Women! (A Thread About Texas Coaches)

[CharleyHorse46]

This is, of course, not actually a thread about women.  This is a thread about coaches.  The title alludes to a parallel.  For a single heterosexual man, it may be difficult to find the right woman and possibly even difficult to live with any woman.

For me it starts with DKR.  Darrell Royal.  He's like momma because he spoiled me as a Texas fan and raised the bar so high no other coach will ever be good enough.  Case in point: the first 15 years of my life, Texas went 133-29-2, won 10 SWC championships and 3 MNCs.  That's a hard act to follow.

But toward the end, it was kind of like he went a little crazy.  Barry Switzer got under his skin and he let it show. 

After playing for Oklahoma and extending an extraordinary gesture of kindness to Oklahoma by asking Emory Bellard to teach Barry Switzer the wishbone.

If Barry had only beaten Texas from 1971 through 1975, Royal may have been able to handle it with grace.  But there was ugliness too.  Recruiting violations, snide remarks (“Some coaches don't want to coach anymore. They would rather sit home and listen to guitar pickers.") and even evidence of spying that Swtizer denied at the time but admitted years later.

It pissed Royal off but he was powerless to do anything about it.   He bitched and moaned.  Switzer laughed and kept beating him.

Switzer was an a-hole.  Royal let it get to him and became something like a crazy Captain Ahab, driven by hate to his own self-destruction.

It was a sad, embarrassing, ignoble way to go.  The admissions, apologies and regrets that came from Oklahoma decades later did nothing to fix the damage.

The only thing that really saved DKR's legacy in spite of its sad ending was the failure of his successors to live up to the standard he set.

[CharleyHorse46]

Akers was a fun coach to watch in a lot of ways.  He could be maddeningly conservative and surprisingly innovative.  He held his own against Switzer and then some but he didn't do too well in bowls.  When you consider he coached against OU, A&M and SMU at possibly the very height of their egregious disregard for recruiting regulations, it's amazing he was as competitive as he was.

But for me, the biggest mistake of his career at Texas came on the Oklahoma 15 yard line in the waning moments of the rainy 1984 Oklahoma game with the Sooners up 15-12.  He sent in Jeff Ward to kick a chip shot and tie it up.

Win or lose, he should have taken a shot at end zone. 

Twenty years earlier, Darrell Royal took a similar chance.  With 1:27 left to play against Arkansas and down 14-13, DKR opted to go for a two point conversion.  It failed and Arkansas won.  The Horns were the defending national champion and it was Texas' first loss in 16 games.  The Razorbacks would go undefeated that year and Texas would beat the National Champion Alabama in the Orange Bowl 21-17.

Texas could've settled for a tie on October 17, 1964 but they didn't.  When asked about it afterwards, Royal quipped, "I play to win."

That became a source of great pride for Texas fans but on October 13, 1984 with #1 ranked Texas riding a 14 game winning streak against #2 ranked Oklahoma, Fred Akers, an otherwise seemingly good man, lacked the balls to play to win.

He settled for the tie.  He settled for mediocrity.  He sealed Texas' fate for next 14 years.

Texas lost four of its next eight.   Within two years Texas had its first losing season in 30 years.   It was the first of five Texas would endure over the next 12 years.

It was a sad, sad, terrible fate.

[CharleyHorse46]

Enter David McWilliams.  Texas alumnus, former defensive tackle and captain of the 1963 national championship team.  Longtime defensive assistant under Royal and a defensive coordinator for Akers.

His hiring was one like Tom Herman's.   He had taken the head coaching job at Texas Tech and in one season had turned the Red Raiders from a 4-7 team to a 7-4 team.   Texas AD DeLoss Dodd's promised a "nationwide search" for Akers replacement.  Arizona State's John Cooper's name surfaced as a possible successor, but in the end, Texas couldn't stand the thought of McWilliams succeeding in Lubbock instead of Austin.

On paper, McWilliams was the perfect fit.  In reality McWilliams made the moves that by all logic should have been successful.  He brought back the tenacious Texas defensive coordinator, Leon Fuller.  He brought in the colorful Lynn Amadee, who had enjoyed so much success everywhere else he had been, as the offensive coordinator.

For whatever reason, McWilliams languished.   7-5, 4-7, 5-6, 10-2, 5-6.   

In the first season you try not to set up unrealistic expectations.  You try to be hopeful.   

The next two seasons were hard.  There was a tantalizing smattering of talent but a lack of cohesiveness.

1990 was wonderful until Miami curb stomped us in the Cotton Bowl.  Oh hell, let them celebrate.

1991 was gut-wrenching.  The defense played its heart out and was ranked 4th in the country.  On offense, it seemed like one or more pick six thrown by Peter Gardere was the difference in every game.  Texas lost five games by 10 points or less.

To use Charlie Strong's cake analogy, it seemed like David McWilliams should have been a good cook.  All the ingredients seemed to be there.   Everything was mixed.  Nothing was baked.

It was all so unsatisfying.

[CharleyHorse46]

John Mackovic came along after McWilliams, and he didn't bake the cake we thought McWilliams had prepared.  Instead he wallowed in mediocrity for a couple of years.  But then by flukes of coincidence, he won or shared three conference championships in a row - more than Mack Brown would be able to manage in 16 years.

But flukes were common when Mackovic was coach.  Imagine a coach claiming he had just awakened from a post concussion syndrome and had no memory of the last six games he had coached.

Imagine the juco transfer playing backup safety is actually 30 year old impostor using somebody else's identity.

Imagine beating OU but then losing to TCU for the first time in 25 years.

Imagine losing to Rice for the first time in 29 years en route to your first share of a conference crown in four years.

Imagine being one of only three teams beaten by a terrible OU team and beating an excellent Nebraska team in the middle of a three MNC in four years.

And then imagine Rout-66.

John Mackovic was the best and the worst.  And ultimately, I think it was his arrogance that cost him his job.   It's okay to be arrogant, but if you're going to be arrogant, you need to be above reproach too.   Mackovic never was.

[CharleyHorse46]

But if Mackovic was the best and the worst, Mack Brown was even better and worse.  And if Mackovic was arrogant, Mack Brown was thin skinned.

In a head-to-head match up, Mackovic's Horns beat Brown's Tar Heals.  Three years later, Mack Brown was our coach.

Initially, Mack could do no wrong.  He persuaded Ricky to stay one more year.  He made insightful personnel tweaks to improve the team, moving Leonard Davis from DT to OT, and DD Lewis from FB to MLB.  He discovered a gutsy reliable quarterback in Major Applewhite.   His staff plugged up a defensive sieve.  His team beat Oklahoma and A&M.  His team upset two top ten teams including #3 Nebraska in Lincoln where the Huskers hadn't lost in 18 years.  He won his bowl game over Jackie Sherrill.

Then, in February 1999, he inked the best signing class in America.  The future was so bright and Texas fans were so happy.  Little did we know that was as good as it would get for about five years.

North Carolina State blocked three Texas punts en route to an upset win in the opener.   After one more win against Nebraska, Chris Simms would get his first start by season's end, a completely unnecessary coach-fueled quarterback controversy would ensue, Texas would go 0-8 against top ten teams until 2005 and Texas would lose to OU in every way imaginable.

And as if that wasn't enough, Mack Brown would expose a very thin skin, bristling at anybody questioning him or his woeful decisions.

Then Vince Young happened and all was forgiven.   Colt McCoy and Jordan Shipley happened and all was forgotten.  Almost.   Until the MNC game against Alabama.

After that it was all oversteering and hearing about the long line of transcendent players who would have loved to play at Texas, if only Mack had offered them a scholarship at something other than safety.

What a sad ending to an exciting tenure. 

[CharleyHorse46]

Then came Charlie Strong.  What can we say?   

The experiment was a lot like the McWilliams experience.   

He recruited lots of four stars.  He was able to identify under-ranked three-star talent who could make immediate impacts.  He seemed to keep his sense of humor even when assailed by criticism.   He was a fine ambassador for decency.

But on nearly every game day the fans were left hungry, wanting, wondering.

[CharleyHorse46]

And now we come to Tom Herman.   He has a great resume and a great mind.  He seems to know how to go about accomplishing everything he wants to accomplish.

His underwhelming recruiting class this year can be excused.

His desire to control what the parents of players say about the program would probably be considered commendable if we had not had history of arrogant, thin-skinned coaches.

The only thing that's really disappointing about Tom Herman so far has been his incredulity that Texas fans could get so upset about his hiring of Casey Horny.   It's bad enough that he hired him and made Texas a footnote in the horror stories coming out of Waco.  But to think Texas fans are out of line for objecting?

That makes me think he may be out of his depth.

All I can say is that he'd better win like a mofo because that will cover a multitude of stupid.

[utee94]

wow... ummm....

I won't "tl;dr" you, but I'll have to check back on this thread when I have a little more time.

Also, I probably won't check this message board much, unless/until the old one dies.

[CharleyHorse46]

Also, I probably won't check this message board much, unless/until the old one dies.

Oh yeah... try not to spread yourself too thin. 

[Texas95]

wow... ummm....

I won't "tl;dr" you, but I'll have to check back on this thread when I have a little more time.

Also, I probably won't check this message board much, unless/until the old one dies.

Sadly, I think thread title killed this one.

[Texas95]

The only thing that's really disappointing about Tom Herman so far has been his incredulity that Texas fans could get so upset about his hiring of Casey Horny.   It's bad enough that he hired him and made Texas a footnote in the horror stories coming out of Waco.  But to think Texas fans are out of line for objecting?

That makes me think he may be out of his depth.

It says he's in Austin.

Where not ALL Texas fans live, btw.  The uproar in the malaise is purely regional, as always.

[CharleyHorse46]

It says he's in Austin.

Where not ALL Texas fans live, btw.  The uproar in the malaise is purely regional, as always.

Sometimes you're right, sometimes you're wrong and sometimes you're just silly.   Like this ongoing crusade of yours to disregard any opinion you disagree with and demonize it as irrelevant, liberal, nonsensical, isolated and out of touch.

As if your arrogant, lofty, cosmopolitan perch in Bangs,Texas puts you on the vanguard of popular opinion in Texas, the United States and the world.

Hang onto your hat, bitch.   You're about to get schooled.

[CharleyHorse46]

1. http://deadspin.com/texas-defends-hiring-ex-baylor-assistant-casey-horny-de-1791310247

Deadspin mocks Texas for being more concerned about tweets than rapes.

[CharleyHorse46]

2. http://sportsday.dallasnews.com/college-sports/collegesports/2017/01/11/texas-fans-upset-hiring-former-baylor-assistant-vocal-art-briles-defender-casey-horny

Dallas Morning News reports Texas fans are upset about the hiring of Casey Horny.