Knoxville Husker
Four-Star Recruit
All we hear about lately is how great the Bama program is, what a dynasty, etc. I thought it would be useful to look back at their highly checkered 25-year period from 1983-2007, after Bear Bryant retired in 1982. Here are some numbers for Bama from 1983-2007:
Record including vacated wins: 173-111-1
Average wins per year: 7.2
Average wins excluding 29 vacated/forfeited wins: 8.4
Years with wins forfeited, vacated, or bowl ineligible: 7 (all in the 15-year period from 1993-2007).
Coaches: 7
Losing seasons (excludes the 29 foregone wins): 5
Outright conference championships: 2
National championships: 1 (1992, but 1993 team forfeited 9 games the following year due to NCAA violations and was 1-12 officially. Hard to believe 92 should have counted too.)
Alabama was viewed as a model program under Bear Bryant, but when he retired in 1982 the program fell apart and there was a coaching turnstile of 6 coaches interrupted during the relative stability and success of the Stallings era from 1990-1996. Unfortunately that period was also tainted with Alabama becoming the cheatingest program in college football, which resulted in multiple NCAA violations, 3 years of bowl ineligibility, and the further embarrassment of vacating 29 wins. The cheating and resulting penalties ran all the way from 1993 to 2007, I would surmise as a result of Alabama booster’s and coaches intense pressure and zeal to resume their place among college football’s elite.
Saban was clearly the right choice, at least unless/until they are caught cheating again but let’s hope they’ve learned their lesson. However, Alabama had to endure 6 coaches to get there while cheating rampantly with only limited success on the field. Also since Bama has learned how to “game” the recruiting system through rampant oversigning and not honoring 4-year scholarships, that may be enough of an advantage for them.
This tells us little about what to do about Bo, other than it is not easy getting back to elite status for any program once they fall (and they all do sooner or later), and may require multiple coaching changes. It does reinforce that the right coach can make a difference almost immediately, but it took Bama almost 25 years to finally get there, unless you view the Stallings “win at all costs” era that plagued the school for well over a decade of NCAA probation and forfeited games worth one national championship.
I will leave off with a final question, is this type of checkered past worth it to you? Whatever happens with Bo, next time someone jabs about a loss or how great Bama or the rest of the cheating SEC is, think about all of this and take pride in being a Husker fan no matter what. Replacing a legend is tough, but we have done if far more gracefully so far than Bama did, "Pelini Profanity" notwithstanding.
We will get through this and be great again.
Record including vacated wins: 173-111-1
Average wins per year: 7.2
Average wins excluding 29 vacated/forfeited wins: 8.4
Years with wins forfeited, vacated, or bowl ineligible: 7 (all in the 15-year period from 1993-2007).
Coaches: 7
Losing seasons (excludes the 29 foregone wins): 5
Outright conference championships: 2
National championships: 1 (1992, but 1993 team forfeited 9 games the following year due to NCAA violations and was 1-12 officially. Hard to believe 92 should have counted too.)
Alabama was viewed as a model program under Bear Bryant, but when he retired in 1982 the program fell apart and there was a coaching turnstile of 6 coaches interrupted during the relative stability and success of the Stallings era from 1990-1996. Unfortunately that period was also tainted with Alabama becoming the cheatingest program in college football, which resulted in multiple NCAA violations, 3 years of bowl ineligibility, and the further embarrassment of vacating 29 wins. The cheating and resulting penalties ran all the way from 1993 to 2007, I would surmise as a result of Alabama booster’s and coaches intense pressure and zeal to resume their place among college football’s elite.
Saban was clearly the right choice, at least unless/until they are caught cheating again but let’s hope they’ve learned their lesson. However, Alabama had to endure 6 coaches to get there while cheating rampantly with only limited success on the field. Also since Bama has learned how to “game” the recruiting system through rampant oversigning and not honoring 4-year scholarships, that may be enough of an advantage for them.
This tells us little about what to do about Bo, other than it is not easy getting back to elite status for any program once they fall (and they all do sooner or later), and may require multiple coaching changes. It does reinforce that the right coach can make a difference almost immediately, but it took Bama almost 25 years to finally get there, unless you view the Stallings “win at all costs” era that plagued the school for well over a decade of NCAA probation and forfeited games worth one national championship.
I will leave off with a final question, is this type of checkered past worth it to you? Whatever happens with Bo, next time someone jabs about a loss or how great Bama or the rest of the cheating SEC is, think about all of this and take pride in being a Husker fan no matter what. Replacing a legend is tough, but we have done if far more gracefully so far than Bama did, "Pelini Profanity" notwithstanding.
We will get through this and be great again.
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