Yeah, this is "better", in a sense, than the "best football coach" question. I say Pat Henry in a close one versus Skip. Add in who's made the best overall contribution to the LSU community, and it's Skip by a mile (another thread topic for another time: Is Skip Bertman the most important, most successful and influential figure in LSU sports history since Huey Long? He has Jim Corbett beat b/c Skip was both successful coach and successful AD, but Huey...)
i surely dont know enough to judge pat henry and his peers. hell the coach at arkansas may have similar numbers much less knowing the schools outside of our conference. i easily went with the skipper. he survived the test of time and his excellence in every aspect of developing players into people while bringing home 5 National Titles changing the entire face of college baseball as anyone knows it. easy for me.
You know, as far as most influential sports figure, I'd have to go with Corbett. He really put LSU athletics on the map in the modern day. He was a natural pitch-man who had a good grasp of the PR aspects of an athletic department, and was a true visionary when it came to promoting LSU. He also hired Paul Dietzel and I believe, Press Maravich.
It was a pretty easy call for me as well, Tirk. The track titles are great, but at the end of the day, those 5 College World Series titles are what brought home the good publicity for the Ole War Skule. Skip also managed to get and keep his baseball program operating in the black, which was an absolutely unfathomable concept in college athletics at the time.
I voted for Henry simply due to the fact that he was a champion for a longer period than Skip was. Both were legendary in their respective sport and repsected by their peers as well as the fans and the press. It's nice to see Jim Corbett put on a list mentioning all time greats at LSU. Many have no idea how instrumental he was in LSU Athletics, that the Athletic Directors of America give their highest award in his name. He is also known as the man responsible for creating the best college football atmosphere in the country, Saturday night in Death Valley.
I went with the Skipper. You can certainly make a case for Henry, but what sets them apart in my mind is the wonderful marketing job Skip did to put fans in the seats and to promote the game. Skip did more than win championships, he made it a great environment for all of us, and our families, to enjoy. He singlehandedly made baseball better at every level in Louisiana. We now see how competitive college baseball is in the SEC and the NCAA. Hell, he's the main reason why the NCAA changed its rules to eliminate gorrilla ball and changed the playoffs to the new SR format. Henry did a wonderful job of winning championships at LSU, but I don't think he had nearly the impact on track and field as Skip did in baseball.
Oh, I agree with you that Mr. Corbett played a vital role in the success of LSU athletics. I only know of him what I've read, but what I've read suggests that he really put his heart and soul into promoting LSU. :tigerhead That being said, this current period may be the most competitive LSU's various athletic teams have ever been, period. Even if it's not all due to Skip, you gotta give the man credit b/c he's far more than just an innocent bystander here.
I take Bertman on this one. The 90's were GREAT in baseball, 5 CWS! What year did the guy hit the home run in the bottom of the ninth? That was MUCH better than the Blue Grass Miracle, becaue it was to the TITLE!!! I don't remember the year, or the guy, but its one of my top moments in Tiger sports history, and I'm not much of a baseball fan. Skip has longevity at LSU, and I don't think anyone can suggest he doesn't bleed purple and gold. All the programs are in good shape now, except basketball is shaky. I wish we had kept Pat Henry, I have a friend from A&M at work, and they are real happy to have Pat over there. But I like Skip!
But this poll has nothing to do with being the AD, just a coach. So I voted for Henry. A vote for either is a smart vote.
