JimBob
12-20-2008, 08:57 AM
Mixing old, new can be a big mess
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Published: 12/20/2008 2:27 AM
Last Modified: 12/20/2008 2:35 AM
THOSE WHO ignore history are, of course, doomed to repeat mistakes of the past.
Pay attention to today's history lesson because there could be a big test on it later, when Florida faces Oklahoma in the BCS title game.
Here we go:
The day before Christmas Eve in 1978, the Pitt Panthers met North Carolina State in the Tangerine Bowl. The spirit of giving was replaced by a mandate of don't-let-them-take-anything.
After the game, Pitt's coaches were showering and changing into civilian gear. A Pitt equipment manager was assigned to hover nearby. His job: Keep an eye on assistant coaches, including those rascals Jimmy Johnson and Pat Jones, to make sure they leave their Pitt apparel behind.
"He was a good guy and he was apologizing to us," Jones said of the equipment manager. "But he was told to sit in the coaches' dressing room so we don't run off with the good gear, you know?"
Awkward? You bet. But you risk all kinds of weirdness when you try to serve two masters.
Johnson, Pitt's defensive coordinator, had been named Oklahoma State's head coach prior to the bowl game.
Two Pitt assistants, Jones and Tony Wise, announced they would follow Johnson to Stillwater. They all stuck around at their "old" jobs long enough to be a part of Pitt's 30-17 bowl loss.
The story is relevant all over again because the "should I serve two masters?" question is a subplot in every bowl game featuring a state team.
Brady Hoke will not coach Ball State against Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl because he was hired at San Diego State.
Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Tim Beckman will not partake of a Holiday Bowl scrum with Oregon because he is Toledo's new head coach.
Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen just got the Mississippi State head coaching job, but he's going to double-dip. He will rejoin the Gator staff (with Urban Meyer's blessing) long enough to coach in the national championship game.
Jones isn't going to tell Mullen he's making a mistake, especially since a big trophy is up for grabs. But the Tangerine Bowl experience was enough of a nightmare that Jones advocates a clean break for coaches who get new employers before bowl games.
"If somebody like (Mullen) asks me for advice, honestly I would try to get on down the road," Jones said.
Second opinion? Mark Richt was Georgia's coach-elect in 2000. He chose to continue as Florida State's offensive coordinator in a national championship game against Oklahoma. The Seminole offense didn't score a point, and Richt suggested two jobs was too much.
"I didn't do a good enough job in getting the boys ready to play," he said.
Jones said it is "physically impossible" for a coach in Mullen's predicament (especially a playcaller) to be 100 percent focused — even if you think you are.
"Things will jump into your mind or somebody will remind you of something. Gosh, am I supposed to be calling this (recruit) from Miami, Florida, or Miami of Ohio?"
And then there's this: "The moment you become a head coach, you are going to get a mountain of phone messages," Jones said. "Every night, it's people who are calling for jobs or people he is trying to call. He has got to form a staff."
Jones can't swear that serving two masters cost Pitt that bowl game in '78. But he'll go as far as to say Pitt was the better team and didn't play well. "They might have beat us anyway," Jones said. "I don't know."
Jones said it was a "bad scene" all the way around, even though Pitt head coach Jackie Sherrill was on good terms with the assistants who said they were leaving.
While at the bowl site, Johnson and Sherrill got into a tug-of-war over two other Pitt assistants, Dave Wannstedt and Larry Holton. Both chose OSU.
"We had staff meetings for the people that were staying and the people that were going," Jones said.
After one practice, coaches carpooled back to the hotel, and Jones said poor Wannstedt didn't know whether to get in a car with Sherrill's crew or Johnson's crew.
"It was just completely uncomfortable for everybody," Jones said.
Big question: If a sentry wasn't posted in the dressing room, would Jones have kept his Pitt gear?
"We had our names on it anyway," Jones said. "It had 'Coach Jones' on it. Maybe they were going to give it to another Coach Jones. I don't know."
By JIMMIE TRAMEL World Sports Writer
Published: 12/20/2008 2:27 AM
Last Modified: 12/20/2008 2:35 AM
THOSE WHO ignore history are, of course, doomed to repeat mistakes of the past.
Pay attention to today's history lesson because there could be a big test on it later, when Florida faces Oklahoma in the BCS title game.
Here we go:
The day before Christmas Eve in 1978, the Pitt Panthers met North Carolina State in the Tangerine Bowl. The spirit of giving was replaced by a mandate of don't-let-them-take-anything.
After the game, Pitt's coaches were showering and changing into civilian gear. A Pitt equipment manager was assigned to hover nearby. His job: Keep an eye on assistant coaches, including those rascals Jimmy Johnson and Pat Jones, to make sure they leave their Pitt apparel behind.
"He was a good guy and he was apologizing to us," Jones said of the equipment manager. "But he was told to sit in the coaches' dressing room so we don't run off with the good gear, you know?"
Awkward? You bet. But you risk all kinds of weirdness when you try to serve two masters.
Johnson, Pitt's defensive coordinator, had been named Oklahoma State's head coach prior to the bowl game.
Two Pitt assistants, Jones and Tony Wise, announced they would follow Johnson to Stillwater. They all stuck around at their "old" jobs long enough to be a part of Pitt's 30-17 bowl loss.
The story is relevant all over again because the "should I serve two masters?" question is a subplot in every bowl game featuring a state team.
Brady Hoke will not coach Ball State against Tulsa in the GMAC Bowl because he was hired at San Diego State.
Oklahoma State defensive coordinator Tim Beckman will not partake of a Holiday Bowl scrum with Oregon because he is Toledo's new head coach.
Florida offensive coordinator Dan Mullen just got the Mississippi State head coaching job, but he's going to double-dip. He will rejoin the Gator staff (with Urban Meyer's blessing) long enough to coach in the national championship game.
Jones isn't going to tell Mullen he's making a mistake, especially since a big trophy is up for grabs. But the Tangerine Bowl experience was enough of a nightmare that Jones advocates a clean break for coaches who get new employers before bowl games.
"If somebody like (Mullen) asks me for advice, honestly I would try to get on down the road," Jones said.
Second opinion? Mark Richt was Georgia's coach-elect in 2000. He chose to continue as Florida State's offensive coordinator in a national championship game against Oklahoma. The Seminole offense didn't score a point, and Richt suggested two jobs was too much.
"I didn't do a good enough job in getting the boys ready to play," he said.
Jones said it is "physically impossible" for a coach in Mullen's predicament (especially a playcaller) to be 100 percent focused — even if you think you are.
"Things will jump into your mind or somebody will remind you of something. Gosh, am I supposed to be calling this (recruit) from Miami, Florida, or Miami of Ohio?"
And then there's this: "The moment you become a head coach, you are going to get a mountain of phone messages," Jones said. "Every night, it's people who are calling for jobs or people he is trying to call. He has got to form a staff."
Jones can't swear that serving two masters cost Pitt that bowl game in '78. But he'll go as far as to say Pitt was the better team and didn't play well. "They might have beat us anyway," Jones said. "I don't know."
Jones said it was a "bad scene" all the way around, even though Pitt head coach Jackie Sherrill was on good terms with the assistants who said they were leaving.
While at the bowl site, Johnson and Sherrill got into a tug-of-war over two other Pitt assistants, Dave Wannstedt and Larry Holton. Both chose OSU.
"We had staff meetings for the people that were staying and the people that were going," Jones said.
After one practice, coaches carpooled back to the hotel, and Jones said poor Wannstedt didn't know whether to get in a car with Sherrill's crew or Johnson's crew.
"It was just completely uncomfortable for everybody," Jones said.
Big question: If a sentry wasn't posted in the dressing room, would Jones have kept his Pitt gear?
"We had our names on it anyway," Jones said. "It had 'Coach Jones' on it. Maybe they were going to give it to another Coach Jones. I don't know."