Coaches who take over Successful Programs, Most Difficult Job in Football

It is so much easier for a coach like Saban to take over a mediocre to bad program. It's not really hard to get quick results. You look at Ron Zook who was constantly ripped at Florida for not being Steve Spurrier and was eventually run off even though he recruited top recruits which Meyer won with last year. This same coach took over a bad Illinois program and his having great success. You look how part of our fan base questioned how good Coach Miles was after his first year even though he had to deal with Katrina his first year and a tough road schedule his 2nd year. Coach Miles has the best record in the SEC since he's been coaching LSU even with a difficult first 2 years.

I don't know of many coaches who can be successful following a successful coach who has won a National Championship. I'm continually impressed with Coach Miles decision to take the LSU job. He has stared down criticism from all directions to win big at LSU. We can see the national media is finally coming around to what a good coach we have. We as a fan base figured it out last year. The few stragglers coming into to this year now know it as well. The National and Alabama media had Miles tied to a stake ready to light the fire if Bama had beaten LSU. Why? Why does the media go after coaches like Miles and Zook when they are working hard to be successful after a previous good coach?

Does anyone else know of a coach who has successfully followed a good coach who had recently won a National Championship to win another in his first 4 years and turn in a dominating win/loss record? I don't think there are many. If CLM can win the NC this year I believe that will put him in a very select group. :milesmic: :LSU231:

 

Good post, and right off hand I can't think of one.



:tigereye::tigereye::tigereye::tigereye::tigereye:

 

Larry Coker could qualify. I don't remember how long it took for Miami to go downhill after he took over.

 

Switzer following Chuck Fairbanks at Oklahoma is a possible .The coaches at Miami that followed Schnellenberger , Johnson and Erickson are also possibles ...but there ain't many. Osborne following Devaney at Nebraska had a dominating won -loss record but no national championship for a long ,long time

 

I think Coker followed Butch Davis who did not win an NC. Butch Davis did leave a well stocked program on the brink which delivered to NC games back to back.

 

Good point, but let's face it, not many coches would leave a program at it's peak like Saban did. In general, when there is a coaching change it's because the current coach isn't getting it done and the program is in the pits or sliding into it. So there aren't too many situations like Saban to Miles transition to refer to.

 

I don't think we need to make excuses for Miles. We know he is a good coach. I would say it is a lot easier to be Miles if you can handle the media and your team...and he can.

BTW, Miami won 4 NC's with 3 coaches in 8 years.

 

That's the key. The reason it hasn't happened often is because coaches at the top of their game at a top school don't often leave for another job. They stay and ride it out. Is it harder for Miles to continue the success at LSU than it is to take over Temple and build a successful program? I don't know about that. I think it's harder to take over Rutgers or a Temple and win consistently than it is for LSU to sustain success.

 

That sounds like a challenge, right there! How 'bout we give it a go with TWO coaches in 8 years?

 

:milesmic: is a great coach, terrible public speaker. He needs to take speech classes at LSU. Maybe hire someone to be a writer for him, kinda like Reagan had in the 80's.