Jack’s Blog

Those closest to Urban Meyer, from his wife to his assistants to former players to administrators at Florida, repeat the same feeling:  He’s unbelievably competitive.  He’s incredibly driven.  He’s a workaholic.  He’s a control freak.

Last year he walked away from coaching after a mega-scare at home regarding his health.  It wasn’t too long before he said he was going back to work, slowing his pace.  He coached this year and either kept his word (and cut his hours) or kept his schedule.  Whichever was true, his football team ended the season with a 7-5 record, including a regular season ending loss (his first ever) to Florida State.  Cue retirement speech #2.

In his statement, Meyer claimed he wanted to spend more time with his family.  One item on his cleared schedule is watching his girls play volleyball.  While an admirable goal, it doesn’t satisfy the deep seated needs that someone born to coach has.  A true coach regrets the moment he or she gives up the profession and, in most cases, returns after a brief hiatus.  Witness Meyer last year.

There aren’t too many coaches who leave the game on their own terms.  Exhibit A might be Bobby Bowden, who “retired” shortly after his 80th birthday.  He admitted this year that he was forced out, that he wanted one more year.  I worked for Jerry Tarkanian at Fresno State each of the seven years he was head coach at his alma mater and, although that seventh year was to be his last, he was trying to get . . . one more year.  He knew his best years were behind him but the recruiting class he had lined up gave him a chance to go out the way he wanted - a big winner.  Never mind that his seven-year run with the Bulldogs saw each year end in post-season play (5 NIT’s and 2 NCAA’s).  And we all now of the decision of Joe Paterno who recently said matter-of-factly that he was coming back for another.   “Why not?” was the 83-year-old’s reply.

Could it be that these guys remember Bear Bryant who hung on until the bitter end at Alabama even though he was a shell of himself on the sidelines, only to finally retire - and pass away months later?  Jim Sweeney, another good friend, had trouble standing throughout a game in his final year at Fresno State, yet still didn’t want to surrender.

It’s the nature of the beast.  These guys are so engulfed in what has become for so many, a time-consuming job, that they can’t fulfill their competitive jones in any other meaningful way.  People can’t understand it - because those folks have never had a job they loved so much it wasn’t a job.  It was a passion - and passion just doesn’t melt away - regardless of health or family or anything else.

So look for Urban Meyer to do what every “retired” coach does - go into the broadcast booth, or become a studio regular, only to return to the sidelines a la . . . nearly every former coach (who was given the opportunity to coach again) - with the exception of Al McGuire who, in all honesty, was never consumed with coaching in the first place.

Watching your daughters’ volleyball games is thrilling, but it just doesn’t take the place of running through the tunnel on game day.

It’s been said many times:

“If you’re lucky enough to get paid to do something you LOVE to do, you’ll never work a day in your life.”

As a former coach, I’d like to think so.  What is a “coach factor?”  It’s similar to “Win one for the Gipper.”  A coach retires, leaves (on his own or at the administration’s request), has some sort of personal setback or even dies - prior to a big game.  Does this affect the team?

Many people will say that talent wins games and is the one and only determining factor.  While I might not agree with that statement, I am completely aware that talent is far and away the most important factor in who wins or loses.  However, college football (the subject of this blog) is played on a field and not a fantasy league operation.

Emotion is and always will be part of the game.  Bobby Bowden, love him or hate him (and I’m not sure how anybody could hate a coach - excluding Adam and the rest of the James Gang), has been Florida State football for a long, long time.  His (forced) retirement could certainly have had some meaning to the Seminole players.

As far as the Sugar Bowl was concerned, it was a mismatch from the get-go.  Certainly from a talent standpoint.  But with the outpouring of love for Urban Meyer, which occurred following the outburst of negative comments from a few Cincinnati players when they learned their coach, Brian Kelly, was leaving to take the Notre Dame job, a blowout wasn’t unexpected.  Note: I wonder how many of these players who were disappointed in their coach’s “lying” to them, would have chosen Cincy over ND out of high school (had they qualified and been recruited by both schools)? 

Sometimes, the team on a positive mission (as I would call the Gators’ attitude) only needs an early break, e.g. score) to defeat the team who’s hell bent on revenge.  Undoubtedly, Florida would beat Cincinnati 10 out of 10 times.  But UC did have an undefeated season, won the Big East and I would doubt, just as strongly, that if the two squads played (with no outside distractions) ten times, none of the ten would have resulted in such a lopsided result.

How Texas Tech will play is still a mystery, but it would be interesting if someone could take a secret ballot of all the players as to their feelings toward Mike Leach - and not look at the results until after the game ends.  Michigan State has had its share of problems but nothing they’ve gone through measures up to the distraction of the Red Raiders.

Coaches are notorious for quotes and a good one regarding a team player is by Dennis Kinlaw (not a coach, but past president of Asbury College):

“One who unites others toward a shared destiny through sharing information and ideas, empowering others and developing trust.”