College football is a game of coaches. Even the schools with the richest of traditions, the nicest facilities and the most passionate fans will struggle to win at a high level if the right coach is not in place. When the right coach is in charge of a top program, the results can be quite impressive. Bear Bryant followed a coach at Alabama who went 4-24-2. Bryant went on to win 232 games and 6 national titles for the Tide.
What about the other end of the spectrum? What happens when things don't go so well for a college coach. How bad can it get?
Here's a top-5 list of some pretty bad coaches:
1. Rick Venturi, Northwestern (1-31-1, 1978-80)
The three year Venturi era was the epicenter of the Wildcats' astounding run of incompetence. Venturi, only 32 when he coached his first game at Northwestern, did not win a single Big Ten game in his three years.
2. Stan Parrish, Kansas State (2-30-1, 1986-88)
Stan the Man set the table for Bill Snyder's amazing turnaround at Kansas State by losing 91 percent of his games. He went 1-19-1 in Big Eight games.
3. Mike Locksley, New Mexico (2-22, 2009-10)
The Lobos were simply uncompetitive under Locksley, with 14 of their 22 losses coming by 24 points or more.
4. Todd Berry, Army (5-35, 2000-03)
Berry came to West Point and scrapped the option for a wide-open passing attack. The results weren't very good. The Black Knights once went nine straight quarters without scoring a point early in the 2003 season.
5. Greg Robinson, Syracuse (10-37, 2005-08)
Robinson came in and distroyed what was a solid Syracuse program. The Orange had only one losing season from 1987-2004. Robinson had four losing seasons in four years, with a high mark of 4-8 in 2006.
If you would like to add to this worst coach list...feel free to do so. I'm sure there are others who didn't fair well as head coaches.
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What about the other end of the spectrum? What happens when things don't go so well for a college coach. How bad can it get?
Here's a top-5 list of some pretty bad coaches:
1. Rick Venturi, Northwestern (1-31-1, 1978-80)
The three year Venturi era was the epicenter of the Wildcats' astounding run of incompetence. Venturi, only 32 when he coached his first game at Northwestern, did not win a single Big Ten game in his three years.
2. Stan Parrish, Kansas State (2-30-1, 1986-88)
Stan the Man set the table for Bill Snyder's amazing turnaround at Kansas State by losing 91 percent of his games. He went 1-19-1 in Big Eight games.
3. Mike Locksley, New Mexico (2-22, 2009-10)
The Lobos were simply uncompetitive under Locksley, with 14 of their 22 losses coming by 24 points or more.
4. Todd Berry, Army (5-35, 2000-03)
Berry came to West Point and scrapped the option for a wide-open passing attack. The results weren't very good. The Black Knights once went nine straight quarters without scoring a point early in the 2003 season.
5. Greg Robinson, Syracuse (10-37, 2005-08)
Robinson came in and distroyed what was a solid Syracuse program. The Orange had only one losing season from 1987-2004. Robinson had four losing seasons in four years, with a high mark of 4-8 in 2006.
If you would like to add to this worst coach list...feel free to do so. I'm sure there are others who didn't fair well as head coaches.
:s2:
