Head Coach Wish List

[MCAT800]

Turner Gill deserves a interview, if for no other reason then his playing time and coaching at NU.

 

I would love to see him back on the staff at any level.

[bethelbacker]

Turner Gill deserves a interview, if for no other reason then his playing time and coaching at NU.

 

I would love to see him back on the staff at any level.

 

 

My thoughts exactly. I want him to get an interview, and I'd love to see him on the staff in some capacity. And this is coming from a Bo guy.

[TLS2]

Just curious: What qualifications does Turner not fill? Better in what way? I think he would be an excellent HC because not only has he proven he can lead a team but he is also a leader in other ways. Being an HC is more than just being able to coach football. I want someone who is going to work to build character in the boys that he's coaching. I feel that Turner can do that. We've already seen that he can do that. Turner gets my vote.

 

TLS2

 

I'm sure Turner Gill is a fine coach, and being an ex player and coach he deserves an interview, but I would hate to hire him just for those reasons when we all know there are much better and more qualified candidates out there. I'm a big fan of Turner's and if he were to be hired I would support him, but I would hate for TO to limit himself.

[admo]

Based on what he's done with a poor team, he deserves consideration. All this 'Wellll III doooon't thiiink...." stuff is just horse sh#t. The facts are these.

 

1. Turner Gill was a former Nebraska player. Therefore it is reasonable to assume he understand Nebraska football and tradition.

 

2. Turner Gill has a reputation as being a good motivator. Therefore it is reasonable to assume he can motivate.

 

3. Turner Gill is turning around the worst D-1 team in existence. Therefore it is reasonable to assume he could do much more with our stockpile of talent.

 

4. Nebraska right now needs a coach who understands Nebraska football, can motivate a dead team, and can win ball games. Therefore, Turner Gill should be considered for the position.

 

For those of you who do now know, this is what we call thinking. Please note the vast difference between that and emoting. Allowing some hazy gut feeling about a coaching decision to be your guide is as stupid as it is harmful. I'm not saying Coach Gill is the best man for the job. Maybe it's Bo Pelini. Maybe it's Tom Osborne. What I do know is that Gill fits the profile of the kind of guy we should be looking for. Don't shoot down the idea before Osborne takes a look at it.

That was awesome. Totally agree.

[HuskerT]

Just curious: What qualifications does Turner not fill? Better in what way? I think he would be an excellent HC because not only has he proven he can lead a team but he is also a leader in other ways. Being an HC is more than just being able to coach football. I want someone who is going to work to build character in the boys that he's coaching. I feel that Turner can do that. We've already seen that he can do that. Turner gets my vote.

 

TLS2

 

I'm sure Turner Gill is a fine coach, and being an ex player and coach he deserves an interview, but I would hate to hire him just for those reasons when we all know there are much better and more qualified candidates out there. I'm a big fan of Turner's and if he were to be hired I would support him, but I would hate for TO to limit himself.

 

I never said he wasn't qualified or wouldn't be a good fit, I'm a huge fan of Turner's, but I think it would be a mistake for TO to limit himself to just a few candidates. Given the last failed coaching experiment don't you think we should be as thorough as possible?

[seedguy]

 

I never said he wasn't qualified or wouldn't be a good fit, I'm a huge fan of Turner's, but I think it would be a mistake for TO to limit himself to just a few candidates. Given the last failed coaching experiment don't you think we should be as thorough as possible?

 

 

Maybe I am missing something but I have not seen anyone one who is supporting Gill to get his due consideration say that Osborne should limit himself to Gill. What I have heard is that Gill deserves to be among those considered.

 

Like many others on the board here, I don't pretend to know how to best select a head coach. I trust that to Osborne. But I do think Gill has very positive attributes that put him in the running. And if after T.O. considered everything and everyone, I would not be surprised at all if T. O. would choose Gill.

 

Finally, I have been reading for many days all these posts from folks on this board and others saying point blank, end of discussion (or so it seemed to me) that Gill should not be considered. I have been just dumbfounded that the overwhelming majority of those vocalizing were "No Way" Gill. So thank you to everyone who has presented a pro Gill viewpoint here in this thread to go along with the other viewpoints. I have had a great amount of respect for Gill since his playing days more as a man of character than a coach. In my original comments, I was referring to his character and his teaching of character when I said he understand NU tradition. IMO, that is Tom's greatest legacy to this program. It does my soul good to see there are others who place both of these men in high regard as well.

 

I have confidence that Gill would surprise, apparently quite a few people, with better than expected performance as a Nebraska head coach. Is he the best candidate available? I don't know. But he should be placed among those considered.

[melscott62]

 

I never said he wasn't qualified or wouldn't be a good fit, I'm a huge fan of Turner's, but I think it would be a mistake for TO to limit himself to just a few candidates. Given the last failed coaching experiment don't you think we should be as thorough as possible?

 

 

Maybe I am missing something but I have not seen anyone one who is supporting Gill to get his due consideration say that Osborne should limit himself to Gill. What I have heard is that Gill deserves to be among those considered.

 

Like many others on the board here, I don't pretend to know how to best select a head coach. I trust that to Osborne. But I do think Gill has very positive attributes that put him in the running. And if after T.O. considered everything and everyone, I would not be surprised at all if T. O. would choose Gill.

 

Finally, I have been reading for many days all these posts from folks on this board and others saying point blank, end of discussion (or so it seemed to me) that Gill should not be considered. I have been just dumbfounded that the overwhelming majority of those vocalizing were "No Way" Gill. So thank you to everyone who has presented a pro Gill viewpoint here in this thread to go along with the other viewpoints. I have had a great amount of respect for Gill since his playing days more as a man of character than a coach. In my original comments, I was referring to his character and his teaching of character when I said he understand NU tradition. IMO, that is Tom's greatest legacy to this program. It does my soul good to see there are others who place both of these men in high regard as well.

 

I have confidence that Gill would surprise, apparently quite a few people, with better than expected performance as a Nebraska head coach. Is he the best candidate available? I don't know. But he should be placed among those considered.

 

 

yeah there are some on here that want no part of gill

[o-line54]

QUOTE(seedguy @ Oct 22 2007, 09:14 PM)

 

 

Why not Turner Gill? What has he done to be automatically disqualified by so many on these boards? The man should definitely be interviewed. Not because he happened to play here but for the reasons below.

 

First, look at what he has done at Buffalo. He inherited facilities and talent on what has been argued by ,many to be the worst program in D1 and immediately had those guys overachieving. He has those guys believing in themselves, the program and definitely in the coaching staff. Compare that to Callahan who takes five star recruits and gets them to underachieve. So on this first test, Turner is much more like Osborne and Devaney than Callahan and I suspect better than what a lot of other coaches could do at Buffalo.

 

As such he has more head coaching experience than Bo. And yes, I think Bo should be interviewed too. My point is that saying Gill doesn't have enough experience is not valid. If it is, then Bo should not be interviewed either.

 

Next Gill does have a lot of years in coaching. The man is 45 years old. Some have said maybe in a few years after he has more years of experience. Well how much more does he need and if you wait too long he'll only have a few years before retirement to give. He was a good position coach while he was here and coaching Crouch, Frost, and Tommie too (I think) certainly can't damage his credibility can it?

 

He has Texas connections for recruiting. That must count for something.

 

He was given administrative duties while here as well I believe as assistant head coach with Frank. Or some title like that anyway.

 

Finally, if he does pass the muster in all the other areas that Tom Osborne would require, then his experience as a former coach and player at one of college footballs most prestigious instituations SHOULD be considered. He is charismatic to his players and given his Nebraska player bloodlines, the state could rally around him like few others if he passes the interview requirements.

 

It would be foolish to write this talent off just because he played at NU. Yes we don't want to pull another John Blake like Oklahoma did. But Turner Gill is 45 with a lot more experience and more of a track record than Blake had at age 34 when he was hired.

 

All I am saying is give Gill a chance too. I have followed him closely since he started at Buffalo. Given what he has had to work with there, he has been very impressive in every aspect of the Head Coaching job. He has inspired the players, his coaching staff and the Buffalo community by demonstrating charisma and also character that reminds me of the man I bet he learned some of it from: Tom Osborne.

 

Some of you are very adamant about not wanting Gill. If it is fear of commiting another Blake. That is valid but it doesn't automatically disqualify Gill from consideration. Further, just because Blake didn't work out at Oklahoma doesn't mean that a former coach/player here will never work. If that is the case Bob Devaney should have never hired Tom Osborne. And Tom should have been a complete failure as Blake was at Oklahoma.

 

If Gill wants an interview, he definitely deserve a real and serious interview. And I would not be surprised that under a full and comprehensive review, Gill may be the best man for the job. In my opinion it is between Gill and Pelini. If it is a tie, Gill gets my tiebreaker vote (if I had one) due to character, experience and yes, a history and understanding of Nebraska football tradition.

 

[END OF QUOTE from SeedGuy]

 

I agree whole heartedly SeedGuy. I think Gill certainly deserves a look. He is a class guy who gave a lot to NU both as an athlete and as an assistant coach. I'm not sure he'd want to return to Lincoln. He was treated badly here when he dared marring out of his race and I'm not sure he wants to put his family through that again. Despite how we like to think of ourselves as one big happy family, Lincoln is and has always been a racially divided community.

 

I'd almost forgotten just how bad it was until I recently returned from Iraq and witnessed it for myself once again. We need to take a good look at ourselves people.

 

Sorry for jumping on that subject, but let's hope that Gill gets a fair look. As a coach I think he would make an outstanding candidate. He certainly knows our traditions and what it means to be play for our great University. He was always outstanding as a recruiter, something we've lost sight of in recent years, and hopefully can bring some honor and dignity back to us once again. We know it's not going to happen over night, no matter who takes over. GO BIG RED

 

 

I agree that Turner Gill should get strong consideration for the next coach at Nebraska. SeedGuy hit the nail on the head. Turner is a legend as a player and knows how to win. He was a part of the best teams in Nebraska history when he coached and could bring the program back to the top. If it is not him, my next choice would be Bo Pelini though. GO HUSKERS!!!!