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re: Worst mistakes in SEC history
Posted on 8/5/25 at 6:13 am to MillerLiteTime
Posted on 8/5/25 at 6:13 am to MillerLiteTime
My dad was at Kentucky when the Bear was there. He said one of the things that finally pushed Bryant out was an end of the year banquet. Rupp was given a Cadillac and Bryant got.....a cigarette lighter. 
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Posted on 8/5/25 at 6:21 am to Jimmyboy
quote:
Brian Kelly dance video
In the history of the SEC, BK dancing around recruits is one of the biggest mistakes of all time?
May wanna take a look at his DL recruiting class for 26.
Posted on 8/5/25 at 7:33 am to That LSU Guy
quote:
Mike Archer was hired over Steve Spurrier in 1987. Spurrier was passed over for the LSU job despite his desire to coach there. Instead, LSU hired Archer, who had been an assistant coach there previously. Spurrier went on to coach at Duke before eventually coaching at Florida.
wtf... this really happened??
Posted on 8/5/25 at 8:17 am to VolunGator
quote:
Due to academic confidentiality laws the university never spoke a word. PERIOD
They did say a word. They said that they never said he was caught cheating. The only person that did was Thayer Evans, while citing an anonymous source. All other media articles written about Newton being caught cheating pointed to Thayer Evans as the source.
Thayer Evans
Posted on 8/5/25 at 8:34 am to LSUbacchus81
quote:
wtf... this really happened??
Yes. Archer was hired over Spurrier, but there is even more to it.
Bill Arnsparger was supposedly pissed at then LSU athletic director Bob Broadhead because Dale Brown was drawing undue negative attention to the athletic program Broadhead did nothing so Arnsparger quit as coach of the team. On the way out Arnsparger pushed for his assistant Mike Archer to be the coach over up and coming Steve Spurrier.
Immediately after resigning Arnsparger took the AD position at Florida and hired Steve Spurrier in 1990.
This post was edited on 8/5/25 at 8:35 am
Posted on 8/5/25 at 12:43 pm to borotiger
No official from UF ever spoke a word. It's illegal. It's protected info much like HIPAA
Posted on 8/6/25 at 10:53 am to That LSU Guy
quote:
Mike Archer was hired over Steve Spurrier in 1987.
Damn!
Posted on 8/6/25 at 10:55 am to Rebelvis
quote:
My dad was at Kentucky when the Bear was there. He said one of the things that finally pushed Bryant out was an end of the year banquet. Rupp was given a Cadillac and Bryant got.....a cigarette lighter.
100% true
Posted on 8/6/25 at 10:56 am to bamabaseballsec
Usce is not a natural fit what is with you.and lsu love for cock
Posted on 8/6/25 at 11:18 am to Jdillard343434
Spurrier was not even in the top 7 for the job back when Bill left.
Spurrier had not even been the head coach at Duke let and was a USFL coach (35-21).
Archer had already been doing the recruiting for LSU as Bill did not want to recruit at all.
Steve was out of coaching in 1986 and no one really wanted him in 1987, so Steve who had been OC and QB coach at Duke, before going to the USFL, got the head coaching job at Duke in 1987.
LSU would not let Archer recruit Juco other than the 2 local players LSU placed in Juco. Prop 48 had hit recruiting hard in Louisiana, so LSU went out of state to recruit and the good ole boy network was in full effect. As LSU depended on a recruiting network that was off on many out of state recruits. The top 4 out of state recruits were near all bust. So here is Texas A&M and Miss ST hard core recruiting Juco due to prop 48 and both come on like a train.
In 1988 had SMU not got the death penalty and LSU got Harmon and Young from them, there is no way they would have won 10 games.
Louisiana recruiting would not level out until 1990 due to prop 48, but by that time Joe dean saved LSU 500k by firing Archer and hiring the worse coach in LSU history Hallman. And there were many coaches wanting the opening at that time.
SOS would have had a hard time winning at LSU by 1988 due to the drop off in talent, and by 1989 the team was weak and lacked depth.
Spurrier had not even been the head coach at Duke let and was a USFL coach (35-21).
Archer had already been doing the recruiting for LSU as Bill did not want to recruit at all.
Steve was out of coaching in 1986 and no one really wanted him in 1987, so Steve who had been OC and QB coach at Duke, before going to the USFL, got the head coaching job at Duke in 1987.
LSU would not let Archer recruit Juco other than the 2 local players LSU placed in Juco. Prop 48 had hit recruiting hard in Louisiana, so LSU went out of state to recruit and the good ole boy network was in full effect. As LSU depended on a recruiting network that was off on many out of state recruits. The top 4 out of state recruits were near all bust. So here is Texas A&M and Miss ST hard core recruiting Juco due to prop 48 and both come on like a train.
In 1988 had SMU not got the death penalty and LSU got Harmon and Young from them, there is no way they would have won 10 games.
Louisiana recruiting would not level out until 1990 due to prop 48, but by that time Joe dean saved LSU 500k by firing Archer and hiring the worse coach in LSU history Hallman. And there were many coaches wanting the opening at that time.
SOS would have had a hard time winning at LSU by 1988 due to the drop off in talent, and by 1989 the team was weak and lacked depth.
This post was edited on 8/6/25 at 12:04 pm
Posted on 8/6/25 at 11:38 am to MillerLiteTime
quote:
I'll start with a few big ones:
#1 mistake with no discussion needed or allowed.
Fricking Slive screwing the SEC over with Mizzou's entrance into the SEC!!
However, some of the stuff below is worth mentioning.
Georgia Tech going independent in 1964 over a dispute over schools recruiting "extra" players and then cutting down to scholarship limits once they were on campus for tryouts. Bobby Dodd wanted the SEC to ban this practice and threatened to leave but the rest of the conference wouldn't vote with him, especially not in a threatening manner from one school. This is a well known blunder, but what is less known is that the conference ultimately banned this practice only 9 years after GT left and in 1973 GT tried and failed to rejoin the conference after independence became an on field and financial disaster for them. Memphis or FSU were floated as potential partners along with GT to get to an even 12 after Tulane left, but the SEC didn't want or need GT anymore so they stayed at 10.
Kentucky letting Adolph Rupp push out Bear Bryant. Bryant's time at UK was longer and more successful than most realize. He took over a program that had never won a bowl game and was there for 8 years, went 60-23-5, got invites to the Orange, Cotton, and Sugar Bowls, and beat #1 OU in the 1951 Sugar Bowl. Bryant was building a powerhouse at UK and likely would have stayed much longer, but his success hurt the pride of Rupp who couldn't share a spotlight with anyone and began undermining Bryant and the football program. Rupp eventually got in trouble with the feds over bringing gambling interests on campus which led to NCAA involvement. The AD told Bryant that Rupp had agreed to resign so that the NCAA would back off, but then Rupp never left. In one of the NCAA's first major enforcement cases, the NCAA gave UK basketball the death penalty for the 52-53 season, tarnishing the entire athletic department, and Bryant left for aTm the following year after the 1953 season.
Alabama tricking Bobby Bowden into a formal interview after the 1986 season. Bowden was a Birmingham native who dreamed of coaching Alabama and was the hottest coaching candidate in the country at the time. He was in Birmingham for FSU's bowl game and got a call from someone close to the Alabama program asking if he was interested in taking over after Ray Perkins left for the NFL. He said that if an offer was on the table, he would agree to a sit down with the university President to discuss details of the job, but would not interview. He shows up for the meeting and there are 12 people in a conference room grilling him with interview questions. Bowden comes across as unprepared and doesn't kiss enough arse so they simply tell him "thanks for coming" and offer Bill Curry that night. Bowden is pissed as hell and when Alabama tries to hire him in 1990, he declines.
Posted on 8/6/25 at 1:20 pm to Porker Face
quote:
1. Missouri
I wonder why you would think this...
Surely it doesn't have anything to do with your 4-12 record in the series
Posted on 8/6/25 at 7:50 pm to Lou2theZou
Tenn not hiring Mike Leach and instead went with Butch Jones.
Posted on 8/6/25 at 8:20 pm to borotiger
Did he really throw the lap top out of the window when the cops knocked on his door? That’s what we heard at the time.
Posted on 8/6/25 at 8:59 pm to MillerLiteTime
No mention of Missouri until page 2.
The Baws are slippin' some.
The Baws are slippin' some.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 4:43 am to MillerLiteTime
Georgia not promoting Erk Russell to head coach after the 1980 season.
He went on to build Georgia Southern into a I-AA power with 3 titles in 8 seasons of coaching. After he left, GSU won 3 additional championships over the next 11 seasons.
Maybe it’s not one of the “worst” mistakes but it was certainly a big one for Georgia as the program floundered in mediocrity for the better part of 20 years. They would’ve accomplished a lot more under Erk’s leadership.
He went on to build Georgia Southern into a I-AA power with 3 titles in 8 seasons of coaching. After he left, GSU won 3 additional championships over the next 11 seasons.
Maybe it’s not one of the “worst” mistakes but it was certainly a big one for Georgia as the program floundered in mediocrity for the better part of 20 years. They would’ve accomplished a lot more under Erk’s leadership.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:55 am to MillerLiteTime
Got a second?
Posted on 8/7/25 at 5:56 am to dawgdayafternoon
I take it the fanbase was not too happy with HC Dooley flirting with his alma matar Auburn
Posted on 8/7/25 at 7:48 am to Cheese Grits
quote:
Kentucky letting Adolph Rupp push out Bear Bryant.
quote:
The real skinny, Bryant was at UK for almost a decade and never beat Tennessee.
Close...Bryant did beat Tennessee, but Bryant never beat Neyland.
Bear Bryant's last win at Kentucky was a win over Tennessee (1953 after Neyland retired at UT). He finished 4-1-1 with a loss to Ole Miss and a Tie with LSU that year. He actually lost his first 2 games, and finished off 8-0-1. Bryant actually finished off 1-0-1 vs Tennessee in his last 2 years at Kentucky. In his time at UK, he had 2 ties with Tennessee and 4 losses by 7 points or less. 1951 was the only blowout loss he had, and that was to the NC Tennessee team. In the 9 seasons prior to his arrival UK had never been within 7 points of UT.
Posted on 8/7/25 at 7:49 am to Rebelvis
quote:
My dad was at Kentucky when the Bear was there. He said one of the things that finally pushed Bryant out was an end of the year banquet. Rupp was given a Cadillac and Bryant got.....a cigarette lighter.
I'm pretty sure that is captured in The Junction Boys.
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