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re: Who had the worst coaching tenure in SEC history
Posted on 7/29/18 at 1:59 pm to msudawg1200
Posted on 7/29/18 at 1:59 pm to msudawg1200
quote:
I remember when the players tried to attempt a mutiny on Sparky after an 0-5 start. The next week they proceeded to whip State’s arse when we were 4-1 and ranked #15. Sparky later became an assistant at State in the late 90’s and early 2000’s where I had some dealings with him. He was a good dude.
Yeah, Sparky had his favorites for sure. They revolted because he kept playing the Wright Mitchell kid at QB. Threw maybe the most perfect spiral I've ever seen ... what an arm, but was not a leader.
So they threatened a revolt, Mitchell left the team, Steve Taneyhill took over and I think we won six of our next seven games and should have beaten Florida in the Swamp honestly. Halfback pass .... if Boomer catches that ball from Brandon Bennet we win.
Anyway, yeah, after the player meeting and revolt Taneyhill took over and his first game we beat y'all. Went on to beat a good UT team with Little Man Stewart and the QB kid who ended-up being a state senator, can't remember his name. Beat Clemson and Taneyhill signed his name on the tiger paw up there.
Crazy season.
Steve went on to coach several different HSs and won state championships at all of them. Now he owns Group Therapy in Five Points. I was just down there drinking with him the other night, well, a couple of weeks ago. People are non-stop wanting selfies with the guy to this day.
Y'all had a guy, Smoot was it? Had like one of the first ever player web pages he pimped. Smoot Smack is what he talked. Whatever happened to that guy?
2
Posted on 7/29/18 at 4:14 pm to scrooster
Oh yes, Smoot was a character. He was involved in the Vikings "Love Boat" incident in the pros if you know anything about that.
About Taneyhill, I enjoyed watching that guy play. My first recollections of him was playing on Thanksgiving on ESPN in high school for, I believe, Altoona, PA. I liked him even then since it was my senior year of high school, and I played QB that year. I wasn't even that pissed when he beat us that year in 92.
I remember y'all going on a run the rest of that year, so I didn't feel as bad about the loss later on. I remember Wright Mitchell also. Like you said he was one of those guys who looked the part, but couldn't quite put it together.
About Taneyhill, I enjoyed watching that guy play. My first recollections of him was playing on Thanksgiving on ESPN in high school for, I believe, Altoona, PA. I liked him even then since it was my senior year of high school, and I played QB that year. I wasn't even that pissed when he beat us that year in 92.
I remember y'all going on a run the rest of that year, so I didn't feel as bad about the loss later on. I remember Wright Mitchell also. Like you said he was one of those guys who looked the part, but couldn't quite put it together.
This post was edited on 7/29/18 at 4:16 pm
Posted on 7/29/18 at 5:08 pm to scrooster
Smootsmack.com was the best. Even with the loveboat deal he still played at least a decade with some great years. Last I saw him was on the weekly sec preview show on cbssports in '14.
Posted on 7/29/18 at 9:36 pm to Somebody2
Fred Pancoast Vandy 1976-1979. I don't think he won a conference game in 4 seasons.
Posted on 7/29/18 at 9:59 pm to Somebody2
quote:
1. JB Whitworth at Alabama
By record and expectations, he had the worst career or tenure (whatever you want to call it). He won 4 conference games in 3 seasons at Alabama who, even then, had been a dominant program under Wallace Wade. He burned everything down and Bryant had to resurrect it. He wins the worst tenure award.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 4:52 am to tarzana
quote:
Fred Pancoast Vandy 1976-1979.
He went 2-22 in conference. Vandy's worst is between Watson Brown or Rod Dowhower. Brown went 10-25 (4-29) with 3 1-10 seasons. Dowhower went 4-18 (1-15). Somehow hiring the worst Missouri coach of all time, Woody Widenhoffer, was an improvement over Dowhower, too.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 7:00 am to DyeHardDylan
I don't think it's fair to mention John L in this. He was kind of thrown into the fire unexpectedly
Posted on 7/30/18 at 7:06 am to cardswinagain
I agree. In addition to the fact that he was an interim coach, I don't think the situation he took over was very good. Imagine what team morale would have been like.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 7:41 am to DawgsLife
Joker Phillips, Kentucky. He.was.the.WORST!
Posted on 7/30/18 at 7:50 am to kbrake37
quote:
absolutely the worst D1 coach ever to have existed
Jim Shofner (TCU) and Dick Voris (UVa) say hello.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 7:59 am to Somebody2
Ray Goff at UGA...He was the worst in my lifetime, only because I wasn't born during the Johnny Griffith years.
This post was edited on 7/30/18 at 8:03 am
Posted on 7/30/18 at 8:07 am to Somebody2
No Sylvester Croom?
List is shite.
List is shite.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 8:14 am to DawgsLife
Eh it was an interim position
Posted on 7/30/18 at 8:18 am to 0
quote:
Croom had one decent season but also left one of the worst rosters in sec history behind him when he was finally fired. He was a lot worse than his terrible record would suggest.
Croom actually left a decent roster behind. There were some good players that Mullen inherited his first year.
For those saying Croom was better than Felker - yeah, Felker was bad. But Croom lost to Maine. MAINE. And then said after the game he expected to lose because they had more talent. MAINE.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 8:30 am to Drebin
Croom was a groundbreaking hire, according to USA Today. That's all that matters.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 8:33 am to Somebody2
Mike Price Alabama. End of thread.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 8:43 am to tarzana
quote:
Croom was a groundbreaking hire, according to USA Today. That's all that matters.
Yeah, Mississippi State was the first SEC program with the courage to hire an african american coach.
Thankfully, State brought in an AD who had the courage to be the first SEC program to fire an african american coach. He received a lot of unfair criticism for that, but it was the right thing to do.
Croom was a good man. He was just stubborn as hell, and woefully inept.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 8:56 am to Drebin
No way was Croom on the worst coach list.
He inherited a horrible situation plus probation then had to purge another 20+ talented but malcontents off the roster in 2004. So the first couple of years, 2004/05 it was a given that we were going to be so low that we were looking up at Australia.
2006 the record did not reflect it but we were getting better. After the beat down by Ole Miss in 2008 Egg Bowl, a change was appropriate but he had left the program in much better shape than he found it and left Mullen a superb 2009 signing class as well.
Felker was not a good on the field coach but like Croom in 2008 , he left a loaded roster for Sherrill who took immediate advantage of it by having success right away back in 1991.
So IMHO, if you look at the big picture, neither Felker or Croom would be on the worst coach list. I know at the end of the day, your record is what makes or breaks you but in these two cases it is more than just the record of each.
He inherited a horrible situation plus probation then had to purge another 20+ talented but malcontents off the roster in 2004. So the first couple of years, 2004/05 it was a given that we were going to be so low that we were looking up at Australia.
2006 the record did not reflect it but we were getting better. After the beat down by Ole Miss in 2008 Egg Bowl, a change was appropriate but he had left the program in much better shape than he found it and left Mullen a superb 2009 signing class as well.
Felker was not a good on the field coach but like Croom in 2008 , he left a loaded roster for Sherrill who took immediate advantage of it by having success right away back in 1991.
So IMHO, if you look at the big picture, neither Felker or Croom would be on the worst coach list. I know at the end of the day, your record is what makes or breaks you but in these two cases it is more than just the record of each.
Posted on 7/30/18 at 9:05 am to Godawgs4
quote:
No way was Croom on the worst coach list.
He inherited a horrible situation plus probation then had to purge another 20+ talented but malcontents off the roster in 2004. So the first couple of years, 2004/05 it was a given that we were going to be so low that we were looking up at Australia.
2006 the record did not reflect it but we were getting better. After the beat down by Ole Miss in 2008 Egg Bowl, a change was appropriate but he had left the program in much better shape than he found it and left Mullen a superb 2009 signing class as well.
Felker was not a good on the field coach but like Croom in 2008 , he left a loaded roster for Sherrill who took immediate advantage of it by having success right away back in 1991.
So IMHO, if you look at the big picture, neither Felker or Croom would be on the worst coach list. I know at the end of the day, your record is what makes or breaks you but in these two cases it is more than just the record of each.
So I guess we measure "worst coach" by different metrics. I remember a guy who was trying to run a west coast offense without the personnel. I remember a guy who kept an offensive coordinator out of loyalty. I remember a guy who punted from the 30 on 4th and 2 after going for it from the 45 in a game. Sylvester Croom's in-game decision making was nothing short of a comedy of errors. The only decision he made that was a great one was hiring Ellis Johnson to be his defensive coordinator, which is the main reason he won the games that he did. I watched Sylvester Croom waste talents like Omar Conner, Jerious Norwood, and Anthony Dixon.
I also remember him as a guy that could not take questions or criticism. He scoffed at anyone who dared question anything he was doing because by God, he played for the Bahr.
Sylvester Croom may not be the worst coach on the list of bad coaches in SEC history, but he's easily the worst coach I've seen at Mississippi State in my lifetime. Easily.
This post was edited on 7/30/18 at 9:09 am
Posted on 7/30/18 at 9:16 am to Somebody2
Mizzou 1985 Woody Widenhofer
4 years went 12-31-1 no bowl games
set up the lost decade of Mizzou football.
He then went to Vanderbilt where he went 15-40 in a 5 year span.
Mizzou followed up the Widenhofer fire with another filed hire in Bob Stull.
In 5 years went 15-38-2.
4 years went 12-31-1 no bowl games
set up the lost decade of Mizzou football.
He then went to Vanderbilt where he went 15-40 in a 5 year span.
Mizzou followed up the Widenhofer fire with another filed hire in Bob Stull.
In 5 years went 15-38-2.
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