[NU Sports] Football experiment

[Jeff Beamsley]

Tom,

Actually I think that we are on the same page here.

Whether improvement was the result of the previous coaches good work, 
whatever "message" was sent by the firing, or the talents of the new 
coach - in the context of this discussion IT DOESN'T MATTER. 

Some on this list are convinced that ANY coaching change is ALWAYS BAD.  
The corrollary is that FIRING a coach is a particularly bad form of 
coaching change and will almost certainly have even worse consequences 
than just not renewing a coach's contract. 

Most everyone here wants to see a more competitive NU team while 
preserving the integrity of the program and the high academic standards 
of the institution.  We just don't agree on the best way to go about it. 

We now have a real world opportunity to test the "cost" of firing at a 
couple of institutions (ND and Stanford) that have high academic 
standards (yes ND has become a lottery school).  So let's see what 
happens. 

With regard to the morality of firing Willingham and DiNardo, I like you 
won't ever have the full story - so it is hard to sit in judgement.  
DiNardo in particular seemed to be making wonderful progress given were 
he started, but I don't know what expectations he set or was given when 
he went in.  Willingham is obviously a class act and took full 
responsibility for not getting the job done and accepted the 
consequences.  I think that he would look great in purple; but I don't 
have a vote, I don't have the ear of anyone who has influence, and I 
can't even depend on my wife to agree with me - so my only outlet is 
this list. 

Thanks to all for the opportunity to express myself.  <g>

Jeff










Tom Maycock wrote:

>>Some on this list would predict that each of these institutions will 
>>fall into deep recruiting and rebuilding holes and will ultimately
>>fall further behind than they would have been if they had just
>>    
>>
>allowed
>  
>
>>their current coaches to continue to make incremental improvements. 
>>
>>If, on the other hand, each of these institutions ends up making 
>>significant progress over the next three or four years (ND getting a
>>BCS bid, Stanford contending for the PC-10 championship, Indiana
>>    
>>
>going > to a  bowl game), what sort of conclusion could be drawn? 
>  
>
>>First, that a lot of people may owe the governing bodies of these 
>>institutions an apology.
>>    
>>
>
>Jeff:
>
>I think I get your point, and it's a case that could certainly be
>argued, but I don't entirely agree. I would argue that just because a
>decision produces the desired results doesn't necessarily mean that it
>was the right decision. 
>
>Suppose ND or Indiana do find significant success within the next 2 or
>3 years (or even next year) under their new coach. You can't be sure
>that the previous coaches might not have achieved the same (or even
>greater) success had they been allowed to say. The success of new
>coaches is college sports is always linked to some degree to the level
>of talent and the personalities of the players they inherit. 
>
>But there's more to it then that. I have no problem with a pro football
>coach being judged purely on the basis of on-field results. But college
>athletics should be about more than that (I know, they almost never are
>in reality...). 
>
>If all that matters to ND is winning, then they may very well be better
>of with Meyer--maybe MUCH better off. And on that basis it may be a
>very bold, and wise decision. The problem is that ND likes to pretend
>that it's about more than that. And this decision deeply undermines
>that stance IMO.
>
>And I just think the DiNardo thing was wrong with a capital W (again,
>unless there are factors going on we don't know about). His successor
>will almost *certainly* have a better record than DiNardo, because
>DiNardo was stuck rebuilt possibly the most broken college football
>team in the country. Now someone else will benefit from his hard work. 
>
>Tom
>
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