[NU Sports] Re: FORTY DAYS OF FOOTBALL: Day Five ...

[SjT (Stephen J. Truog)]

Midway through the first list already and we get to the first of our coaches who won league titles this decade (sorry Ron Turner), but first, the recap ...

> DAYS 1-10: The top coaches of the decade

10) Glen Mason, Minnesota
09) Bret Bielema, Wisconsin
08) Pat Fitzgerald, Northwestern
07) Barry Alvarez, Wisconsin

> DAYS 11-20: The top games of the decade
> DAYS 21-30: The top players of the decade
> DAYS 31-40: The top teams of the decade

TOP COACHES
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6) Randy Walker, Northwestern

(34-37 overall, 23-25 in league play, 1 Big Ten title)

Aside from the aforementioned Turner, the Big Ten coaches who won conference championships this decade were pillars of longevity at their schools and were on campus for at least half the decade. Randy Walker likely would have been at NU the entire decade had tragedy not struck.

The untimely departure didn’t just mean the loss of a great individual, but also meant that fans were robbed of seeing the full potential of what he was building. Randy Walker appeared to be on his way to doing what Gary Barnett could not do – build a consistent winner in Evanston. He was the first NU coach to beat all 10 other Big Ten schools and build a solid foundation of players who competed in league play for more than one recruiting cycle.

Everybody remembers Barnett’s “Purple to Pasadena” miracle of 1995 and the even more unlikely repeat in 1996, but few people remember how quickly things fell off after that. Whether it was flirting with other jobs, tough injuries or the pressure, by 1998 when Barnett bolted for Boulder, the Cats were back to cellar dwellar status with an 0-8 league mark. The miracle worker had left town and most Big Ten fans figured the renaissance for NU was over.

But in strode Walker, and the Cats were back on top of the league after only one year. The old-fashioned Ohio running back coach embraced the spread offense as few others had at that time and lit up scoreboards during the incredible 2000 run. While that in itself was a feat, what really sets Walker apart was how he built the program after setbacks in 2001 and 2002. Walker’s final three years featured six or more wins, .500 or better league records and two bowl bids. Sadly, Coach Walker didn’t live to see the full result of his program-building work, but with Northwestern on the verge of a third-straight bowl appearance under his successor, Coach would be proud.

Coming Saturday: The top five begins with a heavy hitter who has the second highest winning percentage of league coaches in the 2000s.

GO CATS!!!
-SjT

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STEPHEN J. TRUOG
sjtruog at yahoo.com
GO CATS!!! GEAUX SAINTS!!!
Super Bowl XLIV Champions!
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