What has been the tenure of SEC Football coaches during the expansion era?

[jbcarol]

Brett McMurphy ‏@McMurphyESPN 8h8 hours ago

Jim McElwain joins Steve Spurrier (1990) as only Florida coaches to win  SEC Coach of Year 1st year w/Gators

[jbcarol]

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams 20h20 hours ago

Since Nick Saban returned to the SEC in 2007, 21 new coaches have been hired. Saban has contributed. Read more at http://gridironnow.com

The first time I heard the term "coach-killer," it referred to Jeff George.

George was a talented quarterback who couldn't win in the NFL. So if you coached him, you were doomed to failure...

I have identified another coach-killer: Nick Saban.

But that is a compliment.

Saban arrived in the SEC in 2000 and revived LSU's stumbling program. The Tigers had eight losing records in 11 seasons – including six in a row – before Saban turned TigerTown into a mini-version of TitleTown. He won the SEC in his second season at LSU, the national championship in his fourth season.

When Saban departed for the Miami Dolphins in 2005, every SEC coach should have prayed he had success in the NFL. Saban didn't. So he left Miami for Alabama and inflicted misery on many coaches – some who were very good.

Since Saban returned to the SEC, 21 coaches have been hired — three this year. The lone school that hasn't made a change: LSU. And the Tigers recently came oh-so-close to canning the grass eater himself, Les Miles.

Since 2007, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Arkansas have had three coaching changes; Auburn, Florida, Kentucky and Ole Miss have had two each.

Saban isn't responsible for all of the SEC firings since 2007, but he's played a huge role in many of them.

Saban raised the SEC bar by winning national championships and recruiting like a bat out of Hades...

[jbcarol]

Georgia

Ray Goff was a 33-year-old running backs coach when he was chosen to replace the Vince Dooley starting with the 1989 season.  In seven seasons, Goff had only one team win as many as five SEC games. The 1992 team was 6-2, finished in the top ten, and played in the Citrus Bowl. Ray Goff was 24-28-1 in SEC games.

Jim Donnan had led Marshall to five consecutive 11-plus win seasons when he was tapped to replace Goff and coach UGa for five seasons beginning in 1996. Donnan led UGa to four straight bowl wins but lost three straight against GaTech and struggled against UT and UF. Donnan is currently alleged to have been involved in a Ponzi scheme that has cost many coaches and others millions of dollars.  Donnan was 25-15 in SEC games at UGa. His last season, 2000, was his last as a head coach. He was the 1997 SEC Coach of the Year. He has apparently survived his involvement in leading other football coaches into an unsuccessful pyramid marketing scheme as he continues to do analysis on football studio shows.  He was on the very first B1G Network postgame show: Appalachian State over Michigan.

Mark Richt had been the Offensive Coordinator and QB Coach at Florida State for 11 seasons when he was hired to replace Donnan for the 2001 season. In 2002 Richt's Bulldogs went 11-1 in the regular season and defeated Arkansas to win the SEC championship. Georgia's lone loss was to Florida, which kept the Bulldogs out of contention for a BCS national championship appearance. The Bulldogs defeated Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. Richt was named the SEC Coach of the Year.

In 2005 Richt became only the seventh coach in SEC history to win two SEC titles in his first five years at the helm of a program. Georgia defeated LSU to win the SEC title and made an appearance in the Sugar Bowl, losing to West Virginia. Richt was named the SEC Coach of the Year for the second time.

Georgia finished first or tied for first in the SEC-E, six times. Richt's SEC record was 83-37 or 5.5 wins per year.  Not following up with SEC Championships in spite of having the most proximate fertile recruiting ground in the nation were an annual problem. He will leave as one of the stand up coaches in SEC history.  Georgia's message track was that Richt would not take another job. He took the head coaching job at his alma mater Miami before the week was out.

Former Jeremy Foley assistant and current UGa AD Greg McGarity engineered Richt's ouster.  His plan was to replace Richt with Bama's DC Kirby Smart. McGarity had also been put out by coaching staff requests to install the SEC's last indoor practice facility.
Pot stirrer Jeremy Pruitt left to take the DC position at Bama. The events spurred conversation about what is good enough to sustain a tenure as an SEC coach, what is so special about Greg McGarity, and why do Georgia boosters allow a Florida hand puppet to pull their strings.

Georgia announced that assistant head coach Bryan McClendon will serve as interim head coach in the bowl game. McClendon is the team's wide receivers coach. He will become the first black head coach for a Georgia football game.

On December 6, 2015, Smart was announced as the 26th head football coach for the Bulldogs. Smart signed a memorandum of understanding detailing payment of $3.75 million per year for 6 years. Smart was a four-year letterman at defensive back for Georgia and a first-team All-SEC selection as a senior. He finished his career with 13 interceptions, which ranks fourth all-time at Georgia, and led the Bulldogs with six interceptions in 1997 and five in 1998. He would have been a teammate of Brandon Burlsworth for the Colts.

Smart coached under Donnan, Bobby Bowden, and Richt before finally hitching his wagon to Nick Saban.  He was an assistant for Saban for 11 non-consecutive years including one season with the Dolphins. He won the Broyles Award as the nation's top assistant coach in 2009. In 2013 Bama made him the highest paid assistant at $1.28 million per year.

Smart is doing double duty coaching Bama's defense in the College Football Playoff while recruiting and assembling a staff at UGa.  He attempted to lure Dan Enos from Arkansas who was working under an SEC non-compete clause. He came back hard to hire the team of Pitt OC Jim Chaney and Hog OL coach Sam Pittman. He is still working on finding a Defensive Coordinator.

[jbcarol]

Mark Richt ‏@MarkRicht Dec 11

How beautiful is this? Miami in December!!!

[LSUFan]

LSU

In '91, Gerry DiNardo had inherited a Vandy program with back-to-back 1-10 records and took them to an average of 5-6 over the next four seasons (though no bowl game). LSU had had six consecutive losing seasons when DiNardo became coach.

After leading LSU to two Independence and one Peach Bowl bid in his first three seasons, Dinardo's program began to decline. After an 0-7 SEC start, Mark Emmert fired Dinardo. Interim Hal Hunter was coach when LSU defeated  Arkansas 35-10 to end LSU's decade of the 90s.

DiNardo's SEC record was 18-20-1.

D'Nerdo was hired because of one reason, he had a little unknown QB named..............................................Brett Favre.

[jbcarol]

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams 48m48 minutes ago

Did you know 5 SEC football coaches who haven't even won a division title make at least $4 million? See my column: http://gridironnow.com

Tennessee made Butch Jones the newest member of the SEC's $4 million coaches' club. Jones got a raise of $500,000 from the $3.6 million he made this season.

Seven other SEC coaches make at least $4 million.

Jones becomes the fifth coach in the SEC to make $4 million without winning a division title. He joins Kevin Sumlin, Bret Bielema, Dan Mullen and Hugh Freeze – all in the West Division.

The only $4 million SEC coaches to deliver at least a division title are Nick Saban, Les Miles and Gus Malzahn. Saban has four national titles. Miles has one. Malzahn has played for one.

Jones also is the highest-paid coach in the East, for now.

[jbcarol]

Jimmy Hyams ‏@JimmyHyams Dec 16

Steve Spurrier, Mark Richt, Gary Pinkel had 564 combined college wins. Their replacements (Muschamp, Smart, Odom) have only 28.

[jbcarol]

Jason Butt ‏@JasonHButt Dec 16

Bryan McClendon's short era of Georgia's head coach begins: http://www.macon.com/sports/college/sec/university-of-georgia/bulldogs-beat/article50190180.html ...

ATHENS -- Bryan McClendon hasn't had too much time to get used to his new job title.

It's all happened at a fast pace, from being primarily a receivers coach to assuming control over the entire Georgia football program. With Mark Richt taking the Miami head coaching job and deciding not to stick with Georgia for its bowl game, McClendon was elevated to the position of interim head coach for this one game.

It's been quite the step for McClendon, who is in his ninth season as an assistant coach with the Bulldogs. As for the job, he has had to figure out how to adjust the responsibilities accordingly.

"I've learned the kids are the easy part," McClendon said. "Everything else, dealing with the adults, is what eats up a lot of your time, to be honest with you. What I have learned is how much goes through the head coach and how much input you actually do have on every decision that's made. That's why it's super important to have good people around you. It really is."

In the midst of preparing for the TaxSlayer Bowl against Penn State, McClendon's future at Georgia remains uncertain. Of late, his status has ­trended against him being brought back next season under new head coach Kirby Smart.

McClendon also serves as Georgia's recruiting coordinator, which was a responsibility new offensive line coach Sam Pittman held at Arkansas.

[jbcarol]

Marc Weiszer ‏@marcweiszer Dec 18

AM RT Departed Georgia coaches won't get bowl bonuses http://bit.ly/1NWbIFR   #UGA



New UGA coaches Jim Chaney and Sam Pittman discuss third down strategy (or something else).

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 13h13 hours ago

Athens to Valdosta: The story of Kirby Smart's first job http://trib.al/rsiiffB

ATHENS – It was the first job interview of Kirby Smart's coaching career, and it was going great. This was the part where he went to the board and drew up a play, diagramming how his defense would set up and react, arrows this way and that.

Then someone pointed out: Uh, Kirby, you drew 12 men on your defense.

"What is this, Canadian ball?" said Will Muschamp, the former Georgia teammate who had brought Smart down for this interview at Valdosta State. "We're gonna be pretty good if we can put 12 out there."

[jbcarol]

College football had some pretty unbelievable coaching surprises in 2015, especially in the SEC. Although there was lots of movement around the country, the new coaches in the SEC all came from inside the conference.

Some hires were smarter than others, according to USA Today's Dan Wolken...

Mark Richt's move from UGA to Miami received an A. It's not an A-plus like the Justin Fuente hire at Virginia Tech...

Missouri's hire of Barry Odom received a B, and it's about as safe as the school can get after a season that included a player strike to support anti-racism protests on campus, the starting quarterback getting suspended twice and Coach Gary Pinkel stepping down to focus on his health...

UGA hired Kirby Smart after giving Richt the boot. The Bulldogs only managed to put up three points against Alabama's defense this season, and Smart was the man running it. He's also worked under one of the best in college football as Nick Saban's assistant coach, but that doesn't guarantee he'll be successful. The hire happened quickly after Richt was fired, so Wolken gave it a B-minus.

South Carolina hiring Will Muschamp received a C from Wolken. After winning only three games this season and losing Steve Spurrier mid-season, the Gamecocks were desperate for a new head coach. Athletic director Ray Tanner had a head-start, but two potential coaches — Houston's Tom Herman and Smart — fell through.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 3h3 hours ago

Gus Malzahn is looking to avoid his 1st losing season in 23 years: http://ow.ly/WeGsL 

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports  4h4 hours ago
Former Alabama head coach Dennis Franchione retires: http://ow.ly/WfbzK 

Dennis Franchione's 40-year coaching career is coming to an end.

Franchione, who was Alabama's head coach during the 2001 and 2002 seasons before leaving to take the same position at Texas A&M, announced his retirement on Tuesday.

Franchione had spent the last five seasons at Texas State, leading the Bobcats' transition from FCS into FBS.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low: Nick Saban, who has already won three national championships at Alabama and is seeking another in this year's College Football Playoff, has become accustomed to chatter that he may seek a new coaching challenge, but reiterated this week that he doesn't see himself coaching anywhere else before retiring.

"No, I really don't. I don't see it ever happening, and I know every year somebody has me going somewhere else," Saban told ESPN.com in a wide-ranging interview. "I think a lot of it isn't just about the coaching part. What people don't understand is they forget you're a person. They forget you have a wife and two kids and a grandbaby, and they all live in Birmingham.

"They all work here. My wife goes to Birmingham five times a week. My mom lives in Birmingham now after moving from Myrtle Beach. It's not just the job. A lot of people don't get that. My life is here."

[jbcarol]

Harvey Updyke Retweeted
ESPN ‏@espn 12h12 hours ago

Not many CFB dynasties make it to Year 9.

Nick Saban's has, but for how much longer?: http://es.pn/1Oj6QX1 

Dynasties do not come with expiration dates. The end is always apparent in retrospect, once the college football historians perform their autopsies. But in the moment, when the team appears as if it will be good forever, it can be difficult to detect the malady that will bring its life on top to a close.

So how will we know when Alabama has peaked? The No. 2 Crimson Tide, who will play No. 3 Michigan State in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on New Year's Eve, are the only team to repeat in the four-team College Football Playoff. That is only the newest bauble on Nick Saban's charm bracelet.

Alabama has gone 96-12 over the past eight seasons. That's an average of 12 wins and 1.5 losses. In that time, the Crimson Tide have won three national championships. Alabama is only the second team to reach No. 1 in the AP poll in seven consecutive years (Miami did it from 1986 to 1992). Alas, Alabama has risen only to No. 2 in 2015. It will take another national title to keep that streak alive.

That is hardly a sign of demise. The Tide just became the first repeat champion in the SEC in 17 years. In an era when the elite college football programs have more resources than they have ever had, Saban has kept the Crimson Tide on a level above their competitors. A hot topic in the SEC concerns whether Saban's success is getting his competitors fired.

[jbcarol]

Brandon Marcello ‏@bmarcello Dec 24

Tommy Tuberville bowl update.

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 2h2 hours ago

#Duke wins a bowl game for the first time in 54 years. David Cutcliffe was 7 the last time this school won one. Wow.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 3m3 minutes ago Dallas, TX

Something you don't see everyday -- an Alabama assistant coach talking to the media.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 1h1 hour ago

Why does everyone keep asking Lane Kiffin about his next head coaching job? http://ow.ly/Wnwra 



Scarblog:

Listen up. Lane Kiffin has something important to say.

"I have a great job."

Hear that?

It's not easy to hear because Kiffin is surprisingly soft-spoken for someone whose mouth has gotten him in so much trouble in the past...

First, they were a reminder that he actually has a job, a rather attractive one that any number of would-be gurus would crawl to Tuscaloosa to have. Yet some reporters, given a rare chance to speak to him, seemed more interested in Kiffin's next position than his current post.

Next, that simple sentence raised a point that no one wants to consider in this what's-next world. Maybe this is where Kiffin is supposed to be. Maybe this is who he's supposed to be.

Why does everyone keep asking him about his next head coaching job?

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 26m26 minutes ago

From Nick Saban to Les Miles: Ranking the SEC coaches by job security in 2016 http://trib.al/Q08cwr0

5. Bret Bielema, Arkansas

NCAA career: 85-44
At Arkansas: 17-20 (3 seasons)

Bielema's teams have improved greatly during the season in 2014 and 2015, which is a testament to his ability. ...

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 5h5 hours ago

Fond farewell: Greatest UGA wins of the Mark Richt era http://sec.news/1QXXjvx

2001: Georgia 26, Tennessee 24. The "hobnail boot" win over Tennessee in Knoxville with the late "P-44-Haynes" touchdown pass from redshirt freshman QB David Greene to Verron Haynes was Richt's first "signature" victory... It always draws a cheer when shown on the big screen at Sanford Stadium.

2004: Georgia 45, LSU 16. A big win over Nick Saban and the Tigers, as Greenie threw five TD passes...

2005 SEC Championship Game: Georgia 34, LSU 14. This upset victory over Les Miles' No. 3-ranked Tigers featured D.J. Shockley quickly throwing two touchdown passes to Sean Bailey

2006: Georgia 37, Auburn 15. This upset win over No. 5-ranked Auburn shocked the college football world, especially since the Dawgs had lost four of their previous five games and Auburn was a two touchdown favorite. Tigers QB Brandon Cox spent much of the game flat on his back...

2007: Georgia 42, Florida 30. The "celebration" win over Florida in Jacksonville, easily the best game Knowshon Moreno played in a Georgia uniform, as he racked up 188 yards and three touchdowns. Plus, there was that magnificent 84-yard Massaquoi catch-and-run for a TD. Georgia paid a price with SEC officials for letting the Dawgs dance in the end zone, but I haven't met many fans who don't think it was worth it.

2013: Georgia 44, LSU 41. One of the most thrilling days ever Between the Hedges, with "GameDay" on hand in Myers Quad and painted-up UGA basketball coach Mark Fox joining the Spike Squad in the stands. That day's all-red Sanford Stadium crowd was, without a doubt, the loudest I've ever experienced from opening kickoff to final whistle. In a quarterback duel of former UGA roomies, Murray topped the Tigers' Zach Mettenberger by throwing four touchdown passes, including a 25-yarder to Justin Scott-Wesley with 1:47 remaining, as the No. 9 Bulldogs rallied to beat No. 6 LSU. An emotional Richt was in tears after the game...

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 15h15 hours ago Dallas, TX

Love this look-back at his time covering the 1981 Clemson national championship team by my colleague @Ivan_Maisel. http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14461984/ivan-maisel-learning-job-clemson-1981-title-team ...

Danny Ford, the young third-year coach of the Tigers, was 33 that season. I used to say that I knew Ford when he was dark-haired and skinny. Now I say I knew him when I was dark-haired and skinny. He turned 68 11 days ago, which means that championship was half his lifetime ago.

Just about every week that season I would drive the two hours up I-85 to Clemson for Ford's media luncheon. It must have been held on the second floor of a building, because I can remember hanging around on the landing afterward with Ford. He would have a postprandial wad of chewing tobacco in his cheek, and as he talked he would spit over the balcony.

[jbcarol]

https://twitter.com/JustinKing/status/682805190697730048

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 8h8 hours ago

Nick Saban, still perfect (9-0) against his former assistants.

All 9 wins have come by double digits.

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 13h13 hours ago

Gary Pinkel's slouch game is strong on the SEC Network.





SEC Network Verified account
‏@SECNetwork

"Saban is coaching at a level higher than anybody's ever done with 85 scholarships. He's in legendary status." - GP

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 10h10 hours ago

Strong finish for #OleMiss & Hugh Freeze to get to 10 wins. Just the Rebels' 2nd 10-win season in 44 years (Fifty!). 5 years ago they were just 2-10.

[jbcarol]

 Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 13m13 minutes ago Farragut, TN

Most improved over last 5 years? Ole Miss went from 2 to 10 wins, Ohio State from 6-12, Iowa from 7-12, UNC from 7-11, Tennessee from 5 to 9

[jbcarol]

Paul Finebaum ‏@finebaum Jan 2

Congratulations to Mark Richt on a 10-3 record - another successful season at Georgia. Oh, never mind.

[jbcarol]

James Franklin comment:

Chase Goodbread ‏@ChaseGoodbread Jan 2

How do you go from Vanderbilt to Penn St and take a step backward offensively? The answer's not competition, resources, talent or recruiting

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 8h8 hours ago

Record: 99-18
SEC Titles: 4
National Titles: 3

Nine years ago today, Nick Saban became Alabama's 27th head coach.

[jbcarol]

AL.com sports ‏@aldotcomSports 14h14 hours ago

Surely some NFL team out there still thinks it's going to be the one to take Nick Saban away from #Alabama http://ow.ly/WFZL7 

Scarblog:

He's older and more settled, at least as much as an unsettled Type AAA personality can be. He's put down deeper roots in Tuscaloosa than at any other stop on his resume.

Why would he leave at age 64 to start over in the NFL? He can't outwork and out-recruit people there, and excuse me for laughing at any analyst who suggests Eli Manning would give him the franchise quarterback he lacked at Miami...

At some point, Saban is going to leave Alabama. It could be next week - anyone who says they know for sure almost certainly doesn't -

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 10h10 hours ago

ICYMI: Freeze's new contract http://es.pn/1JwKeq4

Ole Miss under Freeze
'12: 7-6
'13: 8-5
'14: 9-4
'15: 10-3

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 3h3 hours ago

SEC Network Retweeted ESPN CollegeFootball

Nick Saban: The only coach in SEC history to coach multiple #Heisman winners. 

ESPN CollegeFootball Verified account
‏@ESPNCFB

🏈facts

[jbcarol]

Florida AD praises Jim McElwain's first year

"Obviously he had a great year, and we're very proud of the job he's done," Foley told reporters. "You'd be hard-pressed to say it's not moving in the right direction. Obviously it didn't end the way anyone wants, especially coach Mac.

"But to sit here and look at a team that won 10 games and made it to Atlanta, made it to a Jan. 1 bowl game in our first year with probably some holes, I think that's a reflection on coach Mac and his staff."

To date, that staff has remained in tact thus far despite several high-profile coaching changes in the SEC and throughout college football. If all nine assistants return next season, it will be the first time since 2007 that Florida has brought back an entire coaching staff from the previous season.

"Knock on wood," Foley said. "Obviously there's some NFL jobs out there and you never know what the domino effect is there, but right now our staff is here. I think I've said before it's as good a football staff as I've ever been around in terms of not only coaching, but the type of people they are.

"I give all the credit in the world to coach Mac. He thoughtfully and deliberately found those guys and they're all good Gators. Right now they're still Gators. I'm confident that that'll continue to be."

[jbcarol]

Zach Barnett
‏@zach_barnett
I'm told four of the candidates to interview at UTSA are Tony Levine, Craig Naivar, Curtis Luper... and Hal Mumme http://footballscoop.com/the-scoop

[jbcarol]

Cecil Hurt
‏@CecilHurt
Kiffin on Phoenix: "Last time I was here I got fired. Time before that was for the (USC) NCAA hearing. So, yeah, a lot of great memories."

[jbcarol]

SEC Network ‏@SECNetwork 12h12 hours ago

Nick Saban is 1 win away from joining Bear Bryant as the only coach to win at least 5 titles in the major poll era.

[jbcarol]

SEC Sports ‏@SEC 6h6 hours ago

The SEC.

Home to 8 of the last 10 National Champions.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 6h6 hours ago Connecticut, USA

Saban has won 4 national titles at Bama with 3 different off. coordinators -- McElwain ('09 and '11), Nussmeier ('12) and Kiffin ('15).

[jbcarol]

 ESPN Stats & Info ‏@ESPNStatsInfo 9h9 hours ago

The national championship was Nick Saban's 100th win as Alabama head coach

[jbcarol]

Darren Rovell ‏@darrenrovell 13h13 hours ago

Nick Saban's 1st head coaching job was Toledo in 1990, made $95,000. He has already made 77 TIMES that this season.

[jbcarol]

Chris Low ‏@ClowESPN 8h8 hours ago Connecticut, USA

Eleven of the last 12 national champions have finished in the top 20 nationally in total defense. Only exception was Auburn in 2010.

[jbcarol]

loganlowery ‏@loganlowery 13h13 hours ago

loganlowery Retweeted ESPN SEC

ESPN predicting this will be Mullen's last year at MSU. Seems like I've been hearing that since 2009.

[jbcarol]

Tyrann Mathieu ‏@Mathieu_Era 6m6 minutes ago

I'm calling it now.. Frank Wilson will be back at LSU, as an head Coach, watch!!! Just give it some time

[jbcarol]

Bruce Feldman ‏@BruceFeldmanCFB 4h4 hours ago

Orgeron had 2 HS coaches on his offensive staff (Freeze, Frank Wilson) at OleMiss & almost hired a 3rd (Chad Morris). All 3 are now FBS HCs.

[jbcarol]

Michael Carvell ‏@Carvell_AJC 3h3 hours ago

10 Best SEC quotes of the season http://sec.news/1OzcxDs

Nick Saban throws an expletive-filled tantrum before Charleston Southern

"Y'all don't remember the Georgia Southern game, do you? I don't think we had a guy on that field that didn't play in the NFL — and about four or five of them were about first-round draft picks," Saban said. And I think that team won a national championship but I'm not sure," Saban told reporters. ... Could not stop them. Could not stop them..."

...

"It's nice to be the head coach at LSU," Miles said. "I'm proud to be associated with a great institution, my colleagues, my coaches, my players, our president and the A.D. (athletic director) are quality men. It's a joy. So, it's nice to have them come say 'You know the job you've been doing, you still can do it.'"

...

"I'll just be the former Head Ball Coach now, but I'll be around town a lot," Spurrier said. "I think that's the best thing for South Carolina football, for our university to start another building process."

...

"Life is about people, not rings. Rings collect dust," Richt said.

...

"Words can't express how grateful I am to the University of Missouri and all of the amazing people who make it up, from the administration to the students and our fans," Pinkel said. "Obviously, I'm so appreciative to all of my coaches and athletes. Leaving them makes this decision so tough, but I do so feeling good that the Mizzou Football program is in a better place than it was when we came in 15 years ago."

...

"We feel for (Grier)," McElwain said. "We feel his pain and he had chance to address the team. He spoke from the heart and one of the things he expressed when we learned about it yesterday is the opportunity to maybe affect somebody else's life, and just understand that we can learn from this."

[jbcarol]

Curators Approve Initial Terms For Gary Pinkel's New Role

COLUMBIA, Mo. – The University of Missouri System Board of Curators has approved initial new employment terms for former Football Coach Gary Pinkel.  Pinkel, who announced his retirement for health-related reasons on Nov. 13th, is staying on with Mizzou Athletics for the next three years.

Prior to the New Year, the Board approved details of the new role for Pinkel, who stepped down as Mizzou's all-time winningest coach with 118 wins in 15 seasons (2001-15).

Terms of the agreement, beginning Jan. 1, 2016 and ending Dec. 31, 2018, call for Pinkel to be paid $350,000 annually for the first two years (through Dec. 31, 2017).  The final year of the agreement will pay him $250,000 (Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, 2018).

Pinkel's role within Athletics will include assisting with fundraising opportunities and donor/fan engagement, as well as serving as a general ambassador related to public appearances and advising as requested on matters related to football and other issues.  Additional duties will also be considered.

"I am very grateful to the Board of Curators and to President Middleton, Chancellor Foley and to Mack Rhoades for this opportunity," said Pinkel.  "I've said all along that when my coaching days were done, I would still need to be involved in a meaningful way, and this does that for me.  I'm excited to be in this role where I can still provide an impact for a place that means so much to me and my family," he said.

"We're really pleased to have Coach Pinkel continue as part of our team," said Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades.  "It was very important for us to find the right way to keep the winningest coach in Mizzou history engaged, and we're excited for the value Gary can bring to the table going forward.  Schools around the country are finding ways to keep institutional treasures like Gary Pinkel, Frank Beamer and Steve Spurrier in the fold even after they are done carrying a whistle," said Rhoades.

Pinkel's new contract will be released once fully-executed.

[jbcarol]

David Morrison ‏@DavidCMorrison 46m46 minutes ago

Pinkel is taking a 91-percent pay cut in his new job.

[jbcarol]

Fulmer on Georgia firing Richt, and the expectations awaiting Kirby Smart

Fulmer's name is invoked often when a school is debating whether to make a coaching change. Look at what happened to Tennessee after they forced Fulmer out, it's said. Do you want that to happen?

Tennessee forced out Fulmer in 2008, nearly a decade after he coached his alma mater to a national championship. Fulmer, in 16 years as head coach, also won two SEC titles and six Eastern Division titles, the last coming the year before his dismissal.

Since then Tennessee has cycled through three head coaches – four if you count interim head coach Jim Chaney (now Georgia's offensive coordinator) late in the 2012 season. The Volunteers have had just three winning seasons and won zero division titles. But the reason for Fulmer saying "we're through that" is because Butch Jones coached the Vols to a nine-win season in 2015, the program's most since Fulmer's second-to-last season.

Things may have turned for Jones this season when his team rallied from 21 points down to beat Georgia, which ended up firing Mark Richt after 15 seasons as coach. Fulmer – whose .745 winning percentage at Tennessee was nearly identical to Richt's .740 percentage at Georgia – was asked what he thought when he saw Richt's firing, and subsequent hiring at Miami.

"I'm really proud that he landed on his feet," Fulmer said. "I was disappointed that he left Georgia, but at the same time this world has changed a lot. We basically have corporatized college football, which whether you want it there or not that's where it is. The amount of dollars that are being paid to coaches, and the expectations that are out there, and the truth of it is they just get tired of you after a while."

Fulmer said he knows Kirby Smart, who he coached against for several seasons when Smart was Alabama's defensive coordinator. Fulmer called Smart after he got the Georgia job, and the pair got around to talking about the adjustment from assistant coach to head coach.

[jbcarol]

R C Slocum ‏@rcslocum 19h19 hours ago

Proud to be selected for Rube  Foster award of Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame.

Several years ago the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame established the Rube Foster Award, given to a non-African American coach, player or supporter who has contributed to Texas black sports history.

Coach Slocum and Roger Staubach have been selected to receive the Award at the 20th Anniversary of the Texas Black Sports Hall of Fame Induction Luncheon on Saturday, February 20, 2016 in Dallas, Texas.