The Glory Days

[Pork Twain]

I grew up during this time and that is why the last three coaches have been so difficult for me to stomach.  We last dominated college football the decade before I was born, so I have no real connection there.  Basketball on the other hand...  I entered kindergarten in 1980 and graduated in 1994.  I experienced nothing but amazing Razorbacks basketball for all of my formative years, and the product I see us willing to accept and even defend on our courts today is pathetic.  We have shown in the past that we can dominate this sport and compete year in and year out.  There is no excuse to continue to accept mediocrity.

For those that prefer to have their sadness in a spreadsheet.
Red = less than 20 wins
Green = more than 20 wins

Sadly since Nolan fired himself we have almost seen an inverse in these colors.

[hogsanity]

I grew up during this time and that is why the last three coaches have been so difficult for me to stomach.  We last dominated college football the decade before I was born, so I have no real connection there.  Basketball on the other hand...  I entered kindergarten in 1980 and graduated in 1994.  I experienced nothing but amazing Razorbacks basketball for all of my formative years, and the product I see us willing to accept and even defend on our courts today is pathetic.  We have shown in the past that we can dominate this sport and compete year in and year out.  There is no excuse to continue to accept mediocrity.

My contention is that, when JFB was allowed to go hire coaches on his own all the major sports did quite well. For basketball, he went and hire Eddie Sutton from Creighton. Creighton at the time was a independent, and except for his last season there, they had been just a bit better than .500. JFB had a knack for looking at a coaches lineage, much like a buyer of thoroughbred horses, and he could see where Eddie Sutton learned the game. Same for Nolan, yes, Nolan had had success at the juco level, and at Tulsa, but he was not a "blue blood " he did, however, come from some very good coaching trees.

Once committees and former players and politics got involved, the coaching hires have not worked out so well.

[bkjbearcat]

Right now I'd take an assistant who has a lot of upside. I remember when he was hired at Kansas Roy Williams was a no name, in fact he was KU's fourth option. But he turned out good. Who says we wouldn't have that luck?

[Biggus Piggus]

I grew up during this time and that is why the last three coaches have been so difficult for me to stomach.  We last dominated college football the decade before I was born, so I have no real connection there.  Basketball on the other hand...  I entered kindergarten in 1980 and graduated in 1994.  I experienced nothing but amazing Razorbacks basketball for all of my formative years, and the product I see us willing to accept and even defend on our courts today is pathetic.  We have shown in the past that we can dominate this sport and compete year in and year out.  There is no excuse to continue to accept mediocrity.

Can you do this chart with winning percentage instead of wins?

The numbers of games per season have moved up over the years.

[lynbug]

My contention is that, when JFB was allowed to go hire coaches on his own all the major sports did quite well. For basketball, he went and hire Eddie Sutton from Creighton. Creighton at the time was a independent, and except for his last season there, they had been just a bit better than .500. JFB had a knack for looking at a coaches lineage, much like a buyer of thoroughbred horses, and he could see where Eddie Sutton learned the game. Same for Nolan, yes, Nolan had had success at the juco level, and at Tulsa, but he was not a "blue blood " he did, however, come from some very good coaching trees.

Once committees and former players and politics got involved, the coaching hires have not worked out so well.

I don't pretend to know the reason for what has transpired the last 25 years but......could someone please tell me another D1 college where something similar happened.  I really believe we are in a class all our own

[Pork Twain]

Can you do this chart with winning percentage instead of wins?

The numbers of games per season have moved up over the years.

Some people...  I will do it after I get back from lunch.

Thank god for formulas in excel

[The Boar War]

Some people...  I will do it after I get back from lunch.

Thank god for formulas in excel

Thanks.  IMO this is much more telling.  The first timeline made it look like some of Mike's successes were equal with Suttons.  The second shows that some of Anderson's best are the equivalent of Sutton's down years (after he got his recruits).

[sickboy]

I grew up during this time and that is why the last three coaches have been so difficult for me to stomach.  We last dominated college football the decade before I was born, so I have no real connection there.  Basketball on the other hand...  I entered kindergarten in 1980 and graduated in 1994.  I experienced nothing but amazing Razorbacks basketball for all of my formative years, and the product I see us willing to accept and even defend on our courts today is pathetic.  We have shown in the past that we can dominate this sport and compete year in and year out.  There is no excuse to continue to accept mediocrity.

Wow. Cool graphic. I had no idea how rare the 27 win season we had with Portis was. In my mind, those seasons were every other year back in the day, but in reality there have only been 5 seasons since 1975 that were better than that season.

[Pork Twain]

Wow. Cool graphic. I had no idea how rare the 27 win season we had with Portis was. In my mind, those seasons were every other year back in the day, but in reality there have only been 5 seasons since 1975 that were better than that season.

You know what else was rare during that time period?  Winning less than 20 games.  That happened only 6 times from 1975-2001 but has happened 9 times since 2002, 3 times since 2012.

[Pork Twain]

Conference Winning %