[NU Sports] Other Facts About NU Football

Roy Lamberton rstetson at capps-assoc.com
Mon Nov 7 16:39:35 CST 2005


As someone who suffered through two 10+ loss seasons, and later worked at OU
when they were winning all their games, I'm grateful for Barnet and Walker's
contribution to our overall win-loss record.

IMHO 6 - 6 win games is a pretty good accomplishment. 

rsl

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate
Computer Applications & Support Associates
and Publisher of Purple Reign, 
The Scout.com Northwestern University Site
(http://www.purplewildcats.com)
AIM Handle: CoachRoy74
======== Go Cats -  Beat 'em All ===========
Every time I think I've got this Computer 
Biz handled 
            -- There's another upgrade.
============================================

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com 
> [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of John Labbe
> Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 4:34 PM
> To: cherron604 at aol.com
> Cc: nwu-sports at tssi.com
> Subject: Re: [NU Sports] Other Facts About NU Football
> 
> 
> I suppose your next post will explain all the reasons that 
> Basanez's statistics over the past four years should be 
> discredited, because after all, most quarterbacks, even the 
> best ones, don't start for four years and wouldn't have the 
> opportunity to gain the same numbers.
> 
> The only reason such an explanation would be necessary, 
> however, is if you thought we were all idiots.
> 
> The fact remains that Walker is the first coach since the 
> 1930s to have 3 consecutive 6-win seasons.  I haven't seen 
> any overreaction to that simple statistic.
> 
> I think it's good that the athletic department promotes 
> positive statistics about the program.  That's their job.  Do 
> we want them to release statistics with all kinds of caveats, instead?
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
>  
> On Monday, November 07, 2005, at 03:23PM, <cherron604 at aol.com> wrote:
> 
> > This '6-win' nonsense has to be addressed.
> > 
> >In today's Chicago Sun-Times, the beat reporter breathlessly 
> reported 
> >that 'Walker is the first coach since 1931 to lead three 
> straight NU teams to six or more victories.'  This smells 
> very much like a press release from 1501 Central Street - and 
> is pretty much as useful as most Athletic Department press releases.
> > 
> >What we know - RW has had 3 consecutive 6-win seasons.  The last 
> >instance of 3 consecutive 6-win seasons was indeed 1929-1931.
> > 
> >BUT
> > 
> >During the Dick Hanley era (1927-1934), Northwestern averaged 8.25 
> >games a year.  These consisted of 5.38 conference games and 
> 2.88 non-conference games.  That Dick Hanley could string 
> together 3 6-win seasons (actually 6, 7 and 7) during this 
> period means he averaged 6.67 wins per season in an era of 8 
> or 9 game schedules - or an 81% winning percentage during 
> those 3 seasons.  This would be an incredible achievement in any era.
> > 
> >Randy Walker has strung together 3 seasons of 6, 6 and 6 victories 
> >(currently).  However, during the Walker years, Northwestern 
> has averaged 11.7 games per year.  6 wins per year in an era 
> of 11.7 game schedules works out to a 51% winning 
> percentage...nice, but definitely nowhere near Hanley's achievement.
> > 
> >To equate Hanley's 6-3, 7-1 and 7-1-1 seasons with Walker's 6-7, 6-6 
> >and 6-3 seasons is ludicrous.  It insults the intelligence 
> of the listener, as well as discounting the real 
> accomplishments of Hanley and many coaches who succeeded him.
> > 
> >To imply (as the comparison does) that Walker has achieved something 
> >not achieved since 1931 is absurd.  But it is all too 
> typical of our Athletic Department - sugar coating numbers 
> and presenting them in a way that inflates the 
> accomplishments of RW while discounting anything that 
> happened prior to RW's arrival.  (Anybody see any attendance 
> averages in the Media Guide recently ?  They've been missing 
> since the averages started falling during the RW era).
> > 
> >In fact, there have been numerous stretches since Dick Hanley of far 
> >greater accomplishment than RW's - Pappy Waldorf had an 8 
> year stretch (1936-1943) where he won 36 games, an average of 
> 4.5 wins per year in an era of 8.42 games per season, or a 
> 53% winning percentage.  Bob Voigts had 23 wins in the four 
> seasons between 1948 and 1951 - 5.75 wins per year in a 
> period of 9.13 games per year, or 63%.  Ara had a 6 year 
> stretch (1958-1963) where he won 32 games - 5.33 wins per 
> year while averaging 9 games per year, or a 59% winning 
> percentage.  Alex Agase had 3 years (1969-1971) where he 
> averaged 5.33 wins per season in typical 10.1 game seasons - 
> 53% winning percentage.  And the demonized Gary Barnett won 
> 24 games between 1995 and 1997, in typically 11.6 game 
> seasons - a 69 % winning percentage.
> > 
> >Note too that all of these coaches with stretches longer 
> than 3 seasons 
> >had even HIGHER 3-season winning percentages.
> > 
> >So quit believing that RW has achieved something that hasn't 
> been done 
> >in 74 years.
> > 
> >IT ISN'T TRUE
> > 
> >Chuck Herron   Tech '85
> > 
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: Jeff Beamsley <jeffb at hilgraeve.com>
> >To: 'NU Sports List' <nwu-sports at tssi.com>
> >Sent: Mon, 7 Nov 2005 12:16:17 -0500
> >Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Other Facts About NU Football
> >
> >
> >Come on.  If you're going to post something like that about Ara, you 
> >have to post the rest of the story too.  These were nine 
> game seasons, 
> >seven of which were in the BT.  The 1958 season came after 
> an 0-9 1957 
> >season.  The 5-4 1958 season included wins over Washington State and 
> >Stanford.  The only blow-out loss was late in the season to Purdue.  
> >The other three losses were by a touchdown or less. The 6-3 
> 1959 season 
> >included wins over Wilkinson's Oklahoma (Big Eight conference champ 
> >that year) and ND and three loses to close out the season.  The only 
> >blow out was the last game at Illinois.  The 1960 season 
> again included 
> >wins over Oklahoma and ND, but then an early season blowout loss to 
> >Iowa.  The rest of the losses were close.
> >
> >These were really glory years for NU football and also years 
> before the 
> >scholarship limits, so NU was really at a disadvantage to the bigger 
> >schools who could afford to have huge teams and stockpile 
> talent.  The 
> >pattern at least in '58 and '59 was to start out strong and 
> then fade 
> >as the team got worn down and injuries affected key players 
> in the BT season.
> >
> >RW has had a good run and it is great to see NU football improving, 
> >particularly in the BT, but part of that success was also 
> built on wins 
> >over cupcakes like Ohio.  Our record against ranked non-conference 
> >teams isn't nearly so impressive.
> >
> >Jeff
> >
> >
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: warneradams [mailto:warneradams at comcast.net]
> >Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 8:45 AM
> >To: rstetson at capps-assoc.com; jeffb at hilgraeve.com; 'NU Sports List'
> >Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Other Facts About NU Football
> >
> >Ara did get post three consecutive winning seasons from 1958-60 
> >although in two out of three years his teams had losing 
> records in the 
> >Big Ten.  Randy has now posted three straight Big Ten 
> seasons of .500 
> >or better and 4 in 8 years.  Ara managed that feat three 
> times in his 
> >nine seasons.  Pappy Waldorf was the last coach to post 
> three or more 
> >consecutive seasons of .500 or better in the Big Ten (6 
> straight from 
> >1936-41).
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com 
> [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] 
> >On Behalf Of Roy Lamberton
> >Sent: Monday, November 07, 2005 7:37 AM
> >To: jeffb at hilgraeve.com; NU Sports List
> >Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Other Facts About NU Football
> >
> >The big thing [for me anyway] is that nobody coaching NU has had 3 
> >consecutive 6 win seasons since Hanley.
> >
> >Others have had better records during their time here, but they've 
> >never put together 3 consecutive .500 seasons.
> >
> >Back in the old days, it was harder to get enough top 
> players to come 
> >to NU because a kid could go play at the local U on 
> scholarship and sit 
> >on the bench. Now with 85 schollies, more top kids consider 
> NU, but you 
> >have to give credit to RW & Co. for picking kids that will 
> play in his 
> >system.
> >
> >RW does have to have another big winning season or two to 
> get over .500 
> >for his time here, but the longer you coach somewhere, the 
> harder it is 
> >to pull a long term record over .500 if you've had a couple of bad 
> >years at the start but Walker is on track to start to improve that 
> >career record at NU, and maybe wind up with one of the 
> longer tenures 
> >at NU and in the Big 10.
> >
> >rsl
> >
> >++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
> >Roy S. Lamberton - Senior Associate
> >Computer Applications & Support Associates and Publisher of Purple 
> >Reign, The Scout.com Northwestern University Site
> >(http://www.purplewildcats.com)
> >AIM Handle: CoachRoy74
> >======== Go Cats -  Beat 'em All =========== Every time I think I've 
> >got this Computer Biz handled
> >            -- There's another upgrade. 
> >============================================
> >
> >> -----Original Message-----
> >> From: nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com 
> >> [mailto:nwu-sports-bounces at tssi.com] On Behalf Of Jeff Beamsley
> >> Sent: Sunday, November 06, 2005 9:21 PM
> >> To: nwu-sports at romaine.tssi.com
> >> Subject: RE: [NU Sports] Other Facts About NU Football
> >> 
> >> 
> >>  
> >> Slow down there big fella.
> >> 
> >> No disrespect intended to Pappy, but I think that Ara P.
> >> might have a bone to pick with you.
> >> 
> >> First of all, not including this year, RW's record from 
> 2000-2004 is 
> >> 27-33 (.450).  Ara's record (plus one year of
> >> Alex) from 1960-1964 is 24-21 (.533 my gosh a winning 
> record!).  Alex
> >> turned in a 4-6 season in 1965 to make their combined six 
> year total 
> >> for the sixties 28-27 (.509 also winning!). Even if NU 
> goes 3-0 the 
> >> remainder of the season, that makes RW's record for this 
> decade so far 
> >> 36-36 (.500).
> >> Close but no cigar.
> >> 
> >> Jeff
> >>
> >
> >
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> >
> >
> 
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