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All Time Worst Coaches of Div 1 Football Part 1

theskibro

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Aug 24, 2003
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20 coaches are listed ND has 4 - most of anybody. Can anyone say Kevin White?

Anyone can have bad results at a lackluster college football program. Even Bear Bryant or Nick Saban might have trouble staying above water at a program in a bad recruiting era, little tradition and scant resources.

However, it takes a unique situation for someone to struggle at a place sitting in good recruiting territory, with a championship tradition and ample backing from fans and administration.

Granted, the pressures of coaching at top programs aren’t for everyone. The pressure to win every game — and answering to media and fans when it doesn’t happen — isn’t realistic.

These are the coaches who struggled to great proportions despite the advantages that come at top programs. These are the coaches who missed bowl games where it should be really, really tough to miss bowl games. We are considering great programs to be among the leaders in win percentage during since the Associated Press poll began in 1936.

One thing to note: We are only listing coaches who were hired after a program reached national prominence. Thus, pre-Nick Saban coaches at LSU or pre-Howard Schnellenberger coaches at Miami, for example, were not considered.


1. Derek Dooley, Tennessee

Record: 15-21 (.417) from 2010-12
A Nick Saban disciple and the son of one of the SEC’s greatest coaches, what could go wrong? Pretty much everything. Dooley inherited a program damaged by Lane Kiffin’s lone season, but Dooley set the Volunteers further back by going winless against ranked teams, winless against SEC teams in October and 2-14 in the SEC his last two seasons. Quotable, yes. Great hair, yes. Good coach, not really.


2. Joe Kuharich, Notre Dame

Record: 17-23 (.425) from 1959-62
Gerry Faust, Tyrone Willingham and Charlie Weis are remembered with more vitriol than Kuharich, but that’s a product of recent memory. Kuharich took over six seasons after Frank Leahy’s tenure and never had a winning season in four years at Notre Dame despite having talented teams at the height of Notre Dame’s popularity.


3. Gerry Faust, Notre Dame

Record: 30-26-1 (.535) from 1981-85
Imagine any major program hiring a high school coach these days. Plenty of programs have hired high school coaches as assistants, but head coach? No way. That’s what Notre Dame did when it replaced Dan Devine with Faust, coach at powerhouse Cincinnati Moeller. The gamble was predictably a failure, but at least Notre Dame could keep the high ground by giving Faust a full five seasons. Subsequent coaches wouldn’t be able to say the same.



4. John Blake, Oklahoma
Record: 12-22 (.353) from 1996-98
An assistant for Barry Switzer and former Sooners player, Blake knew better than to repeat the mistakes of his predecessor Howard Schnellenberger, but that didn’t help him win games. Blake had never been even a coordinator, and it showed as the Sooners went 8-16 in the Big 12. At least his recruits were the centerpieces for OU’s 2000 national championship team under successor Bob Stoops



5. Howard Schnellenberger, Oklahoma
Record: 5-5-1 (.500) in 1995
Schnellenberger had one of the most puzzling tenures in college sports in his lone season at Oklahoma. He built Miami into a national power in the 1980s and brought Louisville to relevance, but Oklahoma fans were turned off by Schnellenberger’s dismissiveness of Sooners history — especially after Oklahoma finished 1995 with three straight blowout losses.



6. John Mackovic, Texas
Record: 41-28-2 (.592) from 1992-97
Mackovic started to rebuild Texas after the David McWilliams era with three consecutive bowl games and a Big 12 title game appearance between 1994-96. But his fate was sealed on Sept. 12, 1997 with a 66-3 loss to UCLA at home that became known as “Rout 66.” Mackovic went 4-7 his final season despite having Ricky Williams in his backfield.



7. Mike DuBose, Alabama
Record: 24-23 (.511) from 1997-2000
DuBose followed national championship coach Gene Stallings to go 4-7 in his first season thanks in part to NCAA sanctions. Though DuBose led the Tide to a 10-3 season and top 10 finish in 1999, he went 3-8 the following year and was the coach during major NCAA recruiting violations.



8. Mike Shula, Alabama
Record: 26-23 (.531) from 2003-06
Perhaps Shula was doomed from the beginning. Alabama fans were wounded by the sudden departure of Dennis Franchione to Texas A&M just as NCAA sanctions were levied. Shula wasn’t even on the radar until Washington State coach Mike Price was fired amid scandal before his first game. Shula went to the Cotton Bowl in 2005 but otherwise became the first Alabama coach since the pre-Bear Bryant days to have three non-winning seasons.



9. David McWilliams, Texas
Record: 31-26 (.544) from 1987-91
Aside from a 10-2 season and Southwest Conference championship in 1990, McWilliams had a lackluster tenure at Texas on the heels of the Darrell Royal and Fred Akers days. McWilliams’ time at Texas was doomed when the Longhorns went 5-6 after reaching the Cotton Bowl a year earlier.



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ND keeping the high ground with Gerry Faust? And these people are exactly who to make that kind of moral judgment? There is more to Gerry Faust than his tenure at ND and I tend to get very protective of the man. Though he was not successful at Akron either, his character always remained second to none. You can usually see Coach Faust walking the campus on game day, shaking hands and talking with fans. He is and will always remain one of ND's greatest ambassadors. Plus, I bet the authors didn't know that Coach Faust actually had the Irish ranked #1 at one point though it was at the start of his ND career and only for one week, but, he did it never the less.
 
ND keeping the high ground with Gerry Faust? And these people are exactly who to make that kind of moral judgment? There is more to Gerry Faust than his tenure at ND and I tend to get very protective of the man. Though he was not successful at Akron either, his character always remained second to none. You can usually see Coach Faust walking the campus on game day, shaking hands and talking with fans. He is and will always remain one of ND's greatest ambassadors. Plus, I bet the authors didn't know that Coach Faust actually had the Irish ranked #1 at one point though it was at the start of his ND career and only for one week, but, he did it never the less.
The article isn't about character - its about the bottom line ..... did you win enough. He did recruit plenty of talent - just couldn't win - except when Bo said he wouldn't lose to a High School coach.
 
That's the who;e problem, the article and the sport is NEVER about character, neither is our country.

Most people could care less about the character of their college team as long as they win. You have winning teams beating girlfriends, punching strangers, raping women and having zero discipline in the classroom, which is supposed to be the first priority, while their coaches call the very same players, "great ambassadors for the University."

Gerry Faust was a great man and will always be a bright spot in Notre Dame history and as a human being on this earth because he was and remains the polar opposite on the average CFB coach celebrated by those I describe above.

Thankfully, Notre Dame, The University of Notre Dame, does not allow a coach to act in the manner described and I never see a day when a activity accepted at some schools would ever be allowed at Notre Dame.
 
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That's the who;e problem, the article and the sport is NEVER about character, neither is our country.

Most people could care less about the character of their college team as long as they win. You have winning teams beating girlfriends, punching strangers, raping women and having zero discipline in the classroom, which is supposed to be the first priority, while their coaches call the very same players, "great ambassadors for the University."

Gerry Faust was a great man and will always be a bright spot in Notre Dame history and as a human being on this earth because he was and remains the polar opposite on the average CFB coach celebrated by those I describe above.

Thankfully, Notre Dame, The University of Notre Dame, does not allow a coach to act in the manner described and I never see a day when a activity accepted at some schools would ever be allowed at Notre Dame.
:rolleyes:
 
I will take a 10 & 2 team with high-character coach and kids over an unbeaten team littered with a low-character coach and thugs. I'm not saying you should feel the same.
 
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I really, really dislike lists like this. Someone comes up with a silly topic and then has to find examples to fill out his list, whether they are appropriate or not.
Why list Howard Schnellenberger's one year at Oklahoma. He won an NC at Miami and had a pretty good career coaching at Louisville and Miami.
Why list Ty Willingham as a Notre Dame coach? He coached Washintong to an 0-12 season. Sheesh.
 
There's no debating that Coach Faust loved ND. He inherited a team projected to make a serious run at the National Championship and coached them to an impressive 5-6 record. He proved me wrong because I once said that even a good hs coach could win at ND. He was a great hs coach but stunk up the outhouse at ND and Akron. He could recruit and kept the cupboard full for Coach Holtz.
My eyes rolling had nothing to do with Coach Faust. I have the utmost respect for him. It pertained to the nonsense posted like, "he was and remains the polar opposite on the average CFB coach celebrated by those I describe above.

Thankfully, Notre Dame, The University of Notre Dame, does not allow a coach to act in the manner described and I never see a day when a activity accepted at some schools would ever be allowed at Notre Dame."

Total BS.
 
Simply question Mo1e! Do you think Jumbo, who has allowed and fostered what we have seen at FSU would ever, regardless of his record, be considered at a school like ND, Stanford, Duke or other places who are virtually the opposite of FSU?

Please, just this one time, try to be honest for once!
 
Simply question Mo1e! Do you think Jumbo, who has allowed and fostered what we have seen at FSU would ever, regardless of his record, be considered at a school like ND, Stanford, Duke or other places who are virtually the opposite of FSU?

Please, just this one time, try to be honest for once!
Simple answer moron. First of all you have never heard anything from me that wasn't honest. ANYTHING! Ever.

Secondly..... Jimbo hasn't fostered anything at FSU that could remotely be construed as negative. He's as tough on off the field issues as any coach in the country including ND. His record speaks for itself. Guilty? Gone. Suspended until evidence shows guilt or no guilt. Dismissed if it calls for that.

Jimbo recruits the same players that 90 percent of the top 50 teams in the country recruits. That includes ND, Stanford and Duke. There are some that academically couldn't get into those PRIVATE schools. Neither could you. No different than any other state funded public school in the country.

Thirdly ..... none of those schools are any different than FSU when it comes to dealing with those issues except that some have demonstrated more leniency than FSU.

I have gained the utmost respect for Jimbo and the way he has handled off the field problems. Stand by your player until evidence indicates otherwise. Innocent until proven guilty. No different than any other quality coach worth his salt.

Have high expectations for your players, drill into them the consequences of poor decisions. When a player makes a poor decision suspend until the legal process plays out. If evidence supports the charges dismiss or apply appropriate punishment. Treat each incident on its own merit. No two situations are the same.

You are an idiot of the highest order. Honest enough ?
 
Simply question Mo1e! Do you think Jumbo, who has allowed and fostered what we have seen at FSU would ever, regardless of his record, be considered at a school like ND, Stanford, Duke or other places who are virtually the opposite of FSU?

Please, just this one time, try to be honest for once!
I am guessing he may have done more to Rees for kicking a cop. How many games did Floyd miss? You are just plain dumb.
 
i'm really surpised former Michigan coach brady hoke isn't on that list. his teams played decent at home but they couldn't hardly buy a road win under his watch or at least against really good teams
 
i'm really surpised former Michigan coach brady hoke isn't on that list. his teams played decent at home but they couldn't hardly buy a road win under his watch or at least against really good teams
They like him because of the New Tradition of the Lawn Dart Spike he initiated last season to go along with the free tickets with a purchase of a can of coke. Oh and Robinson is faster than Bolt.
 
What I love about the list is JoePa was coaching at the same time that every one of these suck wads sucked.

More proof that JoePa is and always will be what we know him to be:

The greatest football coach of all time ( when you consider every factor, not just x / o's and winning ).

N i t t a n y A m e r i c a



 
We were led to believe earlier in this topic that this wasn't about character, but all about the bottom line. If true, then Paterno and Bowden are two of the all time greats. Joe Pa struck me as completely clueless outside his little world of PSU football. I once talked to a retired FSU assistant the last time FSU was in South Bend. This was in the stadium well before kick off. I since have forgotten the guy's name and he actually introduced himself. Anyway, he told me Bobby had tremendous respect for ND and the campus. The retired coach wandered down to my seating area and asked me to take a picture of him with the field as background. I thought he was a real decent fellow and he had me convinced that Bobby was the same.
 
We were led to believe earlier in this topic that this wasn't about character, but all about the bottom line. If true, then Paterno and Bowden are two of the all time greats. Joe Pa struck me as completely clueless outside his little world of PSU football. I once talked to a retired FSU assistant the last time FSU was in South Bend. This was in the stadium well before kick off. I since have forgotten the guy's name and he actually introduced himself. Anyway, he told me Bobby had tremendous respect for ND and the campus. The retired coach wandered down to my seating area and asked me to take a picture of him with the field as background. I thought he was a real decent fellow and he had me convinced that Bobby was the same.

Listen Jack

I know u speak truth I met Bowden and spent 5 hours with him He loves ND Tight with Lou He is a good guy failings? who does not have some? Overall, a good guy who probably looked the other way too much but good man
 
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Listen Jack

I know u speak truth I met Bowden and spent 5 hours with him He loves ND Tight with Lou He is a good guy failings? who does not have some? Overall, a good guy who probably looked the other way too much but good man

Paterno is a low life did they put his statue back up? morons at PSU
Did they take away his wins?
 
That's the who;e problem, the article and the sport is NEVER about character, neither is our country.

Most people could care less about the character of their college team as long as they win. You have winning teams beating girlfriends, punching strangers, raping women and having zero discipline in the classroom, which is supposed to be the first priority, while their coaches call the very same players, "great ambassadors for the University."

Gerry Faust was a great man and will always be a bright spot in Notre Dame history and as a human being on this earth because he was and remains the polar opposite on the average CFB coach celebrated by those I describe above.

Thankfully, Notre Dame, The University of Notre Dame, does not allow a coach to act in the manner described and I never see a day when a activity accepted at some schools would ever be allowed at Notre Dame.
Holy Shit asshole! Give it a ****ing rest!
 
ND keeping the high ground with Gerry Faust? And these people are exactly who to make that kind of moral judgment? There is more to Gerry Faust than his tenure at ND and I tend to get very protective of the man. Though he was not successful at Akron either, his character always remained second to none. You can usually see Coach Faust walking the campus on game day, shaking hands and talking with fans. He is and will always remain one of ND's greatest ambassadors. Plus, I bet the authors didn't know that Coach Faust actually had the Irish ranked #1 at one point though it was at the start of his ND career and only for one week, but, he did it never the less.
Amen brother! Coach Faust was a class act! I wanted nothing more then to see his Irish teams win! great great man!
 
Here's the memo: JoePa got his wins back, the NCAA caved and when the Paterno law suit is over, it will cost the NCAA upwards of 30 to 40 million in damages.

The news will never report it, but the facts speak for themselves.

Once a God always a God and we have God to confirm it, unless of course you are Godless?

N i t t a n y A m e r i c a
 
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