our community then you haven't been paying attention. I'm not saying that Petrino is my first choice, I have my questions but none of them are where he keeps his copy of the ten commandments.

I'm not asking for Mister Rogers, man. Breathe! Im asking for someone who doesn't hire a girl he's cheating on his wife with and then lie about it. Just don't think adulterers should be put in a position to lead young men and help develop them. If THAT makes me a bleeding heart then I need help. We should have SOME damn expectation of morals from our coach....SOME.

I'm in the Air Force, I know what it means to be a leader. And yes you do have to be stern and kind of a jerk sometimes. But most importantly, you have to be grounded and you have to have a solid foundation of morals. Ive been a leader for much of my life...it's literally THE most important thing. Just because Chizik was and didn't turn out to be what we needed does NOT mean we go and look for an adulterer assh*le who is everything he was not.

I was also in the Air Force and I think you are spreading this stuff on a little thick. Leaders of men ? Do you think Eisenhower wasn't a good leader because of his transgressions and should have been decommissioned instead of leading D Day ? How about when he was President or for that matter several of our Presidents ?

Why do you think that Auburn is lowering its standards to hire a person who has fallen previously ? You don't give my Alma Mater much credit if you think that is the case because Auburn isn't lowering any standard and it shouldn't. The person who is being hired has to raise their standard up to meet Auburn's higher standard not the other way around. If the new hire can't continue to operate at that higher standard, they will be fired. Quite frankly, I think it speaks highly of Auburn if they are willing to give someone another chance if they are convinced the person redeemed themselves and is deserving.

What is dangerous to me is not the affair. That happens. It's bad but is based on a normal human function that some men and women do not seem to be able to control. The two bad things are first the hiring of an unqualified candidate, breaking labor laws leaving the school wide open to lawsuits. From what I have read if Ike he never prompted an officer into a position for which others were better qualified for sex. the second is the 2003 meeting to replace the man who revived his career. Sorry, loyalty is high on my list of things I like. Plus Petrino is an 2:1 coach at Arkansas (34-17) so I don't know why everyone thinks he is the end all coach. He's a hell of a play caller though.

While I appreciate you trying to put a finer point on the Ike analogy to include the labor law distinction, the poster I responded to did not venture there. As his last sentence indicated, he was clearly posting about the larger issue of affairs in general vis a vis leadership, hence the focus of my response to him.

With respect to his Arky W-L record, I believe the 34-17 record for 4 years amounts to a 67% winning record. If you exclude his "inheriting" year, his Arky record his last 3 years was 29-10 for a winning percentage of 74%. At Louisville he was 41-9 for an 82% winning record.

To put that in perspective, the last time we hired a coach, he had a 5-19 record at his previous stop for a 21% winning record.

[Barkchevious 75]

This is very cool. Maybe during the season next year they will poll the crowd on what play to run on first down. :drippingsarcasm7pa:/>

These kinds of decisions cannot be made by popularity polls. If the athletic department is using this firm to test the waters, it is a cop out or they are trying to justify hiring Petrino by hoping to see how fans feel about his negatives. I can see no other legitimate reason to so this at this very early point in the "search."

This may have been a superior option this past season. But instead of on 1st down, they could have 'asked the audience' on one of our 873 3rd and 9 plays. Coaches get 2 shots, then the fans get 1.

I'm an alum/donor and have not received any calls.

[JTFazz 386]

This is very cool. Maybe during the season next year they will poll the crowd on what play to run on first down. :drippingsarcasm7pa:/>

These kinds of decisions cannot be made by popularity polls. If the athletic department is using this firm to test the waters, it is a cop out or they are trying to justify hiring Petrino by hoping to see how fans feel about his negatives. I can see no other legitimate reason to so this at this very early point in the "search."

This may have been a superior option this past season. But instead of on 1st down, they could have 'asked the audience' on one of our 873 3rd and 9 plays. Coaches get 2 shots, then the fans get 1.

I'm an alum/donor and have not received any calls.

LOL... right there with you. Maybe we can also integrate a phone-a friend-option on fourth and short inside the opponent's 50.

[leglessdan 1,934]

This is very cool. Maybe during the season next year they will poll the crowd on what play to run on first down. :drippingsarcasm7pa:/>

These kinds of decisions cannot be made by popularity polls. If the athletic department is using this firm to test the waters, it is a cop out or they are trying to justify hiring Petrino by hoping to see how fans feel about his negatives. I can see no other legitimate reason to so this at this very early point in the "search."

This may have been a superior option this past season. But instead of on 1st down, they could have 'asked the audience' on one of our 873 3rd and 9 plays. Coaches get 2 shots, then the fans get 1.

I'm an alum/donor and have not received any calls.

LOL... right there with you. Maybe we can also integrate a phone-a friend-option on fourth and short inside the opponent's 50.

+1

[NCTiger 0]

I got this call and had answered the questions. The coaches mentioned were the choices. I mentioned on another post. I also pointed out that they asked questions about if I was a season ticket holder and my church attendance. Made me think they were testing the response they would get to hiring petrino. I did ask the person if I could add a comment, and they said it was possible. So I asked o put on my survey that they should be replacing JJ because he is the one who will screw it up.

Very interesting IronTiger. I have not gotten a call myself. This tells me they know the fan base is so divided that they are thinking about all those empty seats they saw this year. If they blow this hire the negative impact on our AD's profits could be huge next year !

War Eagle !

[BornaTiger 0]

BREAKING NEWS:

As revealed earlier in the thread and mentioned by myself already, but no one seems to listen.

This call was NOT made by Auburn University but instead by a alumni at a research firm was curious. Just someone with too much money thinking about football.

[Sid 0]

Gus Malzahn is the peoples’ choice and Bobby Petrino remains the polarizing figure in Auburn’s search for its next football coach, according to an independent poll Hill Research Consultants conducted of Auburn fans living in Lee County.

The poll was compiled through a telephone survey of 500 Lee County residents, who were given the choice of first-year Arkansas State coach Malzahn, former Arkansas coach Petrino, Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher and Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart.

(You can take our poll on Oanow.com at this link here.)

Malzahn was the top choice for 25 percent of fans in the poll, followed by 18 percent for Petrino, 15 percent for Fisher and 12 percent for Smart. Two percent voluntarily offered another name outside those four, while 26 percent said they were unsure.

When asked to provide their top two choices, 39 percent said Malzahn, 33 percent Petrino, 30 percent Fisher and 27 percent Smart.

The poll had a 4.4 percent margin of error.

Malzahn garnered top-two approval from 47 percent of season ticket holders, while 51 percent of Tigers Unlimited Foundation donors had the Arkansas State coach in their top two.

The poll showed Petrino, who was fired as Arkansas’ coach in the spring after lying about an affair with a younger employee, was a divisive candidate in Auburn’s fan base. While he gained the second-highest approval rating, 21 percent of fans asked said they could not support Petrino even if he was hired as coach. No other candidate received more than four percent disapproval.

No Auburn employees were included in the poll, which was directed by veteran pollster David B. Hill. Hill is an Auburn grad.

Link

[AUGradinTX 0]

I'm sure Hill was curious about the results, but polling companies sometimes do this to gather data they can use to improve their polling methods and accuracy with little care for the outcomes.

[Bird715 0]

Anyone who questions Petrino's ability as a coach doesn't know what they're talking about. He's the only coach that's taken 2 programs to their FIRST BCS bowl game. Say you don't like him, but you can't question the man's coaching ability.

I can and will question his coaching ability when it comes to defense. He's an excellent offensive coach but getting slammed by 'Bama and LSU in his best year does not bode well, in my opinion, of any guaranteed success at Auburn. He might well be the best thing since sliced bread if he gets the right DC and lets them do their job. I just don't agree with taking a chance on that probability as much as I don't agree with his morals. If y'all think that will not be an issue with mamas and papas in the Bible belt, I can't say anything that will convince you otherwise.

Of course, the year you are talking about happens to be the year LSU and uat play for the MNC. So those two losses in the same year are not much of a measuring stick. Plus, he will undoubtedly recruit better players at AU than he could at arky just given the historical recruiting trends of the two schools.

His past transgressions will hurt him in some/a few recruiting situations. But several recruits have basically said it would not matter. I am not sure his past transgressions would qualify as morally bankrupt either. He made mistakes, but if cheating on your spouse (about 40-50% of marriages go through this), lying to your boss, and/or making boneheaded employment decisions disqualified someone from employment, then about half the country would be unemployable. From people who have spoken to him, they say he does appear contrite and remorseful and that he appears to genuinely want to repair and save his marriage. I hope that is true especially if AU hires him. I would also expect that he has to realize he is running out of opportunities. He has burned a few bridges along the way and some see him as toxic. If he screws this thing up again, he may very well be DONE!

As for coaching defense, he does not have to coach defense. He has to hire a solid DC to coach defense. So, you questioning his defensive ability is rather silly. I want to win football games and sooner rather than later. We do not have the luxury of a project at this time. I believe Malzahn is a very good coach, maybe a great one, but he does not have the experience to tell us what to expect if he were to inherit the mess that is AU football right now. He does not have the experience in coming into a "mess" and cleaning it up. We just do not know if he can do it. Same for KS. That leaves potentially Sumlin and GP. Honestly, I would love some Sumlin, but I do not see it as any more than a mere flirtation right now. GP while a solid coach has lost some of his luster after moving to the Big 12.

The bottom line is that many, including me, believe that BP gives us the greatest opportunity to turn this thing around quickly and compete sooner rather than later. I am on board with that idea. Sure others can do it, but I have the most confidence in BP.