Col Jessup
I think you swerved into what I think is the biggest thing most folks miss when discussing Fran and his moves. Most coaches, Stoops included, earn a head coaching gig by proving themselves as top assistant coaches, usually as coordinators at successful programs. That is what Stoops did, Mac v3 did, Mark Richt, Friedgen, etc. that route allows you to be a bit pickier I think, especially when you're as well regarded as Stoops was at Florida. Fran has earned his place by being a great head coach everywhere he's been. Very little time as an assistant, I guess only the 2 years as OC at one of the directional Tennessee schools.
I'm not saying that either path is wrong, but when you're a successful HC at a small program, a bigger program that wants that success is going to buy you. When your start at NAIA, there's a lot of room to move up before you reach the top, and Fran hit most levels along the way before he got to Bama, which should have been the top. He only left Bama because of the NCAA situation, which we all know is going to be worse than anyone has seen since SMU. Assistant coaches tend to also have a lot of stops along the way, but they aren't as well chronicled because they were assistants rather than head coaches. I'd actually be surprised if Fran's had more jobs in the past 20 years than your average head coach that took the more traditional route.
"Kyle Field at Texas A&M, outside of which they buried five Reveilles, the border collie mascot, in such a way that the passed-away pooches could "see" the field. When they expanded the stadium, blocking the view, the Aggies built a small scoreboard nearby so the dearly departed mascots could see the score of the game. Until you have been among the crowd of 25,000 or more that gathers at midnight Friday to scream and yell in advance of the next day's game, you really can't appreciate the depth of feeling for the game at this place." -- Bart Wright, Greenville, SC Online Paper
[This message has been edited by LOYAL AG (edited 8/17/2003 10:43a).]
