Solich rebuilding himself, his program

[HuskerJen]

Nothing earth-shattering here, but I found it interesting Nebraska asked Frank Solich to be the main speaker for the Huskers’ annual spring football coaches’ clinic April 2-4, an event that typically draws 500-plus prep coaches.

 

Solich told me this week there are “100 reasons I wanted to speak at the clinic,” but had to turn down the offer because his Ohio University squad will be in the midst of spring drills.

 

That Solich is eager to return to Nebraska indicates time is healing deep and ugly wounds from his 2003 firing. He still hasn’t visited the NU campus since his ouster. More on that in a minute.

 

The fact the 64-year-old Solich has a major college team to coach is a blessing he doesn’t take for granted, given the number of veteran coaches out of work or coaching in lower divisions.

 

...

 

“For one thing, there’s a little stigma attached to you if you didn’t make it work at a program, or were fired,” Solich said. “And the trend has gone toward young guys. You see it in the NFL. You see it in colleges. It just seems that once you’ve been in it for a while, and you’re an established guy, and all of a sudden you get removed from a position, it’s tough on you.”

 

...

 

“I just thought I still had a lot to offer (as a head coach),” said Solich, who’s 23-26 in four seasons at Ohio. “I felt I was good at being a head coach. I had really, in some ways, just begun my head coaching career at Nebraska and was in a little bit of a learning process.”

 

Army’s interest in Solich stemmed in part from his knowledge of the option game.

 

“I was so close to taking that job,” Solich said. However, “I was still in a tailspin at that point. Everything had happened so fast at Nebraska. I didn’t know what other jobs would be out there for me. And I didn’t know enough about the Army program to tell if it could be built. I wanted to try to take something over I could build quickly.

 

“Lord knows I haven’t built this thing (at Ohio) quickly.”

 

Solich’s contract at Ohio expires in 2013. What then?

 

“Would I be able to get back in as a running backs coach somewhere?” he asked. “I think I’d enjoy that. There are times you wonder about everything that goes on as a head coach, and the headaches you have virtually every day. Sometimes guys just want to coach football.”

 

Solich, by the way, was in charge of the Nebraska spring coaches’ clinic for several years while he was a Husker assistant (1979-97). Although he’s unable to speak at the clinic this year (maybe next year, he says) he hopes to watch a couple Husker practices later in the spring and check out NU’s facility upgrades.

 

Not that Solich considers his return to campus to be earth-shattering news of any sort.

 

“I think people there (in Nebraska) are kind of sick of seeing my name,” he said.

 

Maybe some people. Many others will be happy to see Frank, and heartened to see old wounds in the program healing.

 

 

I love Frank Solich for all of his contributions to Nebraska Football.

 

However, he's just not cut out to to a head football coach. There's no shame here it's just simple reality. Being a head football coach is a lot like being a CEO of a company, not everyone can do it.

 

Frank's biggest problem is that he absolutely sucks as an offensive coordinator and most everybody can see that, except him.

 

Prior to the '08 season, on another Husker bbs board, I openly stated that Ohio would be lucky to finish 6-6. And what happened? Ohio went 4-8.

 

Again, I respect FS because of his years of service as a player and assistant coach but he's not head coach material.

 

[huKSer]

Frank is one of the Good Guys

 

Just as long as he is not getting popped for DUI's!

 

1. People wh live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

T_O_B

 

Not really...........First off, I don't drink and drive. That is kind of frowned upon in my profession (although it's also the same to a college football coach). Second, I am not a head coach at a major university. Oh and by the way....I live in a house that is made of cement, not glass. Frank's a tool....never really cared for the guy much.

If I remember the stories correctly . . . The state patrol used to routinely stop a former NU head coach, notice the open beer and whiskey containers in the car and alcohol on his breath, and then politely apologize to Coach Devaney for interupting his trip. Course it was the '60s.

[Blackshirtsguru]

Frank is one of the Good Guys

 

Just as long as he is not getting popped for DUI's!

 

1. People wh live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

T_O_B

 

Not really...........First off, I don't drink and drive. That is kind of frowned upon in my profession (although it's also the same to a college football coach). Second, I am not a head coach at a major university. Oh and by the way....I live in a house that is made of cement, not glass. Frank's a tool....never really cared for the guy much.

If I remember the stories correctly . . . The state patrol used to routinely stop a former NU head coach, notice the open beer and whiskey containers in the car and alcohol on his breath, and then politely apologize to Coach Devaney for interupting his trip. Course it was the '60s.

 

Times have changed my friend.

[HuskerTrucker]

Frank is one of the Good Guys

 

Just as long as he is not getting popped for DUI's!

 

1. People wh live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

T_O_B

 

Not really...........First off, I don't drink and drive. That is kind of frowned upon in my profession (although it's also the same to a college football coach). Second, I am not a head coach at a major university. Oh and by the way....I live in a house that is made of cement, not glass. Frank's a tool....never really cared for the guy much.

If I remember the stories correctly . . . The state patrol used to routinely stop a former NU head coach, notice the open beer and whiskey containers in the car and alcohol on his breath, and then politely apologize to Coach Devaney for interupting his trip. Course it was the '60s.

 

Times have changed my friend.

The way it is now days, nobody is going to get away with DUI for long if they are doing it on a regular basis. The cops look for it. It isn't like the old days when I was younger and you could drive around to waste time with a cold one. Now if you go to a bar close to the house, and you drive straight home, you can still get popped.

 

Frank was a good coach, but I couldn't stand his post game interviews - always said basically the same thing, and looked like a moron doing it. Used to drive me absolutely nuts watching him on national TV - looked like an idiot, which he was not...he needed a media coach for God's sake!!

[junior4949]

Frank is one of the Good Guys

 

Just as long as he is not getting popped for DUI's!

 

1. People wh live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

T_O_B

 

Not really...........First off, I don't drink and drive. That is kind of frowned upon in my profession (although it's also the same to a college football coach). Second, I am not a head coach at a major university. Oh and by the way....I live in a house that is made of cement, not glass. Frank's a tool....never really cared for the guy much.

If I remember the stories correctly . . . The state patrol used to routinely stop a former NU head coach, notice the open beer and whiskey containers in the car and alcohol on his breath, and then politely apologize to Coach Devaney for interupting his trip. Course it was the '60s.

 

Times have changed my friend.

 

Apparently, times have changed and so has science. So, yeah I was mistaken. Solich wasn't allowed a retrial to overturn his no contest plea. The judge said it was because the 3 drinks Solich testified to have drank would have been enough to grant a DUI. 10 years ago, I was pulled over and cited for a DUI. I on the other hand was smart enough to not plea guilty. I went to trial and got off because the clown for a highway patrolman didn't have me spit out my chewing tobacco 15 minutes prior to taking the breath test. I blew just barely over the legal limits. Long story short, tobacco dramatically increases the breath test so I wasn't legally drunk at all. Anyway back to how science must have changed. I'm 6'1 and 190 pounds. An expert witness testified that it would have taken 6 drinks to have impaired me. Am I that much bigger than Solich that 3 would have impaired him? I highly doubt it. The thing I've always been told is to never ever plea guilty unless it's for murder and they've got you dead to rights.

[Blackshirtsguru]

Frank is one of the Good Guys

 

Just as long as he is not getting popped for DUI's!

 

1. People wh live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

T_O_B

 

Not really...........First off, I don't drink and drive. That is kind of frowned upon in my profession (although it's also the same to a college football coach). Second, I am not a head coach at a major university. Oh and by the way....I live in a house that is made of cement, not glass. Frank's a tool....never really cared for the guy much.

If I remember the stories correctly . . . The state patrol used to routinely stop a former NU head coach, notice the open beer and whiskey containers in the car and alcohol on his breath, and then politely apologize to Coach Devaney for interupting his trip. Course it was the '60s.

 

Times have changed my friend.

 

Apparently, times have changed and so has science. So, yeah I was mistaken. Solich wasn't allowed a retrial to overturn his no contest plea. The judge said it was because the 3 drinks Solich testified to have drank would have been enough to grant a DUI. 10 years ago, I was pulled over and cited for a DUI. I on the other hand was smart enough to not plea guilty. I went to trial and got off because the clown for a highway patrolman didn't have me spit out my chewing tobacco 15 minutes prior to taking the breath test. I blew just barely over the legal limits. Long story short, tobacco dramatically increases the breath test so I wasn't legally drunk at all. Anyway back to how science must have changed. I'm 6'1 and 190 pounds. An expert witness testified that it would have taken 6 drinks to have impaired me. Am I that much bigger than Solich that 3 would have impaired him? I highly doubt it. The thing I've always been told is to never ever plea guilty unless it's for murder and they've got you dead to rights.

 

 

 

You do know that you can be arrested/convicted of DUI and still be under the legal limit don't you? There's a little word called impairment. It's all about articulation and video evidence during the SFST. Certian people are effected much different than others when it comes to alcohol.

[tmfr15]

Frank was arrested by an officer named Osborne. No need to look for irony. Frank's DUI was a sobering hit for a fan like me, but I also feel for the man. It had been about a year since he was run out of Lincoln, unfairly in my opinion. Frank is allowed to be a human and I am still a huge fan of his. I look forward to the day when he can get a standing ovation from the NU faithful at a Husker homegame.

[junior4949]

Frank is one of the Good Guys

 

Just as long as he is not getting popped for DUI's!

 

1. People wh live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones.

T_O_B

 

Not really...........First off, I don't drink and drive. That is kind of frowned upon in my profession (although it's also the same to a college football coach). Second, I am not a head coach at a major university. Oh and by the way....I live in a house that is made of cement, not glass. Frank's a tool....never really cared for the guy much.

If I remember the stories correctly . . . The state patrol used to routinely stop a former NU head coach, notice the open beer and whiskey containers in the car and alcohol on his breath, and then politely apologize to Coach Devaney for interupting his trip. Course it was the '60s.

 

Times have changed my friend.

 

Apparently, times have changed and so has science. So, yeah I was mistaken. Solich wasn't allowed a retrial to overturn his no contest plea. The judge said it was because the 3 drinks Solich testified to have drank would have been enough to grant a DUI. 10 years ago, I was pulled over and cited for a DUI. I on the other hand was smart enough to not plea guilty. I went to trial and got off because the clown for a highway patrolman didn't have me spit out my chewing tobacco 15 minutes prior to taking the breath test. I blew just barely over the legal limits. Long story short, tobacco dramatically increases the breath test so I wasn't legally drunk at all. Anyway back to how science must have changed. I'm 6'1 and 190 pounds. An expert witness testified that it would have taken 6 drinks to have impaired me. Am I that much bigger than Solich that 3 would have impaired him? I highly doubt it. The thing I've always been told is to never ever plea guilty unless it's for murder and they've got you dead to rights.

 

 

 

You do know that you can be arrested/convicted of DUI and still be under the legal limit don't you? There's a little word called impairment. It's all about articulation and video evidence during the SFST. Certian people are effected much different than others when it comes to alcohol.

 

First, I have to admit that I'm from the hick part of the state. Here, this is how DUI's work. I can't recall a DUI ever sticking where the person was under the legal limit. The law states that even if you do blow over the legal limit you are entitled to another chemical test whether it be blood or urine if you ask for it. I've seen many DUI's thrown out of court because the cops refused the second chemical test. I've not seen one case where the police even tried to attempt a DUI conviction if someone blew under the legal limit. I've seen many cases where the person arrested asked for a second chemical test which showed them under the legal limit and all charges were dropped.

 

Unless Frank has never imbibed the sweet nector of alcohol, I highly doubt 3 drinks would cause him to pass out and not even be able to locate his billfold. The dumbest thing he did in all of this was plea no contest. Obviously an independant lab confirmed the date rate drug in his system. If he wouldn't have plead no contest, I'd be willing to bet nearly anything I have that the charges would have been dropped. Again, I stress never ever plea no contest. The highway patrolman that tried to nail me thought he had me dead to rights until he met my lawyer. I've never seen a guy shake so much. Funny thing is he lied on the stand and was then busted by his own video, yet the courts did nothing to him. He should have been fired. At least he's never pulled me over again.

[caveman99]

I love Frank Solich for all of his contributions to Nebraska Football.

 

However, he's just not cut out to to a head football coach. There's no shame here it's just simple reality. Being a head football coach is a lot like being a CEO of a company, not everyone can do it.

 

Frank's biggest problem is that he absolutely sucks as an offensive coordinator and most everybody can see that, except him.

 

Prior to the '08 season, on another Husker bbs board, I openly stated that Ohio would be lucky to finish 6-6. And what happened? Ohio went 4-8.

 

Again, I respect FS because of his years of service as a player and assistant coach but he's not head coach material.

 

Well if Frank was such a bad Offensive Coordinator, how do you explain his success under TO?

[caveman99]

yah it happened weeks after pud swung the ax.

 

solich was a known quantity and he knew the option; given that navy had paul johnson who was also getting the most out of his players using the option, solich looked like a good way to go.

 

solich turned down army because he had just been kicked to the curb by his alma mater and was still stinging the way he was let go.

 

i mean, jeez... he beats colorado, thinks he's secured his job and then gets canned later that night. that's gotta leave a mark.

 

could solich have been what army was looking for? given how they've been at very best mediocre since the 90s, who knows? it does make you think tho...

Well the whole Army thing is interesting, but I am not sure if Frank would have been successful. Army had just fired a coach, Todd Berry, that had attempted to transition the team from the Option Attack that won them 10 games as recently as 1996 into a wide open passing attack. That experiment failed badly and left the roster full of personnel that aren't right for the option. The funny thing about Army going after Frank is that in the end they got a coach, Bobby Ross, who came in and ran a Pro-Set Offense, they didn't go find the next coach on their list that would run the option. 5 years later they just hired a coach that is one of the best at running the option offense, his team, a FCS team, set all sorts of records on offense. Had they made the transition back in 2003 and not gone off the beaten path after getting turned down by Frank, then maybe they wouldn't have had the recent issues they have now.

[HuskerJen]

I love Frank Solich for all of his contributions to Nebraska Football.

 

However, he's just not cut out to to a head football coach. There's no shame here it's just simple reality. Being a head football coach is a lot like being a CEO of a company, not everyone can do it.

 

Frank's biggest problem is that he absolutely sucks as an offensive coordinator and most everybody can see that, except him.

 

Prior to the '08 season, on another Husker bbs board, I openly stated that Ohio would be lucky to finish 6-6. And what happened? Ohio went 4-8.

 

Again, I respect FS because of his years of service as a player and assistant coach but he's not head coach material.

 

Well if Frank was such a bad Offensive Coordinator, how do you explain his success under TO?

 

Because Tom Osborne called the plays.

[Blackshirtsguru]

I love Frank Solich for all of his contributions to Nebraska Football.

 

However, he's just not cut out to to a head football coach. There's no shame here it's just simple reality. Being a head football coach is a lot like being a CEO of a company, not everyone can do it.

 

Frank's biggest problem is that he absolutely sucks as an offensive coordinator and most everybody can see that, except him.

 

Prior to the '08 season, on another Husker bbs board, I openly stated that Ohio would be lucky to finish 6-6. And what happened? Ohio went 4-8.

 

Again, I respect FS because of his years of service as a player and assistant coach but he's not head coach material.

 

Well if Frank was such a bad Offensive Coordinator, how do you explain his success under TO?

 

Because Tom Osborne called the plays.

 

and....that's that!