john blake

[OUnabomber]

Interesting article in todays DO. Looks like Blake tried to play the race card

https://newsok.com/article/5598437/...ly-realized-that-john-blake-would-not-pan-out

 

[CTOkie]

Interesting article in todays DO. Looks like Blake tried to play the race card

https://newsok.com/article/5598437/...ly-realized-that-john-blake-would-not-pan-out

There’s a lot of that going around.

 

[8085sooner]

Interesting article in todays DO. Looks like Blake tried to play the race card

https://newsok.com/article/5598437/...ly-realized-that-john-blake-would-not-pan-out

He "raced" to the worst record in OU Football history. I think he's a good guy and very personable, but absolutely sucked as a head coach. Guys were completely out of shape and his offense was the worst, in OU history.

OU is the toughest University in the history of College Football, to have a losing season. Blake managed 3 in a row.

 

[OUnabomber]

He "raced" to the worst record in OU Football history. I think he's a good guy and very personable, but absolutely sucked as a head coach. Guys were completely out of shape and his offense was the worst, in OU history.

OU is the toughest University in the history of College Football, to have a losing season. Blake managed 3 in a row.

Well Im just glad Boren had the guts to pull the plug when he did despite the threat of a lawsuit based on race.

 

[Oklabama]

I put a lot of blame with the Blake hiring on those that recommended him for the job. Based on what was reported, Barry gave him a thumbs up. I love Barry but he is the last guy I would ask if the candidate is an x- Sooner. Blake was so bad it’s hard to imagine that Barry should’ve known better. Really, we have at least two high school coaches in the Tulsa area that would have been a better candidate. And they wouldn’t be worthy of the job either. That hire was a total waste of time and money.

 

[OUnabomber]

I put a lot of blame with the Blake hiring on those that recommended him for the job. Based on what was reported, Barry gave him a thumbs up. I love Barry but he is the last guy I would ask if the candidate is an x- Sooner. Blake was so bad it’s hard to imagine that Barry should’ve known better. Really, we have at least two high school coaches in the Tulsa area that would have been a better candidate. And they wouldn’t be worthy of the job either. That hire was a total waste of time and money.

After the snelly fiasco we were so hungry for anyone better that we figured Blake could bring back the magic since he was a former Sooner. I believe he said he was even going to bring back with wishbone which sounded kinda good at the time. Oh well

 

[veritas59]

He "raced" to the worst record in OU Football history. I think he's a good guy and very personable, but absolutely sucked as a head coach. Guys were completely out of shape and his offense was the worst, in OU history.

OU is the toughest University in the history of College Football, to have a losing season. Blake managed 3 in a row.

I think he's personable, but not a good guy. And he's right up there with the all-time worst coaches in college football history. Hell, he made Notre Dame forget about Gerry Faust.

 

[thomlaw]

Interesting article in todays DO. Looks like Blake tried to play the race card

https://newsok.com/article/5598437/...ly-realized-that-john-blake-would-not-pan-out

John Blake = great recruiter and bad head coach

 

[Crimson_Warrior]

remember how towards the end we tried to go back to the freaking wishbone? lol...

And the QBs that we fired out there during the Blake era... Justin F was okay, everybody else was pretty horrible.

My most vivid memory of JB was how on the sideline, right after we upset TX with the late James Allen touchdown, he cried like a baby, blubbering about how it was the power of Jesus working though his players. man. What a scene.

He was a great OU player, and I appreciate his service to the university, but that was a pretty bad hire.

 

[CTOkie]

In the years under Schnellenberger and Blake, I never thought for one minute the talent level on each year's roster was as bad as the win-lost records showed (1994-1998).....and even with the probation fallout from 1989 still plaguing OU recruiting as opposing coaches were finding it easy to recruit against OU.
Stoops said in his introduction speech (1998) that there was talent to win games immediately. He proved it immediately.
The only good news to Blake's coaching debacle was the lesson learned (the hard way) by OU in finding and hiring coaches in the future. Stoops and Riley are graphic proof of this.

 

[Oklabama]

I think he's personable, but not a good guy. And he's right up there with the all-time worst coaches in college football history. Hell, he made Notre Dame forget about Gerry Faust.

I have to admit that Gerry Faust deal kept me laughing for a long time. Every time he lost a game he had that “what the crap just happened” look on his face. It was better than a Coen brothers’ movie.

 

[KStateFootball82]

Interesting article in todays DO. Looks like Blake tried to play the race card

https://newsok.com/article/5598437/...ly-realized-that-john-blake-would-not-pan-out

He "raced" to the worst record in OU Football history. I think he's a good guy and very personable, but absolutely sucked as a head coach. Guys were completely out of shape and his offense was the worst, in OU history.

OU is the toughest University in the history of College Football, to have a losing season. Blake managed 3 in a row.

No doubt. The only other two programs who would argue that claim is Ohio State and Alabama. Top 3 programs of all time and they are interchangeable.

 

[harolds]

For a lack of anything better to do, I watched the 1997 OU vs texas
replay the other night and you could see how bad the Sooners were.
They had seven penalties for 60 yds in the first half alone.
During the game Blake didn't know whether to scratch his A$$
or wind his watch. I couldn't stomach to watch the second half.
Just an exhibition of total sorriness. Longest three years of my life.

 

[CTOkie]

I was approaching age 50 as Blake started the 1998 season and was concerned that OU's football fortunes would forever be diminished...that OU would become a second tier team, never competing for a national championship again. It's becoming branded as a rogue program was also a concern.
Those concerns ended abruptly in 2000.

 

[OUGUS]

I don't think Ohio State is top 3 but definitely top 6 ( depending on if you want to put Nebraska at 5).

 

[Red Burns Brighter]

He is a good defensive coach and an incredible recruiter.

 

[CTOkie]

He is a good defensive coach and an incredible recruiter.

And he was the worst head coach OU ever had.

 

[tjc8214]

He is a good defensive coach and an incredible recruiter.

Got busted at North Carolina for cheating so how good of recruiter was he really?

 

[Eaglegrowl3]

After the snelly fiasco we were so hungry for anyone better that we figured Blake could bring back the magic since he was a former Sooner. I believe he said he was even going to bring back with wishbone which sounded kinda good at the time. Oh well

Yes. Classic case of hiring the exact opposite type of coach from what you had

 

[Red Burns Brighter]

And he was the worst head coach OU ever had.

Got busted at North Carolina for cheating so how good of recruiter was he really?

He definitely wasn’t perfect. But he did leave OU with some talent to help Stoops. Stoops rebuild a great program. And I think Lincoln can sustain this machine.

 

[CTOkie]

He definitely wasn’t perfect. But he did leave OU with some talent to help Stoops. Stoops rebuild a great program. And I think Lincoln can sustain this machine.

Every coach at OU left talent....good talent.....behind him when he left.
Jim Tatum, Gomer Jones, Jim MacKenzie, Chuck Fairbanks, Barry Switzer, Gary Gibbs, Howard Schnellenberger all left their successors with at least enough talent to have winning records. And it was as much OU's brand, however tarnished in the 6 seasons before Blake was hired, that allowed him to gain some good talent....and then not motivate or develop it.
It's one thing to attract good talent, but if that talent doesn't win games, that's on the coaches.
Blake managed to drive the program down even further than when Gibbs and Schnellenberger did. Blake was simply in over his head.

 

[Oklabama]

John Blake wasn’t ready to be the HC in D1 much less at Oklahoma. He had never been a coordinator. Not many guys are given the reins at a major university without having held a coordinator’s position. So what happened while Blake was at OU shouldn’t have come as a surprise.....and I bet it didn’t to a lot of people that could’ve asked “why”. But didn’t for one reason or another. There was just too much Sooner love for Blake, IMO. The only good that came from his hire was OU got serious and hired Bob Stoops and Blake handed off guys like Rocky Calmus and Roy Williams. Regardless Blake’s hire has to be one of the worst in college history for a major university. Notre Dame holds the honor of #1 in that category, however. You gotta love it!! LMAO still.

 

[Senior Sooner]

John Blake wasn’t ready to be the HC in D1 much less at Oklahoma. He had never been a coordinator. Not many guys are given the reins at a major university without having held a coordinator’s position. So what happened while Blake was at OU shouldn’t have come as a surprise.....and I bet it didn’t to a lot of people that could’ve asked “why”. But didn’t for one reason or another. There was just too much Sooner love for Blake, IMO. The only good that came from his hire was OU got serious and hired Bob Stoops and Blake handed off guys like Rocky Calmus and Roy Williams. Regardless Blake’s hire has to be one of the worst in college history for a major university. Notre Dame holds the honor of #1 in that category, however. You gotta love it!! LMAO still.

Sooner Love played into the Gomer Jones and Gary Gibbs hires, as well...Both also ending badly...

 

[weevilcatch]

He "raced" to the worst record in OU Football history. I think he's a good guy and very personable, but absolutely sucked as a head coach. Guys were completely out of shape and his offense was the worst, in OU history.

OU is the toughest University in the history of College Football, to have a losing season. Blake managed 3 in a row.

Change all the OU to UT and I don't think anyone would be the wiser, LOL.

 

[weevilcatch]

No doubt. The only other two programs who would argue that claim is Ohio State and Alabama. Top 3 programs of all time and they are interchangeable.

USC as well. I don't think Florida State has had a losing season since 1976 or something.

 

[Salt City Sooner]

He "raced" to the worst record in OU Football history. I think he's a good guy and very personable, but absolutely sucked as a head coach. Guys were completely out of shape and his offense was the worst, in OU history.

OU is the toughest University in the history of College Football, to have a losing season. Blake managed 3 in a row.

Good guys don't go out of their way to sabotage their alma mater/incoming replacement staff from where I'm standing. I can forgive his coaching ineptitude; some guys just aren't cut out to be a head coach & there's no sin in that. He gave it a shot & failed, move on. There's no excuse to do what he did on his way out the door to OU/Stoops though, & he hasn't apologized for it to this day, which tells me he's not sorry for it one bit.

 

[BillyRay]

Good guys don't go out of their way to sabotage their alma mater/incoming replacement staff from where I'm standing. I can forgive his coaching ineptitude; some guys just aren't cut out to be a head coach & there's no sin in that. He gave it a shot & failed, move on. There's no excuse to do what he did on his way out the door to OU/Stoops though, & he hasn't apologized for it to this day, which tells me he's not sorry for it one bit.

Not only has he not apologized for it, but he decided to run his mouth about deserving credit for the Natty that Bob won in 2000. Saying Bob won with his players and basically how he was within a couple years of doing the same thing if he hadn't been fired. I mean forget how badly out of shape the players were when Bob showed up, players were playing in wrong positions, and there was no legit QB on campus. John Blake is just a complete joke. I really don't see any time healing the wounds he left behind and welcoming him back to the OU family.

The John Blake debacle is the one thing that baffles me about Switzer to this day. Switzer was the one who pushed Blake for the job. I just refuse to believe that Switzer actually believed he was ready to be a Div-I head coach. I mean I don't know if Switzer was doing it as a way to get back at OU for how he was pushed out?? I guess we may never know what Switzer backed his hiring. Just an eternal head scratcher to me.

 

[owenfieldreams]

With a few exceptions, most legacy programs go through a period of instability at the head coach position. Some last longer than others. OU has been extremely fortunate that our period, as painful as it was, only last for roughly 10 years. Think about Texas...since the mid-50's they have had 2 successful HC's interspersed with such illustrious names as Fred Akers, David McWillams, John Makovich, Charlie Strong, and now Tom Herman.

 

[Senior Sooner]

I was approaching age 50 as Blake started the 1998 season and was concerned that OU's football fortunes would forever be diminished...that OU would become a second tier team, never competing for a national championship again. It's becoming branded as a rogue program was also a concern.
Those concerns ended abruptly in 2000.

But, for me, they've been back, almost ever since...

 

[Senior Sooner]

I put a lot of blame with the Blake hiring on those that recommended him for the job. Based on what was reported, Barry gave him a thumbs up. I love Barry but he is the last guy I would ask if the candidate is an x- Sooner. Blake was so bad it’s hard to imagine that Barry should’ve known better. Really, we have at least two high school coaches in the Tulsa area that would have been a better candidate. And they wouldn’t be worthy of the job either. That hire was a total waste of time and money.

His Wikipedia Profile is Interesting...Click Controversies...It's Locked & Loaded...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blake_(American_football)

 

[WhyNotaSooner]

I put a lot of blame with the Blake hiring on those that recommended him for the job. Based on what was reported, Barry gave him a thumbs up. I love Barry but he is the last guy I would ask if the candidate is an x- Sooner. Blake was so bad it’s hard to imagine that Barry should’ve known better. Really, we have at least two high school coaches in the Tulsa area that would have been a better candidate. And they wouldn’t be worthy of the job either. That hire was a total waste of time and money.

No doubt that Barry gavea thumbs up, but given the circumstances that OU was in, Blake > Schnelly in the eyes of the many, many Sooner loyalists. Including Donnie Duncan. It was a lazy hire with the deciding factor & pressure of hiring someone w/ ties to OU.

 

[Oklabama]

His Wikipedia Profile is Interesting...Click Controversies...It's Locked & Loaded...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Blake_(American_football)

I had forgotten about the racist claims issue at Dallas Blake complained to Barry about. Now I’m wondering with this had an affect on Barry’s opinion of Blake becoming the OU head coach. The Dallas stuff happened not too long before Blake’s hire. Maybe it didn’t affect Barry’s yea or nay, but since nothing became of Blake’s claim in Dallas, it could have. Not saying it did, but it’s interesting. I really think Barry just loves his players so much he can’t be adjective.

 

[Senior Sooner]

I had forgotten about the racist claims issue at Dallas Blake complained to Barry about. Now I’m wondering with this had an affect on Barry’s opinion of Blake becoming the OU head coach. The Dallas stuff happened not too long before Blake’s hire. Maybe it didn’t affect Barry’s yea or nay, but since nothing became of Blake’s claim in Dallas, it could have. Not saying it did, but it’s interesting.

The Article makes it even more puzzling why Barry gave JB a Thumbs Up...

 

[Oklabama]

The Article makes it even more puzzling why Barry gave JB a Thumbs Up...

That’s exactly what I am wondering.

 

[weevilcatch]

With a few exceptions, most legacy programs go through a period of instability at the head coach position. Some last longer than others. OU has been extremely fortunate that our period, as painful as it was, only last for roughly 10 years. Think about Texas...since the mid-50's they have had 2 successful HC's interspersed with such illustrious names as Fred Akers, David McWillams, John Makovich, Charlie Strong, and now Tom Herman.

Akers wasn't bad at all, just not elite.

10 years at Texas
86 wins
9 Bowl games
2 times played for MNC
2 SWC titles

His downfall was that he was not very well liked, went 2-7 in Bowl Games and failed in big games. But I certainly wouldn't lump him in with Mac 1 and Strong.

David McWilliams had 3 losing seasons in 4 years. Charlie Strong 3 losing seasons in a row, at least Mackovic won 3 conference titles. He was just an asshat.

 

[Sunburnt Indian]

Top three? Top six? To the minute percentage wise:

3. Ohio State 898-324-53 .7251
6. Oklahoma 884-323-53 .7226
7. Texas 898-366-33 .7051

Oklahoma has the fewest losses among the elites with 323. Notre Dame and Ohio State has 324 losses. Boise State is 2. 438-165-2 .7256.

We may have been in much better shape without Blake's school record setting 3 straight losing seasons.

 

[Sunburnt Indian]

Much of Boise State's record was compiled in Div. 1AA.