Nebraska a destination job?

[Born N Bled Red]

I keep hearing from those who believe that staff changes need to be made, that Nebraska is a destination job, not a proving ground. Out of curiosity I looked into the head coaching history of Nebraska- for the last 40 years, Nebraska has been coached by a 1st time collegiate head coach. The only one in that time frame with head coaching experience prior to being HC at Nebraska was Bill Callahan- 2 years w/ the Raiders.

Bob Devaney is the only non-1st time collegiate head coach since Bill Glassford in 1955.

Historically- Nebraska has had 16 1st time head coaches their combined record 504-209- 8--- 69.9% winning percentage- of course much of that credit goes to Dr. Tom with more than half of those wins.

Nebraska has had 15 non- first time collegiate head coaches with Bob Devaney being the last. Their combined record, 367-145- 21 for a 68.8% winning percentage. Bob Devaney has nearly 1/3 of those wins.

What I think this shows, 1 Nebraska is not a "destination" where Big time head coaches come to finish out their career. Hiring Devaney from Wyoming is the biggest name hire we've made. We have not hired a coach from another "BCS" school in 70ish years. 2. Hiring a coach with or without headcoaching experience is a wash. It's about hiring the right coach. Just because someone has done it before does not guarantee them success.

Bo Pelini- 1st time head coach - record 56 - 23

Bill Callahan - 1st time college head coach - 27-22

Frank Solich - 1st time head coach - 58-19

Tom Osborn- 1st time head coach - 255-49-3

Bill Jennings - 1st time head coach - 15-34-1

Pete Elliot - 1st time head coach - 4-6

Bernie Masterson - 1st time head coach - 5-13

Adolph Lewanski - 1st time head coach - 4-12

Glen Presnell - 1st time head coach - 3-7

Walter Booth - 1st time head coach - 53-8-2

Alonzo Branch - 1st time head coach - 2-7-1

Eddie Robinson - 1st time head coach - 11-4-1

Charles Thomas - 1st time head coach - 6-3

JS Williams - 1st time head coach - 1-0

TU Lyman- 1st time head coach - 2-2

Langdon Frothingham- 1st time head coach - 2-0

Bob Devaney - 101-20 - 2

Bill Glassford - 31- 35- 3

George Clark - 6-13

Biff Jones - 28-14-4

Dana Bible 50-15-7

Earnest Bearg - 23-7-3

Fred Dawson - 23-7-2

Henry Schulte- 8-6-3

William Kline - 2-3-1

EJ Stewart - 11-4

Ewald Steihm - 35-2-3

W.C. Cole - 25-8-3

Amos Foster -6-4

Frank Crawford - 10-4-1

Fielding Yost - 8-3

 

[NUance]

Walter Booth - 53-8-2

Bob Devaney - 101-20 - 2

Booth > Bobfather?? Oh, that's sacrilege.

 

[jimk]

I bet some people here would have wanted Langdon Frothingham fired. He never got to nine wins but he was undefeated.

 

[Count 'Bility]

it's so hard to do any of this kind of things, because we've had more coaches in the past 10 years (16 if you go with Solich's entire tenure), than we had in the previous 36. 36 years guided by only 2 guys. So much has changed with the game and program in that span that it's really hard to decide.

I said this the other day. I think some thought of it as another one of my smart a$$ remarks, but I was serious. That a lot of times I truly believe that Devaney and Osborne were a 35 year lightening in a bottle, and that what we've experienced over the past 10 years or so is what Nebraska football is probably meant to be. Who knows. Doom or gloom. But I've seen a lot of instances over the past 10 years of bad bounces, to unfortunate cases, to flat out incompetence and blowouts to wonder that maybe we're just destined to mediocrity. That maybe a return to relevance, or eliteness for that matter, is just not meant to be. Scary to think about.

 

[Landlord]

it's so hard to do any of this kind of things, because we've had more coaches in the past 10 years (16 if you go with Solich's entire tenure), than we had in the previous 36. 36 years guided by only 2 guys. So much has changed with the game and program in that span that it's really hard to decide.

I said this the other day. I think some thought of it as another one of my smart a$$ remarks, but I was serious. That a lot of times I truly believe that Devaney and Osborne were a 35 year lightening in a bottle, and that what we've experienced over the past 10 years or so is what Nebraska football is probably meant to be. Who knows. Doom or gloom. But I've seen a lot of instances over the past 10 years of bad bounces, to unfortunate cases, to flat out incompetence and blowouts to wonder that maybe we're just destined to mediocrity. That maybe a return to relevance, or eliteness for that matter, is just not meant to be. Scary to think about.

Even if that were true, our perceived mediocre destiny is so much more accomplished and enjoyable than almost everyone else's dream results. I won't complain.

 

[Redux]

it's so hard to do any of this kind of things, because we've had more coaches in the past 10 years (16 if you go with Solich's entire tenure), than we had in the previous 36. 36 years guided by only 2 guys. So much has changed with the game and program in that span that it's really hard to decide.
I said this the other day. I think some thought of it as another one of my smart a$$ remarks, but I was serious. That a lot of times I truly believe that Devaney and Osborne were a 35 year lightening in a bottle, and that what we've experienced over the past 10 years or so is what Nebraska football is probably meant to be. Who knows. Doom or gloom. But I've seen a lot of instances over the past 10 years of bad bounces, to unfortunate cases, to flat out incompetence and blowouts to wonder that maybe we're just destined to mediocrity. That maybe a return to relevance, or eliteness for that matter, is just not meant to be. Scary to think about.

I totally see what your getting at and have pondered the same thing. But its what Devaney and Dr. Tom did that elevated us above that mediocrity status. If not for them we could very well be an Indiana or Kentucky. Lets face it, were a small populated state in a cold region. The recipe for mediocrity is there. But what they did brought us the necessary means to compete and join the plateau of the elite. Unless the money dries up we can succeed with the top schools but we need a jolt.

 

[kchusker_chris]

I totally see what your getting at and have pondered the same thing. But its what Devaney and Dr. Tom did that elevated us above that mediocrity status. If not for them we could very well be an Indiana or Kentucky. Lets face it, were a small populated state in a cold region. The recipe for mediocrity is there. But what they did brought us the necessary means to compete and join the plateau of the elite. Unless the money dries up we can succeed with the top schools but we need a jolt.

The recipe for success today is money, money, and more money before adding a dash of yet more money - and that is there for Nebraska - not so for Kentucky or Indiana. 4 decades is not lightning in a bottle, it's a norm. Because of that, I can guarentee you it will be money that decides Pelini's fate as well. Not the buyout - people focus on 8 million bucks and think it matters. A&M's hiring, and Manziel's Heisman run generated over $300,000,000 in additional endowment funds last year. 300 million dollars. A lot of that can be attributed to the excitement around the football program. When was the last time we as a fan base were truly excited? The big boosters matter - but what's happening right now is that the fan base is divided, and tens of thousands of smaller donors are going to start pulling back. Maybe it's 50 bucks, maybe it's 500. But it ads up...and I'm sure they're looking at the numbers, and comparing them to. This is so much bigger than just a staff.

 

[TAKODA]

I totally see what your getting at and have pondered the same thing. But its what Devaney and Dr. Tom did that elevated us above that mediocrity status. If not for them we could very well be an Indiana or Kentucky. Lets face it, were a small populated state in a cold region. The recipe for mediocrity is there. But what they did brought us the necessary means to compete and join the plateau of the elite. Unless the money dries up we can succeed with the top schools but we need a jolt.

The recipe for success today is money, money, and more money before adding a dash of yet more money - and that is there for Nebraska - not so for Kentucky or Indiana. 4 decades is not lightning in a bottle, it's a norm. Because of that, I can guarentee you it will be money that decides Pelini's fate as well. Not the buyout - people focus on 8 million bucks and think it matters. A&M's hiring, and Manziel's Heisman run generated over $300,000,000 in additional endowment funds last year. 300 million dollars. A lot of that can be attributed to the excitement around the football program. When was the last time we as a fan base were truly excited? The big boosters matter - but what's happening right now is that the fan base is divided, and tens of thousands of smaller donors are going to start pulling back. Maybe it's 50 bucks, maybe it's 500. But it ads up...and I'm sure they're looking at the numbers, and comparing them to. This is so much bigger than just a staff.

This ↑ +1

Like I said in the recent status update section on HB earlier, it will be the Mega Boosters who have the ear of SE and HP. I donate what I can afford and not someone that those guys would want an opinion from (individually) but when you put a whole lot of the smaller boosters/donors together, the amount adds up. I am not going to pull my donations but I do want what I believe we all want and that is the best product we can put together on the field. If SE and HP along with the Mega boosters feel what we have outweigh looking elsewhere, then it is what it is. Like I have said from the get go, I like BO but liking him is not something that plays a part or determines what’s best for Nebraska football.

 

[Redux]

I totally see what your getting at and have pondered the same thing. But its what Devaney and Dr. Tom did that elevated us above that mediocrity status. If not for them we could very well be an Indiana or Kentucky. Lets face it, were a small populated state in a cold region. The recipe for mediocrity is there. But what they did brought us the necessary means to compete and join the plateau of the elite. Unless the money dries up we can succeed with the top schools but we need a jolt.

The recipe for success today is money, money, and more money before adding a dash of yet more money - and that is there for Nebraska - not so for Kentucky or Indiana. 4 decades is not lightning in a bottle, it's a norm. Because of that, I can guarentee you it will be money that decides Pelini's fate as well. Not the buyout - people focus on 8 million bucks and think it matters. A&M's hiring, and Manziel's Heisman run generated over $300,000,000 in additional endowment funds last year. 300 million dollars. A lot of that can be attributed to the excitement around the football program. When was the last time we as a fan base were truly excited? The big boosters matter - but what's happening right now is that the fan base is divided, and tens of thousands of smaller donors are going to start pulling back. Maybe it's 50 bucks, maybe it's 500. But it ads up...and I'm sure they're looking at the numbers, and comparing them to. This is so much bigger than just a staff.

Obviously the money is never going to dry up here. This is clear. Its the accomplishments by the two that granted us that security blanket. Their achievements got enough investors to believe in Nebraska and want it to succeed. Had Devaney not come here, would we have gained the following we now enjoy. Would we have achieved the recognition we promote? Without success the investing wouldn't have been nearly as much. I'm not talking about now, money is king. But in the 70's we needed those championships to keep the cash coming in. Back then would we have had the boosters willing to throw blank checks at an abyss? Maybe, but the trophies sure didn't hurt.

 

[TAKODA]

I totally see what your getting at and have pondered the same thing. But its what Devaney and Dr. Tom did that elevated us above that mediocrity status. If not for them we could very well be an Indiana or Kentucky. Lets face it, were a small populated state in a cold region. The recipe for mediocrity is there. But what they did brought us the necessary means to compete and join the plateau of the elite. Unless the money dries up we can succeed with the top schools but we need a jolt.

The recipe for success today is money, money, and more money before adding a dash of yet more money - and that is there for Nebraska - not so for Kentucky or Indiana. 4 decades is not lightning in a bottle, it's a norm. Because of that, I can guarentee you it will be money that decides Pelini's fate as well. Not the buyout - people focus on 8 million bucks and think it matters. A&M's hiring, and Manziel's Heisman run generated over $300,000,000 in additional endowment funds last year. 300 million dollars. A lot of that can be attributed to the excitement around the football program. When was the last time we as a fan base were truly excited? The big boosters matter - but what's happening right now is that the fan base is divided, and tens of thousands of smaller donors are going to start pulling back. Maybe it's 50 bucks, maybe it's 500. But it ads up...and I'm sure they're looking at the numbers, and comparing them to. This is so much bigger than just a staff.

Obviously the money is never going to dry up here. This is clear. Its the accomplishments by the two that granted us that security blanket. Their achievements got enough investors to believe in Nebraska and want it to succeed. Had Devaney not come here, would we have gained the following we now enjoy. Would we have achieved the recognition we promote? Without success the investing wouldn't have been nearly as much. I'm not talking about now, money is king. But in the 70's we needed those championships to keep the cash coming in. Back then would we have had the boosters willing to throw blank checks at an abyss? Maybe, but the trophies sure didn't hurt.

Success breeds success Redux, no doubt! Both $ and perception of greatness plays a part in continuing success!

 

[Redux]

Whose to say we dont land a great coach or three during that time if they hadnt coached here. It just seems that without that spark we could very well have ended up mediocre. That wont happen now as we are far more established as a brand than the rest of CFB would like to admit. We definitely can be a destination job if we arent already.

 

[Born N Bled Red]

I'd say the records below indicate that Nebraska is, and continues to be a place where success can and should be reached and expected. I believe what changes is what is perceived as success. Looking at the records of any of the coaches below not named Osborn or Devaney, would you call any of them historical failures? The truth of that matter is, winning 70% of your games is a hell of an accomplishment for a head coach. A coach that can consistently do that will have some up years and some down years, but those up years, what a ride!

Bo Pelini- 1st time head coach - record 56 - 23

Frank Solich - 1st time head coach - 58-19

Tom Osborn- 1st time head coach - 255-49-3

Walter Booth - 1st time head coach - 53-8-2

Eddie Robinson - 1st time head coach - 11-4-1

Bob Devaney - 101-20 - 2

Dana Bible 50-15-7

Earnest Bearg - 23-7-3

Fred Dawson - 23-7-2

EJ Stewart - 11-4

Ewald Steihm - 35-2-3

W.C. Cole - 25-8-3

Frank Crawford - 10-4-1

Fielding Yost - 8-3

 

[TAKODA]

Whose to say we dont land a great coach or three during that time if they hadnt coached here. It just seems that without that spark we could very well have ended up mediocre. That wont happen now as we are were far more established as a brand than the rest of CFB would like to admit. We definitely can be a destination job if we arent already.

FIFY; ↑

Our image is not what it once was and the national perceptions is we are not a player in the CFB World any longer and I do not think we have a reason to argue with that perception! Sure, wins and losses on a stat line may be misleading but people in the know understand those values are not representing the full details.

 

[Count 'Bility]

I totally see what your getting at and have pondered the same thing. But its what Devaney and Dr. Tom did that elevated us above that mediocrity status. If not for them we could very well be an Indiana or Kentucky. Lets face it, were a small populated state in a cold region. The recipe for mediocrity is there. But what they did brought us the necessary means to compete and join the plateau of the elite. Unless the money dries up we can succeed with the top schools but we need a jolt.

The recipe for success today is money, money, and more money before adding a dash of yet more money - and that is there for Nebraska - not so for Kentucky or Indiana. 4 decades is not lightning in a bottle, it's a norm. Because of that, I can guarentee you it will be money that decides Pelini's fate as well. Not the buyout - people focus on 8 million bucks and think it matters. A&M's hiring, and Manziel's Heisman run generated over $300,000,000 in additional endowment funds last year. 300 million dollars. A lot of that can be attributed to the excitement around the football program. When was the last time we as a fan base were truly excited? The big boosters matter - but what's happening right now is that the fan base is divided, and tens of thousands of smaller donors are going to start pulling back. Maybe it's 50 bucks, maybe it's 500. But it ads up...and I'm sure they're looking at the numbers, and comparing them to. This is so much bigger than just a staff.

I agree with you Chris. It's just food for thought. I seriously find myself thinking about stuff like that, or how this entire universe and its existence is actually just a giant dream in the mind of some greater being living in a whole other dimension.

 

[Redux]

Whose to say we dont land a great coach or three during that time if they hadnt coached here. It just seems that without that spark we could very well have ended up mediocre. That wont happen now as we are were far more established as a brand than the rest of CFB would like to admit. We definitely can be a destination job if we arent already.

FIFY; ↑

Our image is not what it once was and the national perceptions is we are not a player in the CFB World any longer and I do not think we have a reason to argue with that perception! Sure, wins and losses on a stat line may be misleading but people in the know understand those values are not representing the full details.

But were still recognizable. A flash of success and it all comes roaring back.