Here’s a front-page commentary after Tommy Tuberville spoke to the NWA TD Club on Wednesday:
I think Tommy would be a good AD.
Especially for a football program.
I’m not sure about A.D, but he’s a proven successful Head Football Coach.
I would be great for him to coach our hogs!
Yet no one wants him…
And he could have been head coach at Arkansas if not for John White and the committee. UGH.
That was sure a stupid choice back then by Mr White. He would have done a good job
I am still hoping that Bret can turn it around and save his job.
If he is removed, I would be fine with Tuberville.
Me too! Tommy Tuberville being born and raised in Arkansas he is emotional attached to our hogs. He’s one of us.
There was a time I’d have been very glad to have had him. JFB wanted him over Nutt, but as Marty points out, the committee overruled that idea. However, I’m not too fond of coaching re-treads. TT has been too many places & not had the success since leaving Auburn that just yells out at me that he’d be someone I want. I felt the same way about getting Fulmer after the motorcycle wreck. He’d just been out a bit long. I remember when Bud Wilkinson went back to coaching after a long stint in the TV booth. It just didn’t work.
If CBB is replaced, I’d prefer a younger coach. Preferably someone who has won at a mid-major level. However, I’m not qualified to do the hiring & don’t really know enough to know who’d fit in well here. I’ll leave that to JL and some of the posters on this board who know exactly who’d be a great coach.
I would normally agree with you about not hiring retreads but I listened to him at lunch yesterday and he has a real passion for Arkansas. Tommy definitely has the SEC background and knows that it is about recruiting Texas.
Yeah we could hire an over 60 retread, or we could go in the opposite direction and hire Kevin Pinball Wizard Kelley.
When the HC position does open up I’d prefer an assistant from the SEC like Jeremy Pruitt over a HC from a mid major!
Jeremy Pruitt has recruiting footprints in the SEC and he can coach. Look at his defense.
He’s been to war in the SEC.
TT went to bed that night thinking he was going to be announced as the new head coach at the U of A in the morning. I got tipped off it was Tuberville about 10 pm that night. It was really no surprise as Coach Broyles had been wanting to hire Tuberville all season while Danny Ford guided the Hogs to yet another 4-7 season. Anybody remember that SMU game in Shreveport when the Coaching staff did not know the Hogs had scored a TD and went for 2 unknowingly? One of many great moments in 1997.
My insider called me at about 4:30 or 5 am the next morning and told me a private jet was heading to Boise to bring back Houston Nutt. I was shocked as were a lot of us. The U of A was taking a Coach who had just gone 4-7 at Boise State over a Coach who had won in the SEC at Ole Miss with not much talent at all.
Orville Henry had a column that came out that day that had clearly been written before the Committee forced the change in the middle of the night. That midnight meeting is an interesting story.
Then the next day Orville Henry wrote a scathing column blasting the UA leadership for its bizarre selection for the new coach.
As it turned out, Nutt won big that first year and took the State by storm. He turned the UA football program around and brought back consistent bowl seasons year-in-year-out. But Hog fans yearned for the “next level” and that was ultimately his undoing as was his continued flirtations with other job openings in order to get himself a raise and more contractual protection – Nebraska and LSU. Anybody remember the Nebraska plane waiting out at Drake Field – but Houston never went and got on the plane?
I believe Tuberville would have taken the U of A to that next level had he been hired. That amazing success of Petrino for two seasons – Tuberville would have gotten us there sooner – and kept us there.
I think Tommy Tuberville would have retired at Arkanas – rich and happy – and left us in great shape.
His glory days are over. I’m sure he is set financially and can’t imagine him having the fire in his belly to rebuild this program. We need a hungry, young aggressive coach who is willing to do what it takes. Facilities, fan base, a few players in place.
I just can’t quite get Danny Ford out of mind. He’d won an NC at Clemson. He had as good a resume as as any coach we’ve ever had. Yet he just didn’t have that fire, His glory days were over, too.
How old is the guy now?
Three good examples of coaches that won NC that failed to have great success after moving to other schools are Lou Holtz, Danny Ford and Steve Spurrier. I’m in the camp of finding an “up and comer” head coach or a hugely successful co-ordination. It’s a crap shot any way you go at it. Note the 3 coaches at Tennessee since Fulmer.
It’s going to be interesting if they release CBB. I’m hoping he catches fire and stays.
WPS