Not necessarily a question, per se but more of an observation. Your "Best Fit" article on Gene Chizik does raise good questions as to why Turner Gill did not get hired at Auburn, however your points of defense seem to be lacking in insight.
As a native Nebraskan and someone who has followed the program religiously (obviously) quite longer than you, I can say the questions raised about Gill not being hired by Nebraska as the Head Coach last year at around this time show a lack of research and, as stated above, insight. One needn't look too deeply into the situation to see that, at that particular point in time, Gill was not the best candidate to make an immediate impact as the next coach of the University of Nebraska. Gill is most certainly an incredible prospect and, as you look back on his body of work as a coach, you can say he has been quite successful. Having coached National Championships at Nebraska and talents such as Tommie Frazier, it is clear the man is talented and knowledgeable. Taking his experience into account should raise an immediate answer as to why he was not hired at Nebraska: offense. Gill played quarterback, coached quarterbacks and had a primary focus on the offensive side of the football.
Did you bother to look into the type of season Nebraska had put together that resulted in the firing of Bill Callahan? The woes were on the *defensive* side of the football and Callahan was ultimately fired because he was either unwilling or unable to separate business from his friendship with Kevin Cosgrove, the Defensive Coordinator. There was a direct relationship between the complete lack of defensive effort by the Cornhuskers last season and the firing of Bill Callahan. Much to many Husker fans' dismay, the offense consistently put up points and should have won many games handily, were a defensive unit even *fielded* at the same time. Even cursory examination of just the 2007 Nebraska/Colorado game would have yielded that much.
In his press conference to name Bo Pelini as head coach at Nebraska, Interim AD Tom Osborne clearly pointed out as much, stating the decision came down to the defensive side of the ball. Bo Pelini, as I am sure your research for this article had uncovered, is a defensive coach with great success not only as coordinator at Nebraska but at Oklahoma and LSU as well. Of course this happened after being named, however the National Championship garnered by LSU last year and the falloff of their defense during this season attest to Pelini’s abilities. The turnaround at Nebraska is quite clear as well, even at the time you wrote your article. Of course one part of your argument is right, only time will tell if the Pelini hire was the right one to help Nebraska get back on the right track for the long-term.
Another point you have overlooked, either purposefully or accidentally, is the relationship between Tom Osborne and Turner Gill. Both men are cut from the same cloth, devout Christians who have the unique ability to inspire others around them to be better men. This is something Gill had honed at his time at Nebraska under Osborne’s tutelage. Osborne was even the best man at Turner’s wedding. To even imply that Gill was not hired at Nebraska due to race is the pinnacle of ignorance, given not only their relationship but the regard in which Gill is held within the state itself. Especially when taken into account the fact Osborne was intimately involved in the selection process of the new head coach.
While I do feel the point of race is important, especially when talking about equal opportunities (which is what the system should be all about, not equal *numbers* of coaches from all ethnic backgrounds) for minority coaches, not just African-American coaches, it gets easily muddled in this day-in-age. A point most writers seem to overlook is that if Turner Gill gets hired as a head coach at a different program there are still the same amount of African-American head coaches in the FBS. Perhaps the reason is due to what most writers feel as “justice” and would no doubt be a feel good story. Turner is someone I root for on a daily basis because he is such a great individual, so I can see where others would do the same.
In closing I would just like to raise a particular question: as a journalist, is not the point of the profession what most refer to as “journalistic integrity?” To have a voice that can reach many people is an awesome power, one that should not be taken lightly. I would challenge you to, the next time you write an article that calls into question the integrity of the University of Nebraska and therefore the inhabitants of the state itself (which, even if your overall intent was to question the decision by Auburn officials to pass over Gill for a candidate that seems to be a notch below him when resumes are compared, a resounding theme of the article did, in fact, question Nebraska and imply race as a deciding factor), put forth more effort in research and attempt to capture as much of the true story as possible. This would ensure meeting the standard of journalistic integrity to which you no doubt hold yourself.
