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For Each Coaching Transition You Were Around for (or Know about) - Name At Least One Positive Thing For Each Coach

Born the year prior to BD hire... so no real thoughts there other than breast milk rules! :Biggrin:

Osborne - even to 11 year old me, the man seemed brilliant ...... fast forward 25 years - when Dr Tom announced his retirement, Hall of Fame coaches simply don't grown on trees, feared it would be awhile for NU to get back to the top (if EVER)

Solich - for an internal hire, seemed like the best fit to keep things intact. Solid coach, organized, too loyal (IMO) unlike his predecessor, the staff lingered & limited vision & growth (Powers, Kiffin, Walden).

Callahan - good offensive line coach, salesman.... horribly divisive time for DONU & fanbase

Pelini - passionate, honest, players advocate

Riley - nice

Frost - tireless, competitor, great communicator, Leader ... he's going to bring NU back to glory - I'm sure of it :thumbsup:
 
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Waaaaay different time and era … back then a #1 assistant on a "P5" team was better qualified than a HC at a lower level team. Nowadays being the HC at UCF or Boise State or ND State is more valuable than being an OC or DC at Alabama or Nebraska.

It seems to me that great HCs make their way to the top one way or another. Plenty of recent coaches are having success at P5 programs without "mid-major" coaching experience.

Kirby Smart: DC at Bama ->HC at UGA
Dabo Swinney: WRs at Clemson -> HC at Clemson
Lincoln Riley: OC at OU -> HC at OU

The jury is still out, but Oregon and Ohio State just promoted coordinators to head coaching jobs. That's 5 of the best jobs in college football given to coordinators. Not much different of a time and era at all really.
 
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It seems to me that great HCs make their way to the top one way or another. Plenty of recent coaches are having success at P5 programs without "mid-major" coaching experience.

Kirby Smart: DC at Bama ->HC at UGA
Dabo Swinney: WRs at Clemson -> HC at Clemson
Lincoln Riley: OC at OU -> HC at OU

The jury is still out, but Oregon and Ohio State just promoted coordinators to head coaching jobs. That's 5 of the best jobs in college football given to coordinators. Not much different of a time and era at all really.
4 of the 5 you highlighted are all internal promotions. So the promoting institution knows exactly what they're getting, much like NU with FS. Additionally everyone of the guys you have cited have a long rich background with experience at multiple institutions some even having NFL experience.

Relatively speaking everyone of those guys are or were younger than FS when FS got his shot. Yes, FS had years of assistant coaching experience but all at Nebraska.
 



4 of the 5 you highlighted are all internal promotions. So the promoting institution knows exactly what they're getting, much like NU with FS. Additionally everyone of the guys you have cited have a long rich background with experience at multiple institutions some even having NFL experience.

Relatively speaking everyone of those guys are or were younger than FS when FS got his shot. Yes, FS had years of assistant coaching experience but all at Nebraska.

But you implied that FS was a mistake because he didn't have head coaching experience elsewhere? You've actually managed to move the goalposts in a complete circle.

First, it was "not even Scott Frost should get the Nebraska job without head coaching experience elsewhere." When I pointed out Tom Osborne was hired without head coaching experience, that was a "different era."

Then when I pointed out that lots of current coaches made the leap from coordinator directly to HC, you moved them back to where we started - Tom Osborne. It wasn't a different era. It just turns out that hiring internally is very common.

Average and even some pretty good coaches can fake it to the top (see Chizik, Gene). The great ones rise to the top regardless of where they start. For every Tom Osborne, there are 5 Mark Hellfrichs. For every Urban Meyer, there are 5 Dan Hawkins.

NU fans should know better than anyone that it's shooting craps. We tried the internal hire, the guy with NFL experience, the successful P5 DC, the guy with a "long, rich background," and now they guy with success as a HC at a lower level. I suspect he's the guy, and he still would've been the guy if we tapped him straight from Oregon when he was the OC.
 
FS main shortcoming, IMO, was his inability to close on recruits. We finished second choice on so many of our recruiting targets in his time. Which nets you NOTHING.

Another shortcoming was his reluctance to pour it on when he had the chance, leaving starters in too long, and not getting young guys PT.

BC: he was not a college coach. He thought he could go free agency route to get whatever he needed.

Without a doubt, Steve Pedersen is the antiChrist of Nebraska football. He tried to remake NUFB in his image, and he absolutely destroyed it. He had to have the blessing of regents, president, and Chancellor, so they are all culpable. IMO, he should have gotten FS the tools and skills (salesmanship) he needed to be more successful. Not sure what "Liking" a co-worker or subordinate has to do with employment. It's a results driven profession.
 
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I thought this thread was supposed to be about the positive's. Why in heck is it getting run off the tracks???

:Frown:
 



Potsy Clark - managed to get kicked upstairs to AD after typical losing season (We lost for decades around then -- that was the standard)
Bernie Masterson - Another loser indistinguishable from a few others at that time. As for something good, he showed up every game.
Bill Glassford - At least got us to a couple of bowls; later great life insurance salesman in AZ
Bump Eliot - Frankly can't remember anything about him. I think that is probably good.
Bill Jennings - Bad rep with the players
Bob Devaney - All good, including way he used the loose recruiting rules and totally changed the attitude of fans and players. This was the beginning of what most fans now think is normal. It wasn't for years before him.
Tom Osborne - Total dedication to the program and keen offensive mind. Great recruiter of assistants. Once in a lifetime coach
Frank Solich - Committed to continuing the glory. Tried hard
Bill Callahan - Good recruiter and good offensive line coach
Bo Pelini - Total competitor and passionate person
Mike Reilly - Really wanted to succeed. Well liked nationally
Scott FRost - He's writing his story now.
 
Callahan was tasked with improving talent that was in severe decline while changing the types of players (qb wr) and installing an entirely new scheme and playbook. It obviously didn’t work which highlighted the many other facets of what it takes to be a winning program.
He wasn’t successful in most areas but succeeded in reminding me how special we were.
 

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