As I’ve been reporting for more than a week now, my sources
tell me Columbia has made an offer to a “big name coach” to fill our football head
coaching vacancy.
I still don’t know who that person is, but now more than one
person has told me that the person would make all of us very, very excited.
Okay, I’m desperate enough for some good news to play along
and think of a quick list of possible new coaches who would, as one commenter
put it, “make me swoon.”
**All of these names are based on MY OWN CONJECTURE. If you
have a problem with that, tell the administration to give us some real info on
any football topic to discuss.
(I’m going to exclude names like Urban Meyer and Jim
Harbaugh because I said I was optimistic, not crazy)
1) Joe Moglia
To me, this is the big fish that got away three years ago. I
think he would be a perfect fit for Columbia and turn us into winners extremely
fast.
2) Tom Gilmore
Tom has consistently been my top “realistic” choice, so I
don’t know if he could make anyone swoon or even be considered a “big name.”
But I would be overjoyed if we could grab somebody like him with Ivy playing
experience, Columbia coaching experience and experience coaching under
difficult circumstances and still being competitive.
3) Phil Estes
Some of my sources believe we’re going after an existing Ivy
head coach. I don’t know if Estes is the best Ivy coach right now, but he sure
has the best track record of doing the most with the least. Brown’s facilities
stink, the school spirit stinks, and the actual quality of a Brown education compares
to the other Ivies is always in doubt. I think Tim Murphy is a super
coach, but how could we ever know if he’s succeeding at Harvard thanks to his
school’s rep and financial commitment alone? If there was any existing coach in
this league to steal away, it would be Estes.
4) Greg Schiano
It would be a Hell of a strange path for Schiano, but he is
truly a “big name” around these parts. Yes, I might swoon if he’s the guy we’re
going after and we get him. Our recruiting efforts in the talent-rich New
Jersey area alone would get a tremendous boost.
5) Mark Whipple
The man who turned things around at Brown before even Estes
did it was Mark Whipple. He’s at UMass now and could do better. He’s probably the
best developer of QB’s in the Ivies I’ve ever seen. It’s 20+ years later and his formula still
works at Brown.
12 comments:
I would be really surprised if any of these guys were interested.
1. Right now Joe Moglia has his feet on the desk and is smoking a cigar. Every grandma fan in Conway, South Carolina has baked him a pie.
2. Tom Gilmore just signed a contract extension.
3. Phil Estes as a candidate makes no sense to me. The road hasn't always been smooth for him at Brown but he has longevity there. Why would he choose to bail out on his players and recruits to go to the cellar dweller of the conference?
4. If you thought Pete Mangurian was a jerk well then meet Greg Schiano, a bigger JERK of the highest order. He did a fantastic job at Rutgers but he is universally despised. He got the Bucs job because of bad ownership. No one wants him.
5. Whipple also makes no sense to me. UMass had a down season last year but he has done well in his career there. I don't see him stepping away from that situation.
I'm betting the people doing the hiring aren't savvy enough to find good candidates and then establish the rapport necessary to bring in a "name" coach of good standing.
Funny, when you mentioned a big-name coach the other day, I thought of Schiano--played for Bucknell, coached Rutgers and in NFL. Jersey guy.
I read that he was making $2.3 mil his final season at Rutgers.
When you mentioned a big-name coach the other day I thought of Schiano. But if Wingman is right about his personality, well….also he made $2.3 mil his last year at Rutgers.
42.3 mil
Columbia could double Estes salary -
If Columbia is making offers to a coach without input of the new AD, then Rick Taylor is picking the coach.
I've never met Schiano personally but after the honeymoon at Rutgers faded his rep tanked. Google "schiano personality" or "schiano jerk." Players and coaches have nothing nice to say about him.
Who knows if he would be interested in the Columbia job but if we are talking about due diligence then he is an immediate fail.
The one connection I see is Bill Bellichek loves Schiano and Bellichek has Kraft's ear.
Ask Tom Coughlin, a class act, what he thinks about Schiano.
What specific commitments
are being made by the administration?
What will we be asking from the league? A waiver?
In all fairness to Greg Schiano, one of things he always stressed while at Rutgers was scholastic achievement. His football teams were academically sound, something even more important at Columbia. That was indeed a well-known focus of his,
Nor, from some who played for him, was he a "jerk." (And really, googling something like "Schiano jerk" is a pretty stupid way to operate, akin to googling "Hitler as dog lover.") I doubt very much he'd be interested in CU, and CU in him, but I also feel he'd prove a good coach. He certainly does not deserve the attempted dismissal of his proven talents in a post above this one.
Use whatever search terms you like Richard, be creative if you are capable of that and you will come up with the same things. Schiano was a great coach when he had the opportunity to reshape Rutgers. No question he knows his football and instills discipline in his teams. That's not what tanked his career. The only guy in his corner now is Bellichick. Many college and pro jobs have become open and he has not even interviewed. At his level, what does that tell you?
Onw form of "creativity" I'm admittedly incapable of, alswingman (and I in fact own a t-shirt with "Wingman" on it in bold letters, right above the image of the great Foghorn Leghorn), is taking your weird way of learning about Schiano's character altogether seriously.
Jake: didnt you say that there would be an AD in place when
semester begins? Isn't that next week? Do you think they will have a coach by the national signing day which is the 1st week in February ? Looks like the rest of the Ivies have their commitments in place, already.
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