Ifs & Buts - If Tom had coached another 10 years

TGHusker

TGHusker

Heisman Trophy Winner
Following the 'Dynasty" thread (yes the 1990's Husker 5 year run beats Bama's) got me thinking and asking this question: What if Tom coached another 10 years (retiring after the 2006 season? What would have been the outcome and Tom's legacy. This is all subjective and we'll never know but in this 'down time' before signing day and spring ball - I thought it might be an interesting topic.

Some things to consider:

1.What would NU football look like today wt no Billy C or Frank S as head coaches?

2.Would Tom's offense still work with his recruits/playcalling? The 1999 team was a fumble away from playing in the NCG. Frank still was running Tom's O and had mostly Tom's recruits. The 2001 team which played for the NC ran the same O but had far fewer of Tom's recruits.

3.Was the poorer performance of Solich's option teams due to the system (triple option), poor recruiting and coaching or other teams catching up wt us (thus it wouldn't have matter if Tom or Frank was coach.)

4. Could we have won the 2001 NCG against Miami? (All of Tom's recruits and coaching).

5. If Tom retired on top and had a normal coach search (instead of firing a 9-3 coach and throwing the program into chaos) would we have secured a top tier coach who would still be with us today (a Sabin, Stoops type) ?

6. What would Tom's legacy be? A coach who stayed on too long or one of the top 3 of all time?

Me:

1 & 5. I don't think we'd be looking at 9-4 seasons. We would have secured a high profile coach who would have maintain a high level of performance.

2. I think Tom's O would still work wt modification. It was a machine in operation - when he had the right players plugged in, it was hard to stop. His D was rebuilt wt speed in the back and strength up front so it would have done fine with today's Os.

3. The poor performance was a result of recruiting downgrade and coaching. The 99 team was one of the better teams not to play in a NCG and it was mostly Tom's recruits. By 2001 we began to see QB left and QB right - With Eric and Jamel taking too much of the load. Talent wasn't as good around them and the play calling less imaginative. I think this caused the death of the Neb option more than it being an 'outdated' system.

4. Yes, if we had maintained the talent level, we could have competed with and possibly win the NCG in 2001. I think the 99 team could have beat the 2001 Miami team. The 99 team destroyed a very good Tenn team in the Fiesta Bowl. I think he would have added 1 or 2 more NC.

6. One of the top 3 of all time - behind Rockne and Bear.

This website had him at # 8 which is too low.

http://www.statesman...all-time/nSztQ/

 
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I wont' answer all of those questions, but I think if he stayed another decade he wouldn't be revered as the untouchable legend that he is today.

He went out on top of the world - the only place to go from there was down.

 
Landlord of Memorial Stadium said:
I wont' answer all of those questions, but I think if he stayed another decade he wouldn't be revered as the untouchable legend that he is today.

He went out on top of the world - the only place to go from there was down.
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I agree.

Although he would have been more likely to add more national championships as opposed to going down in flames ala Joe Paterno or Woody Hayes, or simply staying too long and being forced out ala Bobby Bowden, Osborne really did leave at the perfect time: at his peak, with dignity, and leaving the fans wanting more. That's a superstar performer right there.

 
Possibly...I do think we do much better than the Holiday bowl in 98 (Solich's playcalling was pretty bad...fullback keeper again anyone).

99 we probably beat Texas the first time and play for another title. After that who knows. Crouch may not be qb....might have been Newcombe.

 
Maybe another 3-4 years we woulda still been elite, but at some point, the next great coach was going to move into the neighborhood. Cowherd had a very interesting commentary one day in how great coaches on top the world started losing out to new coaches moving in. Chip Kelly did to Pete Carroll. Art Briles and Mike Gundy to Mack Brown and Bob Stoops. Saban to Urban Meyer. And now the next one maybe Malzahn to Saban. Football is constantly changing and at some point, a guy just runs low on the fuel it takes to stay on top.

 
Mr. Accountability said:
Maybe another 3-4 years we woulda still been elite, but at some point, the next great coach was going to move into the neighborhood. Cowherd had a very interesting commentary one day in how great coaches on top the world started losing out to new coaches moving in. Chip Kelly did to Pete Carroll. Art Briles and Mike Gundy to Mack Brown and Bob Stoops. Saban to Urban Meyer. And now the next one maybe Malzahn to Saban. Football is constantly changing and at some point, a guy just runs low on the fuel it takes to stay on top.
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Very good observation. Even within Tom's 25 years you see that happening - Only flukes kept him from winning 3 possible MNC from 81-83 (Ok Clemson wasn't a fluke, but 1 yard out of bounds PSU and tip pass Miami were). Tom dominated this time. We regained the mojo in the 1990s - actually had it most of the 1980s outside of some sooner magic. I think you are probably correct on the 3-4 years maybe 5 tops. By that time his long time trusted assistant coaches would be moving on or retire and it is hard to maintain when that occurs. Good chance we win out right in 99 and play even wt Miami in 2001 - The 2000 team may have been better than the 2001 team but we lost to Bob Stoops in Norman during his championship run (I was at that game - it looked like we were going to walk away wt it, then the 2nd half was a complete collapse.) & later to KSU. 1998 was an injury filled year like this year so who knows what would have happened then. 20/20 and speculation is all we got - but I do think there would have been more fireworks if Tom stayed another 5 years - the 99 team proved the potential was still there.

 
I think he woulda just been worn on. Like the other guys I mentioned. first they start losing a couple games a year, then it's 3, and before you know it, like Carroll, Stoops, Brown, and even Meyer, they have young team and theyre going 6-6 or 7-5 and winding up in a sh#t bowl trying to figure out how to get the mojo back when your rival has turned into a freight train. Stoops and Brown were those guys to solich. It's quite possible they woulda been those guys to TO as well. Let's face it, he got out at the right time. He gave us the joy of being able to remember him as how great he really was.

 
In the greater scheme, it's good that Osborne retired when he did. He was worn out and in poor health. If he'd tried to coach for another ten years, I don't think he would still be with us. And I'm glad he is.

 
How about we focus on what he did the ten years or so after he retired? $ Byrne wanted to offer Bob Stoops the job as TO's successor. TO played his trump card, therefore handing the job to Solich. Pud was then hired as AD after getting a huge recommendation by TO. Fast forward to 2007. TO had three coaches on his short list. Two have since been fired or forced out of their respective jobs with only Bo having a high profile gig. Obviously, being on the sideline would have been a lot less costly.

 
junior4949 said:
How about we focus on what he did the ten years or so after he retired? $ Byrne wanted to offer Bob Stoops the job as TO's successor. TO played his trump card, therefore handing the job to Solich. Pud was then hired as AD after getting a huge recommendation by TO. Fast forward to 2007. TO had three coaches on his short list. Two have since been fired or forced out of their respective jobs with only Bo having a high profile gig. Obviously, being on the sideline would have been a lot less costly.
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Okay I'm waiting for you to add in the rest. Go on. Let's see the full resume please.

 
Speaking of Dr. Tom and the “what if's” causes me to pause and reflect on so many games where one bounce of the ball could have changed the course of History! Think back to the pros and cons back in the 70s, 80s and 90s and just think of all the “what ifs” you could come up with.

 
TAKODA said:
Speaking of Dr. Tom and the “what if's” causes me to pause and reflect on so many games where one bounce of the ball could have changed the course of History! Think back to the pros and cons back in the 70s, 80s and 90s and just think of all the “what ifs” you could come up with.
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What if Mo didn't beat us in 78 after we won the 2nd game of the century against Billy Sims and the sooners. We were caught on that emotional roller coaster. Perhaps a nat'l championship was lost as a result.

What if the refs had eyes at PSU - nat'l championship

What if Rozier wasn't sideline wt injury and we ran a diff play for the 2 point conversion - nat'l championship

What if Keith Jackson of the sooners doesn't catch the long TD pass (didn't it occur 2 years in a row ?) another national championship shot

What if most of the team wasn't suffering from food poisoning in the CCG in 96 - 4 championships in a role?? A shot at playing Florida again for the national championship

What if the refs played fair in the 1993 NCG against FSU - 5 championships in a row.

What if we didn't fumble against Texas in 99 - most likely 6 championships out of 7 years (if the above "ifs" had worked out.)

Every team has that one play that has 'spoiled' a season but NU has had a bunch of them - ones that most likely cost us a shot at a national championship.

Bo has had several 'what ifs' as well. These are 2 big ones: :

What if that one second wasn't placed back on the clock on behalf of texas- There would be less heat on Bo now.

What if the Hail Mary pass didn't work - Bo may be out of a job now.

 
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I think TO probably coaches through 2001. NU wins a title in '99 and loses in the title game in '01 (62-36 doesn't happen, but we still lose to that Miami team anyway) and then he goes out with Crouch.

We still hire Frank, and 2002 is probably still a tough year, but he gets a free pass for it being season one. What happens after that is anybody's guess, but he certainly doesn't get fired in late '03 unless that team is somehow worse. Would have been interesting to see it play out.

 
Tom was very successful his entire career and would have continued to be successful if he had stayed. His offense didn't stay the same for 25 years, when he felt it needed changing, he changed it.

The biggest question is how would his successor have been chosen if he had stayed.

 
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