Stewart Mandel Mailbag letter on Bland TO

NUance

NUance

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Letter from Husker fan blasts Stewart Mandel for keeping Osborne off list because of bland personality:

Tom Osborne is off your list of all time coaching legends because his personality is bland? Anyone with half a mind would take a "bland" Tom Osborne over a Woody Hayes or Paterno any day of the week, and twice on Saturday. The numbers (Osborne's .836 winning percentage compared with Woody's .761 and Paterno's .747) don't lie.
And unless you're trying to be an aspiring shock-jock twit, Osborne's philanthropic endeavors off the field sure help establish him as a quality person. And if being a good person on and off the field is "bland," then our society is certainly a dismal failure in the grand scope of humanity's history.

-- Matt, Plano, Texas

Yowzers. Osborne's exclusion -- in particular the "bland" remark -- drew far more angry e-mails than that of any other coach, though Matt was the only Husker fan to view Dr. Tom's snub as a referendum on humanity. However, as I stated right at the top, it was not an attempt to rank the "best" or "greatest" on-field coaches. The topic was coaching "legends," and the coaches who achieve that rare, iconic status are usually the ones who bring a little bit more to the table. Like it or not, oftentimes it's the "villains" who capture our imagination. Woody Hayes won games and possessed an unforgettable personality, even if that personality included a bad temper that led him to punch a player.

Interestingly, it seems some Nebraska fans viewed Osborne's exclusion as doubly insulting, not only because they believe he belongs on any top five list, but also because of Hayes' presence there instead. No fan base in the country places more emphasis on character and integrity, so for Nebraskans, it's unfathomable some could view Osborne's personality as a negative.

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nuance said:
Letter from Husker fan blasts Stewart Mandel for keeping Osborne off list because of bland personality:

Tom Osborne is off your list of all time coaching legends because his personality is bland? Anyone with half a mind would take a "bland" Tom Osborne over a Woody Hayes or Paterno any day of the week, and twice on Saturday. The numbers (Osborne's .836 winning percentage compared with Woody's .761 and Paterno's .747) don't lie.
And unless you're trying to be an aspiring shock-jock twit, Osborne's philanthropic endeavors off the field sure help establish him as a quality person. And if being a good person on and off the field is "bland," then our society is certainly a dismal failure in the grand scope of humanity's history.

-- Matt, Plano, Texas

Yowzers. Osborne's exclusion -- in particular the "bland" remark -- drew far more angry e-mails than that of any other coach, though Matt was the only Husker fan to view Dr. Tom's snub as a referendum on humanity. However, as I stated right at the top, it was not an attempt to rank the "best" or "greatest" on-field coaches. The topic was coaching "legends," and the coaches who achieve that rare, iconic status are usually the ones who bring a little bit more to the table. Like it or not, oftentimes it's the "villains" who capture our imagination. Woody Hayes won games and possessed an unforgettable personality, even if that personality included a bad temper that led him to punch a player.

Interestingly, it seems some Nebraska fans viewed Osborne's exclusion as doubly insulting, not only because they believe he belongs on any top five list, but also because of Hayes' presence there instead. No fan base in the country places more emphasis on character and integrity, so for Nebraskans, it's unfathomable some could view Osborne's personality as a negative.

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Makes sense. I'm glad Husker Nations's voice was heard.

 
Actually, I was more surprised Switzer wasn't on there more than TO. Like he said, it was legendary coaches. I still remember Switzer's quote when asked if he'd coach in the college ranks again and he responded by saying not until the players can be paid. Some of his players even added to his legendary status like the Boz.

 
I kind of looked at the list like this: who do we always remember? The good guys or the bad guys? People whine when TO didn't make the list, but then they can't understand why people keep bringing up the LP incident. People always remember the bad boys. Sometimes, the good guys get lost in the shuffle.

 
junior4949 said:
I kind of looked at the list like this: who do we always remember? The good guys or the bad guys? People whine when TO didn't make the list, but then they can't understand why people keep bringing up the LP incident. People always remember the bad boys. Sometimes, the good guys get lost in the shuffle.
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Legendary and infamous aren't the same thing. <_<

Using your logic, because people bring up and remember LP's shenanigans he's considered legendary? When in fact, he's infamous. There's a difference.

 
I find it funny that he barely even tried to justify picking Hayes. Oh he was a legendary "personality". Whoopty-f******-doo. I guess Lane Kiffin should already be on there.

 
HuskerJosh said:
I find it funny that he barely even tried to justify picking Hayes. Oh he was a legendary "personality". Whoopty-f******-doo. I guess Lane Kiffin should already be on there.
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I got 5 bucks Spurrier takes a run at him during the post game handshake...

 
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