Nice little speech by Malzahn at Hughes High

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

A couple of things I took away from this...

First, Gus Malzahn has a mind like a steel trap. Forgets nothing. The way he calls up details from 20 years ago is...wait...what was I saying again?

Second, Malzahn goes out of his way to give credit to everyone but himself. Players. Coaches, The principal. Everyone.

AU is lucky, lucky, lucky to have this guy. I hate to say that the pain of the 2012 season was worth what it brought to AU, but I'm to the point that I think it all may have worked out exactly as it was supposed to. Dang glad Gus Malzahn is head coach of the AU Tigers football team!

AL.com has video of the short speech Malzahn gave at Hughes: http://www.al.com/au...minisce_ru.html

[Tiger4life25 74]

A couple of things I took away from this...

First, Gus Malzahn has a mind like a steel trap. Forgets nothing. The way he calls up details from 20 years ago is...wait...what was I saying again? :)/>

Second, Malzahn goes out of his way to give credit to everyone but himself. Players. Coaches, The principal. Everyone.

AU is lucky, lucky, lucky to have this guy. I hate to say that the pain of the 2012 season was worth what it brought to AU, but I'm to the point that I think it all may have worked out exactly as it was supposed to. Dang glad Gus Malzahn is head coach of the AU Tigers football team!

AL.com has video of the short speech Malzahn gave at Hughes: http://www.al.com/au...minisce_ru.html

Agreed we are very lucky to have this man here at Auburn. I see him ever so slowly turning things back around here in Alabama and around the country. It's great to be an Auburn Tiger.

[bikeriderga 134]

We are EXTREMELY FORTUNATE to have Gus as our Head Coach.

Coach Malzahn man is a truly humble, real, down to earth individual, who just happens to have a steel trap memory and is an offensive football genius.

The thing I like best about Coach Gus is he has never forgotten where he came from. He still has that down home High School Coach mentality.

I cannot imagine many coaches in his position actually going and eating at a Waffle House after a game, as Gus and Kristi do. Yet, that is part of those small town High School roots that Kristi and Gus have not drifted away from even though he is one of the top coaches in the country success and pay wise.

[N2AUtigers 5]

In victory he gives the credit to everyone else , but in defeat he takes ALL the blame. Such a refreshing leader. Would not trade him for 100 nick sabans!

[triangletiger 1,599]

In victory he gives the credit to everyone else , but in defeat he takes ALL the blame. Such a refreshing leader. Would not trade him for 100 nick sabans!

Coach Dye, is that you?

[The Flipside 0]

I continue to worry about CGM leaving us. He is just THAT good. I know he loves Auburn and loves being here but he is at a level of coaching that is so elite. I can't imagine a top flight D1 school or NFL franchise not trying to at least make a run at him. Even though it was refreshing to see him have NO interest in the Texas job (which the media portrayed as his dream job). I never thought Kelly would leave Oregon but he did. And I like to think Gus is a better all around coach than Kelly. Maybe Im wrong. But I think some NFL teams will be eyeing him soon.

[gravejd 3,282]

AU is a top flight Div 1 school. Very true he could jump to the nfl one day but I wouldn't worry about that for at least 5 more years. At that point we'll see what Gus is saying about things and if he has continued the great success. But I believe him when he says this is where he wants to be.

We are very lucky to have him as a head coach and I am enjoying every minute of it! WDE!!!

[AU64 10,122]

I continue to worry about CGM leaving us. He is just THAT good. I know he loves Auburn and loves being here but he is at a level of coaching that is so elite. I can't imagine a top flight D1 school or NFL franchise not trying to at least make a run at him. Even though it was refreshing to see him have NO interest in the Texas job (which the media portrayed as his dream job). I never thought Kelly would leave Oregon but he did. And I like to think Gus is a better all around coach than Kelly. Maybe Im wrong. But I think some NFL teams will be eyeing him soon.

I would be stunned, shocked, amazed if he left anytime soon. He is paid among the top tier of coaches and is at a school where football is king and is surrounded by top high school football talent and adoring fans. There might be another school or two that could possible attract him away but none come to my mind.

As for the NFL, Kelly is doing pretty well but the jury is still out on HUNH and NFL is already changing the rules to negate the effectiveness of guys like Cam by essentially making (encouraging) late hits on the QB when he is carrying out fakes on running plays. There are Nick Sabans all over the NFL that will be looking to put in some version of the 10 second rule and at the very least, the refs will slow the game by taking their time when spotting the ball.

JMO but Gus has the best of all possible worlds right now...great town to live in and a receptive fan base for his style of play.

[The Flipside 0]

AU is a top flight Div 1 school. Very true he could jump to the nfl one day but I wouldn't worry about that for at least 5 more years. At that point we'll see what Gus is saying about things and if he has continued the great success. But I believe him when he says this is where he wants to be.

We are very lucky to have him as a head coach and I am enjoying every minute of it! WDE!!!

I do as well. It just continues to unfold as a "this guy is too good to be true" scenario. Enjoying every min of it is a great idea

[The Flipside 0]

I continue to worry about CGM leaving us. He is just THAT good. I know he loves Auburn and loves being here but he is at a level of coaching that is so elite. I can't imagine a top flight D1 school or NFL franchise not trying to at least make a run at him. Even though it was refreshing to see him have NO interest in the Texas job (which the media portrayed as his dream job). I never thought Kelly would leave Oregon but he did. And I like to think Gus is a better all around coach than Kelly. Maybe Im wrong. But I think some NFL teams will be eyeing him soon.

I would be stunned, shocked, amazed if he left anytime soon. He is paid among the top tier of coaches and is at a school where football is king and is surrounded by top high school football talent and adoring fans. There might be another school or two that could possible attract him away but none come to my mind.

As for the NFL, Kelly is doing pretty well but the jury is still out on HUNH and NFL is already changing the rules to negate the effectiveness of guys like Cam by essentially making (encouraging) late hits on the QB when he is carrying out fakes on running plays. There are Nick Sabans all over the NFL that will be looking to put in some version of the 10 second rule and at the very least, the refs will slow the game by taking their time when spotting the ball.

JMO but Gus has the best of all possible worlds right now...great town to live in and a receptive fan base for his style of play.

If he turned down Texas, thats gotta be a good sign. If they couldnt pull him, who can (in CFB)?

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

Related article at AL.com: Why a loss 20 years ago haunts Gus Malzahn, reminds Hughes players of Auburn's title loss

Excerpt:

Once a week Gus Malzahn thinks about the one that got away.

Standing in front of two dozen of his former players at a small high school in northeast Arkansas, the Auburn coach got emotional at times Monday. He laughed, he reminisced and he even teared up a time or two.

The game serving as the undercurrent to this 20-year reunion inside a small cafeteria at Hughes High School is still fresh on Malzahn's mind, and it serves as his motivation.

"People always ask me," Malzahn said, scanning the room of familiar faces. "What game do you think of most? Do you think about the national championship? Do you think about the state championships?

"Once a week in my mind I think about that '94 team and the reason is I feel like I should have done a better job, especially toward the end of the game."

[snip]

"The end, you lose a close one," Malzahn said Monday. "They stick with you."

Only four men were there to watch both losses from the sidelines of War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock and the Rose Bowl in Pasadena: Malzahn, a local-turned-national reporter, and family friend Charlie Patrick and son Adam.

"It was the first thing that came into my mind," said Charlie Patrick, Malzahn's former athletics director at Hughes. "It's happened twice to him."

[snip]

"When we got in the tunnel, Kristi (Malzahn) looked at me and said, 'It's just like Lonoke,'" Adam Patrick said. "Those were the first words out of her mouth."

Much more at the link...

(Stay away from the comments at AL.com. They're full of bammers trying to be clever, and you know how it is when truly stupid people are trying to be clever.)

[Tiger 8,841]

IMO, every single Auburn fan should hope that the Eagles go 1-15 this season. I could see this discouraging some NFL higher ups from trying to get Gus and keeping the idea that a "spread college coach just can't cut it in the NFL" that so many people seem to want to subscribe to. I also think we need to root for the Cowboys because Jerry Jones is an owner that would throw ludicrous money at Gus if he felt that he was the right guy. I could see how that would force Gus into a tough decision, I'm assuming he was a Cowboys fan since he grew up in Arky.

[The Flipside 0]

IMO, every single Auburn fan should hope that the Eagles go 1-15 this season. I could see this discouraging some NFL higher ups from trying to get Gus and keeping the idea that a "spread college coach just can't cut it in the NFL" that so many people seem to want to subscribe to. I also think we need to root for the Cowboys because Jerry Jones is an owner that would throw ludicrous money at Gus if he felt that he was the right guy. I could see how that would force Gus into a tough decision, I'm assuming he was a Cowboys fan since he grew up in Arky.

Cowboys are THE franchise that worries me some. Jerry is an Arky guy. And has plenty of money.

Doesnt help that Kelly had one of the top offenses in the NFL last year in his first year in the league. Will the rest of the NFL figure it out or catch up? I hope so. For the very reason you stated in your 2nd sentence.

[WarEagle84 0]

A couple of things I took away from this...

First, Gus Malzahn has a mind like a steel trap. Forgets nothing. The way he calls up details from 20 years ago is...wait...what was I saying again? :)/>

Second, Malzahn goes out of his way to give credit to everyone but himself. Players. Coaches, The principal. Everyone.

AU is lucky, lucky, lucky to have this guy. I hate to say that the pain of the 2012 season was worth what it brought to AU, but I'm to the point that I think it all may have worked out exactly as it was supposed to. Dang glad Gus Malzahn is head coach of the AU Tigers football team!

AL.com has video of the short speech Malzahn gave at Hughes: http://www.al.com/au...minisce_ru.html

Agreed we are very lucky to have this man here at Auburn. I see him ever so slowly turning things back around here in Alabama and around the country. It's great to be an Auburn Tiger.

I beg to differ. Everything Gus does is FAST!

[Slammer1 409]

I continue to worry about CGM leaving us. He is just THAT good. I know he loves Auburn and loves being here but he is at a level of coaching that is so elite. I can't imagine a top flight D1 school or NFL franchise not trying to at least make a run at him. Even though it was refreshing to see him have NO interest in the Texas job (which the media portrayed as his dream job). I never thought Kelly would leave Oregon but he did. And I like to think Gus is a better all around coach than Kelly. Maybe Im wrong. But I think some NFL teams will be eyeing him soon.

I would be very surprized if Gus left us for the NFL, not saying he won't but to me Gus has more moral fortitude and loyalty than Chip Kelly. JMO.

[caleb1633 1,418]

I think coaches have learned from the lessons of Saban (to the Dolphins), Spurrier (to the Redskins), and Rich Rod (Michigan), in that if they have a guaranteed legacy at the school they're at, why risk it going to a bigger name school or NFL team?

[alexava 6,974]

A jump t the pros is no risk to a top college coach. It don't work out and back to college with another huge contract. Hoops too. I still don't think Gus leaves.

[trout54 55]

wasn't the timing of Kelly's departure in line with some talks about investigations at Oregon? I think he was pulling a pete carroll.......getting out while the getting was good. it appears that Gus is running a clean program, so no worries there in my mind.

[Slammer1 409]

wasn't the timing of Kelly's departure in line with some talks about investigations at Oregon? I think he was pulling a pete carroll.......getting out while the getting was good. it appears that Gus is running a clean program, so no worries there in my mind.

Yeah, something about a rat and a sinking ship. Forgot about that little item. Just more evidence that fits my opinion of Kelly.

[Moon-Watcher 0]

I expect Florida will back the trucks up if Muschamp flames out this year. Not sure CGM will take it but it will be a substantially tempting offer I bet.

[Tiger 8,841]

You wouldn't take an NFL job (more money for you and your family) if you thought it was a very real possibility that your program would be on probation in the very near future?

Would you jump ship at the company you currently work for if you felt extremely tough times were ahead? Even if you had a job offer at another company that would pay more?

[AUFightingSoldiers 687]

I would be more worried about Arkansas going after lashlee is Bret doesn't work out. There's something different about malzahn. Look at his high school resume. He went to a school, built a dynasty, and didn't leave until he got a job that you just don't turn down (offensive coordinator in the SEC). Auburn is a top tier college and he knows it. He loves developing boys into good MEN, which I think takes out him leaving for the NFL. I see us having THE coach for a long time and I'm stupid excited about it.

[AUFightingSoldiers 687]

Also, I'm not too sure Lashlee wouldn't turn Arkansas down because he witnessed how they treated malzahn when he was there.

[war eagle6 0]

I think Gus is a man of his words, when he arrived he said he wanted to win championships at AU! I believe him, I pray that he gets a virus for winning championships at AU and can't dare leave until he becomes the best coach in NCAA history! Do u think that will drive the bams insane?

[CleCoTiger 1,957]

I expect Florida will back the trucks up if Muschamp flames out this year. Not sure CGM will take it but it will be a substantially tempting offer I bet.

Auburn is a destination, not a stepping stone. The next head coach to leave AU for "greener pastures" will be the first.