Genghis Cane
Chicken Wing Connoisseur
- Joined
- Jan 26, 2014
- Messages
- 9,209
Hey everyone I was just watching the 30 for 30 documentary on the U for like the 10 thousandth time and it got me thinking a lot about our past coaches. How would you all grade/rank our coaches since 1980 on a scale of 1-10? If 10 is the highest and that means that they're one of the greatest coaches in the history of football then a 1 would mean they're one of the worst coaches in football history. I'm not necessarily looking for how you would grade/rank them among fellow Miami coaches of the past but all the past and current coaches you can think of in college.
There are 4 basic variables in my mind to accomplish this (obviously there are others but lets try sticking to these)
1.) How they communicate with the media....like how well they say the right things at the right times and also if they excel at selling the U brand
2). How they recruit...(Both locally and on the national stage)
3). How they develop talent
4). If they had to endure any sort of hardship as a Miami coach (were they able to pull us through it?) also think about coaches who caused the strife in the first place.
With all that being said here is my humble opinion...
Howard: Fantastic at selling the U brand, recruited like a **** monster for that 1983 class, was great at developing talent, and also pulled us out of the turbulent 1970's where it seemed like we went through a different coach every year. He put the U on the map on his own. In my book I give Howard a 10/10. Easily one of the top coaches in college history.
Jimmy: Great at making the canes the bad boys of the 80's and I loved his personality both on and off the field but I think could have handled some situations a little better with the media. (1986 Penn state game comes to mind), amazing recruiter, very good at developing talent. For the most part Jimmy inherited a lot of what Howard accomplished. Yes the team wasn't stacked but he had good players and after Howard won that 1983 National Championship people all across the country wanted to go to Miami. Jimmy was a fantastic coach but he didn't have to completely build Miami from the ground up like Howard. I give Jimmy a high 9/10.
Dennis: He had a lot of issues with the media and I think this is when a lot of people started to hate Miami around the country. With all that being said he continued to sell the U brand. Was a great recruiter and a decent talent developer. It is said like this in the 30 for 30 but I do want to reiterate that Dennis was handed the keys to a Porsche and told not to crash it. Jimmy transformed Miami into a powerhouse and Dennis did not have to do much of anything to win his first title. Of course though you have to be smart enough to make sure the talent is going in the right direction. He is also responsible for piloting the canes into there first huge NCAA mess and when he left Miami he left the program in shambles. I give Dennis a soft 7/10
Butch: Not all about Miami's bad boy image like past coaches so he handled the media pretty well. Sold the U brand not like past coaches but in his own successful way. Excellent recruiter and really good talent developer. Had to inherit the mess that Dennis left and after a while finally turned the program around and is responsible pretty much for Miami's rise of dominance from 2000-2003. I seriously wished he had stayed. I give Butch a high 9/10
Larry: Was a nice and likeable guy by the media but didn't really sell the U the way I believe he should. Not a great recruiter, some gems but also a lot of busts. Did not really develop talent that well. Was able to take Butch's talent and win one but after most of Butch's guys began to graduate it was over for him. Was responsible for starting the 2nd Miami downfall with his lack of things stated above. I give Larry a very soft 6/10 (would be lower if he didn't go to back to back titles).
Randy: Part of the U family and tradition and that's why I feel like a lot of people liked him at first. With all that being said he was not a very vocal coach and he seemed like a deer in headlights for most of his career. A good recruiter for some high schools but others he completely lacked (we are still trying to repair relationships he screwed us over with). Not a good developer of talent. Overall he helped clean up some of the program, academically we performed better and I do believe he tried his hardest to clean us up but he just was not the right man for the job. I give Randy a 4/10.
Al: A likeable and nice guy who says all the right things and does in my opinion sell the U brand pretty well. An OK recruiter...has missed out on too much local talent to be considered a great one but considering the mess he endured and how he has reeled in a few top guys I would give him an average grade. As far as talent development goes I think right now once again were around average. I also think it's to early to tell if he can develop talent. I think by 2015 (if he is not fired) we will know. Inherited a huge mess and a decade of mediocrity and so far according to last seasons 9 wins we are on the right track but I just don't know if Al is the right guy to take us to that next step. Overall I like Al's personality but I'm not sure he is the right guy for the job (I am on the fence right now) and after this year I will pick a side. I give him props for sticking with us through that huge mess but since then he has yet to prove to me he is more than a MAC level coach. I give Al a SOFT 5/10.
I'm curious to see how you guys grade/rate the coaches. Let me know!
There are 4 basic variables in my mind to accomplish this (obviously there are others but lets try sticking to these)
1.) How they communicate with the media....like how well they say the right things at the right times and also if they excel at selling the U brand
2). How they recruit...(Both locally and on the national stage)
3). How they develop talent
4). If they had to endure any sort of hardship as a Miami coach (were they able to pull us through it?) also think about coaches who caused the strife in the first place.
With all that being said here is my humble opinion...
Howard: Fantastic at selling the U brand, recruited like a **** monster for that 1983 class, was great at developing talent, and also pulled us out of the turbulent 1970's where it seemed like we went through a different coach every year. He put the U on the map on his own. In my book I give Howard a 10/10. Easily one of the top coaches in college history.
Jimmy: Great at making the canes the bad boys of the 80's and I loved his personality both on and off the field but I think could have handled some situations a little better with the media. (1986 Penn state game comes to mind), amazing recruiter, very good at developing talent. For the most part Jimmy inherited a lot of what Howard accomplished. Yes the team wasn't stacked but he had good players and after Howard won that 1983 National Championship people all across the country wanted to go to Miami. Jimmy was a fantastic coach but he didn't have to completely build Miami from the ground up like Howard. I give Jimmy a high 9/10.
Dennis: He had a lot of issues with the media and I think this is when a lot of people started to hate Miami around the country. With all that being said he continued to sell the U brand. Was a great recruiter and a decent talent developer. It is said like this in the 30 for 30 but I do want to reiterate that Dennis was handed the keys to a Porsche and told not to crash it. Jimmy transformed Miami into a powerhouse and Dennis did not have to do much of anything to win his first title. Of course though you have to be smart enough to make sure the talent is going in the right direction. He is also responsible for piloting the canes into there first huge NCAA mess and when he left Miami he left the program in shambles. I give Dennis a soft 7/10
Butch: Not all about Miami's bad boy image like past coaches so he handled the media pretty well. Sold the U brand not like past coaches but in his own successful way. Excellent recruiter and really good talent developer. Had to inherit the mess that Dennis left and after a while finally turned the program around and is responsible pretty much for Miami's rise of dominance from 2000-2003. I seriously wished he had stayed. I give Butch a high 9/10
Larry: Was a nice and likeable guy by the media but didn't really sell the U the way I believe he should. Not a great recruiter, some gems but also a lot of busts. Did not really develop talent that well. Was able to take Butch's talent and win one but after most of Butch's guys began to graduate it was over for him. Was responsible for starting the 2nd Miami downfall with his lack of things stated above. I give Larry a very soft 6/10 (would be lower if he didn't go to back to back titles).
Randy: Part of the U family and tradition and that's why I feel like a lot of people liked him at first. With all that being said he was not a very vocal coach and he seemed like a deer in headlights for most of his career. A good recruiter for some high schools but others he completely lacked (we are still trying to repair relationships he screwed us over with). Not a good developer of talent. Overall he helped clean up some of the program, academically we performed better and I do believe he tried his hardest to clean us up but he just was not the right man for the job. I give Randy a 4/10.
Al: A likeable and nice guy who says all the right things and does in my opinion sell the U brand pretty well. An OK recruiter...has missed out on too much local talent to be considered a great one but considering the mess he endured and how he has reeled in a few top guys I would give him an average grade. As far as talent development goes I think right now once again were around average. I also think it's to early to tell if he can develop talent. I think by 2015 (if he is not fired) we will know. Inherited a huge mess and a decade of mediocrity and so far according to last seasons 9 wins we are on the right track but I just don't know if Al is the right guy to take us to that next step. Overall I like Al's personality but I'm not sure he is the right guy for the job (I am on the fence right now) and after this year I will pick a side. I give him props for sticking with us through that huge mess but since then he has yet to prove to me he is more than a MAC level coach. I give Al a SOFT 5/10.
I'm curious to see how you guys grade/rate the coaches. Let me know!
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