Bye Bye Urbie

First, let's remember we've been through this before. Didn't last long.

Second, let's assume it doesn't. No one should wish him ill. The man has some health issues, and definitely some family priority issues. After all, he said last year he couldn't look his daughter in the eye and remain coach. Of course, within 48 hours, he'd rescinded his resignation, so maybe he looked at her shoes.

If he has health issues, he needs to take time to get these under control, get his family life in order, and enjoy his days. Maybe he gets back in later. But remember that Spurrier said the Florida job wasn't tolerable. It's taken its toll on Urban.

This will be a critical hire for Foley. He hired one great football coach (Urban) and one that was a dud (Zook). Many FL fans I know are thrilled about Urban's resignation and want Charlie Strong or Dan Mullen back, but Kevin Sumlin is loved by Foley. Bob Stoops will also get some interest. Miami and Florida will be in a race for the hot candidates. There are some big fish out there. Foley needs to prove he's better than our AD

I wish them well.

 

He coulda simply burned out, as Madden did in the pros. The coach of a major college football prog has more pressure on him than the U. S. President, all year. He gets no real vacation; there are prospects to scout, current players to look after, recruiting visits to make, publicity events & dinners to attend, speeches to make, etc. etc. etc. And that's for coaches who are careful to follow all the rules! "The honest, ethical big-time coach gets no rest, the not-so honest ones get even less!"

 

No appreciation for two BCS championships, eh?

 

Bob Stoops would be my pick, but I think he is to smart to leave the job he has in Ok.

In the group that I'm associated with would go for Dan Mullen but would want him to recruit players who could stay out of trouble, we don't need any more of the mess we have had for the last 4 or 5 years. Dan was big in bringing a lot of them in, but he is a good coach.
But our group has been left on the out side on the last two coaches and we could very well be this time. We don't need another Pell or Hall to get us in trouble again.

 

So much of the talk on radio down here is on, Gary Patterson, Kyle Whittingham, Chris Petersen and Kevin Sumlin but he didn't do as well without his Qb. I think I agree with Bob Trumpy, so much sports talk is just to fill air space.

They need a Ray Graves type. This place is a pressure cooker.

 

Why would Stoops want to take a step backwards and leave Oklahoma for Florida?

 

I don't think Bob would want to play an SEC schedule every year. I know when he was here with Steve, he said to many tough games every week. I also, don't think he would want the pressure cooker that is Florida. It was a good job till Spurrier took it to the top, now the people want everything. Bowden said he don't know how Spurrier stayed as long as he did(12 years). There is a group that just want to win, then there is a group that I'm in that would like to see players graduate, stay out of trouble and win 7 games or more a year.

Bob is a smart man and very likeable person, he isn't going to leave Ok., as long as they win he is ok with most of the backers, graduating players isn't a real big deal or it has been while he has been there.

 

Again Jeremy Foley hire a new head coach that wasn't on the radar, this is 3 out of 3, one worked well (as far as winning goes) and one didn't. It took him considerably less time than it had on his last two coaches that he brought in.
Will Muschamp is unknown as a head coach but well know as a defenses coordinator. We shall see, but it looks like a good hire.

 

Muschamp will be a good "buy" for "The Swamp"-----but don't expect any sort of miracle worker----he'll win---but will have to cough them up instead of other teams laying them down and makeing Florida's wins look so easy

Musgrove will be like Jimbo Fisher of FL ST---good---but no miracle worker

 

I've only seen one miracle worker as a football coach in the SEC in my book and that was the Bear, Spurrier was a near miracle worker , Paul Dietzel had a few year that he looked like one and what John Vaught did at Ole Miss. made him a near miracle worker, but there aren't many.

 

I don't know why Muschamp is a surprise. This "head coach in waiting" thing isn't working. He had a great rep. Now he has to earn it. Florida fans must be furious on one side having a GA boy as a coach

Bob....you weren't just equating Spurrier with the Bear, were you? :laugh:

 

Tom, you know as well as I, that up to now Steve was about as near to the Bear as we have had, wins and so on, but it is like saying Athens, Ga. is near UT or Knoxville.

Muschamp lived in Gainesville while in school, then he became one of those, how do I say it Bull dogs, but I think he should do well if all the extra don't kill him in that pressure cooker.

A paper down here was saying when your AD talked to him last year about your job he turned him on to Dooley. We know Steve and Fulmer were good friends but keep it out of sight of most people, now in Gainesville we have a coach he is great friends in the open with the FSU coach, the Vols coach and the Bull dog coach, now that is going to be a new act.

 

I'd have to see the numbers, but Spurrier's wins are near that of Phil. Is Phil the Bear? What about Bowden? I just think it's a stretch.

Trust me...Hades must have snow capped mountains. UT and Bama's coaches vacation together? Will and Richt (the GA coach at the moment) are buds? GASP!

BTW, for the 4th time a fL booster has told me Urban wasn't exactly leaving on his own terms. I suspected such, but had no idea there was such a cry for a change.

 

Tom, we have been over this before and will never see eye to eye on it. I guess Spurrier beat the Vols more than most any coach in the last 20 years or so. Is Phil the Bear, no he didn't cause change like the Bear or Spurrier, not just me saying it but many coaches in the SEC. I believe Spurrier is ahead of Phil in SEC wins, I could be wrong because I didn't take the time to look it up. He has about 17 and 18 years in the SEC between Fl. and SC. As you know Bowden or less you are talking about Terry wasn't a SEC coach.

I guess I came a long when coaches got along and I like that. I've seen the Bear, Butts, Sug and Graves together often, it is a game, give it all you have in the game but after the game, back to the real world. As a Christian I just can't have that hate feeling to any team, play hard then back to the job God has for us.

When you have players being locked up as often as he did, it isn't good. Hitting girl friends, taking what isn't yours, assault, DWI's, it wasn't a good picture, but he won and that made a lot of boosters happy, I wasn't one. But I do believe it was health and pressure of the job to win that caused him to step down.

 

I believe Steve edges Phil by a few pct points in SEC wins. Overall it's fairly close. I don't know about all this so-called change Spurrier invented.

I meant what I said in jest.

In that way Spurrier and Urban were similar. It's amazing that Phil (just my opinion) survived the pressure cooker the way he did. 15 years on top of one of the most storied programs in America - historically, the second most successful in America and the most successful since 1925. Spurrier said something before he went to the Skins that I thought was interesting. "At FL, when you win it's a relief and when you lose it's murder. You can't win." Maybe Muschamp can bring in a different temperment and change that.

 

Tom, as I said we will never agree on this and we can go back and find many a SEC coach who agrees with me. Here is another one;

"He's one of the coaches that's going to be considered one of the great ones of all time. I don't think there's any question about that," Auburn coach Gene Chizik said. This is by a man who coached a team that rang his bell about as bad as it has been done.

By writer Mark McCarter,
"When he arrived at Florida in 1990, the prevailing notion among defensive-oriented SEC coaches was play not to lose. It was kicking and defense.
Spurrier taught a better way. Play to win. Offense was generated. It became more fun to watch.
In 1989, the year before he arrived, teams averaged 20.7 points per game in SEC play. It was up to 25.2 per game by 1995. It's not that Spurrier invented offense. He just introduced a bolder version of it. " Tom I've heard much of the same by SEC coaches over the years. He did in the SEC something new for the time.

He also wrote;
The first is just for you. Just giving you a hard time my brother, I do enjoy what you have to say and agree many times.
"Every Tennessee fan on the planet owes Spurrier a debt of gratitude. Florida's uprising put the heat on Tennessee to step up its program and improve its facility and recruiting base. Same story elsewhere in the league.
Spurrier always seemed to recognize that football was entertainment, not religion. Just listening to Spurrier made football more fun. His little gibes at other programs were a hoot. Like "can't spell Citrus without UT," referring to Tennessee's frequent consolation-prize trips there. Or "Free Shoes U." to describe rival Florida State after a controversy there. He was refreshing in a politically correct coaching climate."

You might disagree with Mark, he is in Alabama.

 

We can throw opinions all day long. I can pull quotes by writers that talk about the greatness of Fulmer. So what? Coaches laud Fulmer's successes, character, and innovation. And so do some sportswriters. But there are sportswriters who like the Big Ten's divisional names and who think there should be minimum standards for MLB HOF. So this is no great appeal logically. Incidentally, I know some sportswriters in GA, LA, TN, and FL who wouldn't give Spurrier a cup of water if he was on fire because of his personal character.

My core disagreement with your opinion is that Spurrier is on the same plane as the Bear. The Bear went 323-85-17, with 15 shared or out right conference titles as a coach, and with 6 national titles. Spurrier has half that many conference titles (impressive) and one controversial national title. I'm not questioning Spurrier's greatness as a coach. I bristle at those who say his reputation is sullied because he flopped in the NFL. So what? Doesn't negate what he did in college one whit. I just refuse to put him on the Rushmore of coaches along with the likes of Bear, Neyland, Rockne, etc.

Just for fun, Bobby Bowden's numbers: 377–129–4, 12 conference titles, 2 national titles (one of them a BCS title).

And it's ridiculous to say Spurrier improved UT. Just ridiculous. UT was winning SEC titles during Spurrier's coaching career in college. Had Dickey and Kramer not conspired to put the UT-FLA first in the conference schedule, the UT/FLA rivalry wouldn't exist. Forever, GA was UT's first game, and as such, carried tremendous weight. But after the divisional format was esconced, and thanks to scheduling at the hands of Kramer and Dickey, UT/Fla was moved up to be the first conference game.

I appreciate your love of Spurrier. I don't hate the guy. I'm just looking at the numbers. Besides, Tennessee says "you're welcome" for giving you an East Tennesseean to put your football team on the map :tongue3: