Bill Curry on race

What?

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What?

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I told a Baptist Sunday school recently I was the Colin Kaepernick of 1974.



Nothing used to infuriate me more than listen to this guy call Bama games on Jefferson Pilot. He is completely insufferable.

The arse-hats that ran Alabama football in the 80's chose this guy over Bobby Bowden.

SMDH

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The arse-hats that ran Alabama football in the 80's chose this guy over Bobby Bowden.

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This still pisses me off. I couldn't stand Curry. I was only a kid and I knew he was a sorry coach.

In regards to Stallings, I heard him say in an interview that he wanted the job in 82 when Coach Bryant picked him. Stallings was coaching for Dallas and they were in the midst of a play off run. He wanted to come after the play-offs, but Bryant said it would hurt recruiting too much to wait that late.

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Perkins was a year removed from taking a team to the NFL playoffs. On paper, he was a very strong candidate.

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Perkins has a brilliant football IQ. He put together those Giants teams that Parcells won Super Bowls. He looked great on paper but he was wholly unsuited for college coaching as all of his experience was in the NFL. On top of that, he was a flaming a-hole.

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Can’t help you with Curry over Bowden.

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From what I recall, we didn't pick Curry over Bowden. We somehow offended Bowden during the process and he removed himself from consideration. That's at least how the story goes.

Bama fans never gave Curry a fair shake. I am a little biased though as my family got to know the Curry's personally and they were great people. Don't think he would have been an elite coach, but he was better than many Bama fans give him credit for.

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Well don't leave us hanging?

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He is just an ornery, prickly guy with no personality. He had a rough upbringing and had a perpetual chip on his shoulder as he went through life. Saban can be that way but he is also very charming when he wants to be and knows how to be politically correct. Perkins had all of the a-hole traits and none of the charm or diplomacy. He was the kind of guy who told fans their questions were stupid on his radio show. He alienated a lot of the admin., booster, and the fan base that way. That would be fine if he won but he his record was mixed at best, albeit it improved to 10 wins his last year. under Perkins we had our first losing season since Whitworth. He wasn't suited to be a college head coach. He wasn't a great motivator, recruiter, administrator, or ambassador for the school. I'm not sure he was really that great of an NFL coach but he damn sure knew how to build a roster

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After downing the Hoosier 27-13 on New Year's Day, Bowden was asked how long he would consider if offered the Alabama job. "Like that," he said, snapping his fingers.

And Bowden's name was definitely linked to the job, along with Howard Schnellenberger, Gene Stallings, Danny Ford and Jackie Sherrill. University of Alabama President Joab Thomas formed a search committee which he chaired and the search began in earnest. Bowden was contacted by several people associated with the program asking if he would take the job. He said he would talk to Thomas if a job was in the offing but he had no interest in interviewing for the position.

Gaylon McCollough, a former player under Bryant, acted as a liaison between the candidates for the Alabama job and the committee. McCollough, following Perkins suggestion, recommended Georgia Tech's Bill Curry for the job and also reached out to Bowden. McCollough later claimed the invitation was for an interview only. Bowden clearly thought otherwise.

When Bowden entered the third-floor conference room of Birmingham's Medical Towers building (which housed the UA System Chancellor's office) he was surprised to see more than a dozen people there. It was an interview. And, for more than an hour, the group questioned Bowden about his process and goals. Then, when the questions ended, Thomas told Bowden, "Thank you for coming, Bobby." There was no job offer.

"I left," Bowden later wrote. "And the the only thing I could think was, They didn't offer me the dadgum job!"

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Roll Bama Roll

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Bowden said Thomas called him a few hours after he returned to Tallahassee that night to tell him that Alabama had decided to hire Bill Curry." That came as a surprise to quite a few folks in Tuscaloosa where the perception on the Alabama side was that Bowden's hiring was a done deal.

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The administration wanted him to interview for the job. That was sort of like asking an Oscar-winning superstar actor to audition for a role. Bowden considered that a slap in the face, and that was all she wrote.

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The weird thing is Bobby hadn't quite reached God status until the late 80s. 1987 was only his 4th double-digit season win total in 12 years. From 1988 to 2002, he didn't have LESS than 10 wins.