The improbable, crazy insane, drama-laden Razorback season of 2006

[Inhogswetrust]

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If misery loves company, check out the Bama program 1997-2006.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Alabama_Crimson_Tide_head_football_coaches

Includes one HC (Price) who got in trouble for frequenting strip joints & never coached a game. I was in B'ham during that time. Lots of unhappy Bama fans wondering when they would recover. They did. We will, too.

Post script. DuBose followed the retirement of Stallings, who followed Curry, who had a fan throw a brick through a window at his home, which is proof that there are crazy fans all over. Curry followed Ray Perkins, who was hired to replace Bear Bryant. Regardless of their sparking history and unquestionable success over the past several years, Bama HC hires haven't been the unbroken string of successes that many may assume.

Bingo. I don't understand how some fans don't remember or know this unless they are only 6 years old or younger. If you get the right coach in the right place at the right time they can win anywhere. Hiring coaches is always a big gamble. Some examples are Bill Snyder, Bill McCartney, Lavell Edwards and many more. 

[bphi11ips]

Not sure that "plot" is the right term. Ben Cleveland's dad told me that when Gus was trying to Flip Ben from Florida to Arkansas he expressed concern that Gus might only be around for a year considering Nutt's shaky situation after back to back losing seasons.

Rick Cleveland said Gus told him that if Nutt were to be fired he'd been assured he would survive and a plan was in place to make him the head coach at some point in the future.

Others have told me that Jim Lindsey was terrified that if something happened to Frank John White would name his replacement. To prevent that he wanted to move Nutt into that job and make Gus the head coach sooner than later.

It's impossible for me to say how much of this plan Gus was privy to but according to Rick Cleveland he was at least aware of part of it.

This makes a lot of sense.  Thank you for the information without the spin. 

[LZH]

Apparently not. It was over his outside shoulder and was intercepted back towards the boundary. He lined up wide on the yard marker and cut inside first and tried to come back and could not reach it he was out side the yard number when it went over his head. Stop it and go frame to frame. Oh what's the use youre gonna see what you want to. But it was definitely back to his left and behind him and over his head after the wrong route but Mitch threw the ball towards the boundary and high for a 6'6"receiver. The defender caught it low just 10 feet inside the boundary.

"Gonna see what I want to"?  I'm not into the Gus/Nutt/Mustain conversation, so I never assigned blame on anyone.  But you have it wrong, cuz.  Monk was lined up halfway between the hashmarks and the '40' marker/number....and look where he was when the ball went by him.  He was standing a step or two in front of the zero of the '50' painted on the field....right in line with the numbers.  That's a good three yards closer to the sideline than from where he was at the snap.

In other words, he ran to the first down marker and did a curl out - out as in toward the sideline - not a 'skinny post' which would have been upfield and to the inside back towards the hashmarks.  The ball was thrown high and too far inside (over Monk's left shoulder), not "towards the boundary" which would have been over his right shoulder.  How could it have been thrown "over his outside shoulder" if Monk was spinning/turning back to his left as he tried to catch it?  If it were thrown over his outside shoulder, he wouldn't have turned his back to the ball, correct?....he would have been spinning/turning to his right.  He didn't do that.

[hogsanity]

Not sure that "plot" is the right term. Ben Cleveland's dad told me that when Gus was trying to Flip Ben from Florida to Arkansas he expressed concern that Gus might only be around for a year considering Nutt's shaky situation after back to back losing seasons.

Rick Cleveland said Gus told him that if Nutt were to be fired he'd been assured he would survive and a plan was in place to make him the head coach at some point in the future.

Others have told me that Jim Lindsey was terrified that if something happened to Frank John White would name his replacement. To prevent that he wanted to move Nutt into that job and make Gus the head coach sooner than later.

It's impossible for me to say how much of this plan Gus was privy to but according to Rick Cleveland he was at least aware of part of it.

Ok, I tried to stay out of this thread, BUT, my brother worked at the UA at the time and he called me one day to say he had seen a draft document naming HDN as AD upon JFB retiring, dying, or becoming incapacitated in a permanent capacity.

Now, was that my brother yanking my chain or was it real?  To this day he swears he saw it.

[RazorWhacker]

This makes a lot of sense.  Thank you for the information without the spin.

So I won't put words in Mike's mouth. There was a "plan" in place. Changing "plot"to "plan" still doesn't make Gus pure and innocent. If he were as innocent as some want us to believe,  he wouldn't have had anything to do with it no matter what you call it. It's reasonable to assume that Nutt would have gotten wind of said "plan" and destroyed any chance for there to be any trust between the two. I'm not trying to justify any of Nutt's childish actions, just trying to make sure Gus gets his justified share of the blame.

[bphi11ips]

So I won't put words in Mike's mouth. There was a "plan" in place. Changing "plot"to "plan" still doesn't make Gus pure and innocent. If he were as innocent as some want us to believe,  he wouldn't have had anything to do with it no matter what you call it. It's reasonable to assume that Nutt would have gotten wind of said "plan" and destroyed any chance for there to be any trust between the two. I'm not trying to justify any of Nutt's childish actions, just trying to make sure Gus gets his justified share of the blame.

Mike doesn't suggest a "plot" or a "plan".  You do.  Here is what makes sense:

For years, many of us have questioned what really happened.  Why would Houston Nutt and his staff do everything in their power to run off the hottest OC in the country and the true freshman Parade All-American QB who had started in eight straight wins?  Was it Nutt's oversized ego?  Jealousy because he wasn't a very good college QB nor could he develop one?  Many said this, but it didn't make sense.  You don't crater a program over ego or jealousy.  Nutt has his issues, but he's not stupid. 

I've been asking for details recently as a few posters have made veiled references to golf outings and conspiracies and Malzahn's power base.  Crickets is all I got back.  In one very simple post, Mike provided the missing link.  Nutt and his mafia were acting out of self-preservation.  Now THAT, from a human standpoint, makes sense.  They didn't care if they salted the earth, especially if they lost in the end.   

Here is what I think Mike said really happened, reading between the lines. Malzahn, like Ben Cleveland, was concerned that he may last a year or so at Arkansas and then be out of a job, but someone assured him that, if he took the OC position, he would have a job whether Nutt was the coach or not. In fact, if things worked out according to Lindsey's plan, Nutt would move to AD and Malzahn would take over as HC when the time was right.  Malzahn probably knew this.   So, Malzahn told Ben Cleveland's dad not to worry because, if Ben switched to Arkansas, Malzahn would be around no matter what happened with Nutt.

Finally, we have the missing piece of the puzzle.  One that explains what otherwise appears as bizarre, self-destructive behavior.  It doesn't necessarily reflect well on Malzahn, but then again, it doesn't show that he was a co-conspirator, either.  What it shows is that he and his coveted players were concerned about committing to a program where the head coach was a half-lame duck.  As a result, promises were made to induce Malzahn to take the job, and in turn, to encourage his players to come with him.

The end.         

[RazorWhacker]

Mike doesn't suggest a "plot" or a "plan".  You do.  Here is what makes sense:

For years, many of us have questioned what really happened.  Why would Houston Nutt and his staff do everything in their power to run off the hottest OC in the country and the true freshman Parade All-American QB who had started in eight straight wins?  Was it Nutt's oversized ego?  Jealousy because he wasn't a very good college QB nor could he develop one?  Many said this, but it didn't make sense.  You don't crater a program over ego or jealousy.  Nutt has his issues, but he's not stupid. 

I've been asking for details recently as a few posters have made veiled references to golf outings and conspiracies and Malzahn's power base.  Crickets is all I got back.  In one very simple post, Mike provided the missing link.  Nutt and his mafia were acting out of self-preservation.  Now THAT, from a human standpoint, makes sense.  They didn't care if they salted the earth, especially if they lost in the end.   

Here is what I think Mike said really happened, reading between the lines. Malzahn, like Ben Cleveland, was concerned that he may last a year or so at Arkansas and then be out of a job, but someone assured him that, if he took the OC position, he would have a job whether Nutt was the coach or not. In fact, if things worked out according to Lindsey's plan, Nutt would move to AD and Malzahn would take over as HC when the time was right.  Malzahn probably knew this.   So, Malzahn told Ben Cleveland's dad not to worry because, if Ben switched to Arkansas, Malzahn would be around no matter what happened with Nutt.

Finally, we have the missing piece of the puzzle.  One that explains what otherwise appears as bizarre, self-destructive behavior.  It doesn't necessarily reflect well on Malzahn, but then again, it doesn't show that he was a co-conspirator, either.  What it shows is that he and his coveted players were concerned about committing to a program where the head coach was a half-lame duck.  As a result, promises were made to induce Malzahn to take the job, and in turn, to encourage his players to come with him.

The end.       

You really need to go back and read Mike's post again.

He DID suggest there was a plan. It's right there in his post! Why are you so afraid to let Malzahn be portrayed in a bad light?

Gus told BC's dad there was a "plan" in place for him to become the HC at some point in the future. Sounds like a plot to me, but we will stick with plan.

What makes Gus even more sleazy is he snuck out of town in the middle of the night and has never taken responsibility for any of his part. He has just let everyone else take the heat and left the Springdale 5 to fin for themselves.

Gus is dirty, folks.

I hope we stomp his head in Saturday.

[bphi11ips]

You really need to go back and read Mike's post again.

He DID suggest there was a plan. It's right there in his post! Why are you so afraid to let Malzahn be portrayed in a bad light?

Gus told BC's dad there was a "plan" in place for him to become the HC at some point in the future. Sounds like a plot to me, but we will stick with plan.

What makes Gus even more sleazy is he snuck out of town in the middle of the night and has never taken responsibility for any of his part. He has just let everyone else take the heat and left the Springdale 5 to fin for themselves.

Gus is dirty, folks.

I hope we stomp his head in Saturday.

Whatever you say, Theresa.

[RazorWhacker]

Whatever you say, Theresa.

You're finally catching on, Kristi.

[Pigsknuckles]

At first glance, I wanted to post "Who is Robert Shields?". However, I now see the OP has neatly reconstructed the events of the day to effectively demonstrate that our present predicament was, in fact, a direct result of what occurred during that fateful year. Karma, as everyone knows is a "fill in the blank", and our program has found itself on it's malevolent side. I hope it doesn't take a generation to die off to reclaim the glory that used to be called "Razorback Football"

[hawgon]

At first glance, I wanted to post "Who is Robert Shields?". However, I now see the OP has neatly reconstructed the events of the day to effectively demonstrate that our present predicament was, in fact, a direct result of what occurred during that fateful year. Karma, as everyone knows is a "fill in the blank", and our program has found itself on it's malevolent side. I hope it doesn't take a generation to die off to reclaim the glory that used to be called "Razorback Football"

It really began on December 6, 1969.  Ever since that day, we've been cursed.  Our greatest triumph is shadowed by despair.  For every step forward, we take two back.  Thus, it was that what had the potential, all the cards fell into place for the BCSNC game, to be our greatest year since 1964, dissolved into some sort of tragicomedy farce complete with heroes, villains, and buffoons.

[Mike Irwin]

You really need to go back and read Mike's post again.

He DID suggest there was a plan. It's right there in his post! Why are you so afraid to let Malzahn be portrayed in a bad light?

Gus told BC's dad there was a "plan" in place for him to become the HC at some point in the future. Sounds like a plot to me, but we will stick with plan.

What makes Gus even more sleazy is he snuck out of town in the middle of the night and has never taken responsibility for any of his part. He has just let everyone else take the heat and left the Springdale 5 to fin for themselves.

Gus is dirty, folks.

I hope we stomp his head in Saturday.

I wouldn't call him dirty but he's a bottom line coach for sure.

At one point I considered him to be just another one of Nutt's victims. But that's not a good choice of words. Look how quickly he got another job when he found out he was about to be demoted. That suggests to me he already had been developing some options before Nutt told him about David Lee.

I've known Gus Malzahn for a long time. He may be the closest thing to a human computer I've seen. Emotion is not a part of his thinking.

For you Trekkies think, The Borg.

[Peter Porker]

Ha! Folks actually believed that Malzahn was naive?

[BPsTheMan]

Ha! Folks actually believed that Malzahn was naive?

some like our old buddy bphillips still gotta slow play it

taking him some time to get his head around it

[bphi11ips]

some like our old buddy bphillips still gotta slow play it

taking him some time to get his head around it

Mike's post helped me get my head around it.  Malzahn was promised things that Nutt couldn't live with, and, frankly, I don't blame Nutt.  It wasn't his plan.  But it doesn't appear to be Malzahn's plan, either.

If anything, the saga underscores why boosters need to boost and AD's need to run the show.  I now understand better why Long wouldn't consider Malzahn in 2007 or 2012. 

Hopefully the days of the GOBN are over.

[Razorback Pastor]

Strangely, this is when Frank told Nutt that HUNH spread offense would not work in the SEC.

Frank said the HUNH would not work in the SEC WITHOUT A MOBILE QB.

We should have made DMAC the QB and ran Gus's offense....lol

[hogsanity]

For those who continue to feel sorry for GM, don't.  He did what he had to do to get into the college coaching world.  For all his HS success colleges were not exactly knocking down his door to try to hire him, even as a position coach. Going from the HS ranks to a college job is not that easy. When offered the Hogs job, under whatever circumstances, and with whatever understandings were reached, he took it.  Once he was a "college coach" other opportunities started to pop up.

In the end he was as fortunate to have had the S-dale 5 as HDN was to have had Monk, Dmac, Hillis and Jones all at the same time. Both GM and HDn personally benefitted from coaching a small group of exceptional athletes. GM got into college coaching from it, and HDN was able to extend his job here 2 seasons, and then pick up the old misses gig and make a lot of money.