on being a heavy underdog. "Well we are going ahead and show up", Riley said with a smirk. We'll go ahead and kick it off and see".
Lincoln Riley
- Thread starter larwilli
- Start date
Go listen to LR's interview with ESPN, in the thread that WNAS started.
He has no intent to leave OU anytime soon, and explains why. I know that Longhorns would love for Lincoln to leave, but it's not going to happen any time soon. And LR is a very bright man. He understands that in college, when you get really good, it only enhances your opportunity to get better. In the NFL, you get punished for it in player procurement.
And if he ever did decide that he'd like to coach pros, LR is way too smart to work for Jerrah Jones, where you surrender your ability to choose the players you coach, ultimately to a man who doesn't know what he's doing.
Wishful thinking from Sips. Since WW2 the Horns have had 2 legitimately good HC's. In between they've managed to make hiring decisions on the likes of Fred Akers, David McWilliams, John Mackovic, Charlie Strong, and Tom Herman. This is strategic workforce planning gone amok. In the same time frame OU has employed Bud Wilkinson, Barry Switzer, Bob Stoops, and Lincoln Riley.
I would disagree about Fred Akers. He was in Austin for ten years. He only won two bowl games, but he played for three one loss seasons: 11-1 in '77, 10-1-1 in '81 and 11-1 in '83. In 77 and '83 they played for a national title in the Cotton Bowl, but lost huge to Notre Dame Earl's Heisman year, and on a fumbled punt to Georgia in 1983.
Fred may not have been a great coach, but he wasn't incompetent. He was better than anybody at OU, who didn't have the initials BS or LR. He had a winning record at Texas against Barry Switzer, when OU football was mostly pretty good. His last season was under .500, requiring Texas to look elsewhere. But he made the move from the wishbone to the split back veer, that made Earl a Heisman winner. Wouldn't have happened had DKR stayed. He replaced a great coach, improved the program immediately and lasted a decade at a hard place to do that.
Fred may not have been a great coach, but he wasn't incompetent. He was better than anybody at OU, who didn't have the initials BS or LR. He had a winning record at Texas against Barry Switzer, when OU football was mostly pretty good. His last season was under .500, requiring Texas to look elsewhere. But he made the move from the wishbone to the split back veer, that made Earl a Heisman winner. Wouldn't have happened had DKR stayed. He replaced a great coach, improved the program immediately and lasted a decade at a hard place to do that.
Gibbs inherited a program on probation and one that was perceived as an "outlaw" program. He had to sell damaged goods to recruits for 6 years and actually had a few good players enter the OU program as he finished with a 44-23-2 record with a poor record against top 20 teams and top rivals Nebraska and Texas.
I will always believe that had Gibbs succeeded Switzer under normal circumstances, his time at OU would have been much better. Gibbs in my opinion, was a great Sooner both on and off the field.
Schnellenberger and Blake were "hail Mary" and reckless attempts to restore OU's program to being elite again, with horrible results. Fortunately, thanks to OU's still intact name brand even during the 1990's, Stoops was able to inherit a core of talent that was key to his immediate success in 1999.
Hopefully Lincoln is smart enough to stay away from Dallas and Jerry's meddling.
If he does take a job in the NFL he can do better than that.
Riley has a great set up for his career and family in Norman.
I believe he stays at least 8-10 years.
I believe he stays at least 8-10 years.
