I’ve toyed around with the idea of pointing out some silly comments swirling around after State hired Tom O’Brien, but normal-life, Christmas, and an emergency at work kept getting in the way. I had about decided to let the stupidity drift off into the sunset, but Bob Lipper’s column on a quiet Saturday morning changed my mind.
He’s [TOB] also the anti-Amato, a major reason he was hired.
What AD would use personality as a major criterion for a coaching search? Has Fowler ever even hinted that “personality†was one of his criteria for the coaching search? If I missed it, please point it out and I will turn this piece into another look at the Mind of Lee Fowler.
Go through a little mental exercise with me. Run through a list of Div I coaches and see how many that you can come up with that have the outgoing, public personality of Amato. There just aren’t many. The key point is that no matter who turned out to be State’s next football coach, he could most likely be portrayed as the “anti-Amato.†Insight like Lipper’s (and plenty of others) is about as useful as saying that the sun is going to rise in the east.
Beyond the typical nonsense blurted about as a coaching search is underway, what was State looking for? Let’s start with a short quote from Chancellor Oblinger:
Oblinger said, “We’re not going for somebody who has no experience to take the job, so we know there’s going to be an expense associated with it. …
My guess on the major goal of the coaching search has nothing to do with personality and everything to do with history. You can be sure that there are plenty of grey-haired gentlemen with contacts in high places that remember the Mike O’Cain vs Mack Brown era. I can’t imagine that any State fan wants to repeat those years…especially those that have invested millions into State’s football facilities. Do you think that some of those gentlemen might have given Fowler a short history lesson? Do you think that someone might have mentioned to Oblinger that they would “hate to see that happen again�
I don’t understand why more hasn’t been written on State’s coaching search in the context of Butch Davis being hired at UNC. I wouldn’t necessarily expect someone from Richmond to pick up on this….and it is obviously expecting too much from the “professional†writers in the Triangle.
And his [Amato’s] efforts frequently unraveled when snagged by boneheaded sideline decisions and penalty-inflicted breakdowns.
Isn’t selective memory a wonderful thing? How many times did missed extra points, missed field goals inside the 40 yard line, and fumbles lead to State losses? What about the ineffective play at QB since Rivers left?
In the end, the coaches are responsible for the wins and the losses. When losses mount, jobs are lost. Here at SFN, we have written many entries to summarize the entire picture with football and basketball. I guess it is too much to expect people who get paid for their commentaries to do the same.
Never argue with people who buy ink by the gallon.
Tommy Lasorda
I wonder if Tommy figured this out by personal experience or just observation. I wonder if Chuck has figured it out now.
