Best Coach in America

by **PerunaPunch** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:37 pm

At halftime of the Houston game, Orsini said on national TV that SMU was going to "hire the best coach in America".

So whether we felt Paul Johnson was the best coach in America, or if he was an alternate to our first choice as "best coach"... In either case it looks like the powers that be didn't Pony Up.

Point is, with a $ billion plus in the bank, we could've outspent GT if we truly wanted to play hard ball.

Are we going to get serious, or are we just going to keep screwing around?

by **SMUMan02** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:40 pm

PerunaPunch wrote:At halftime of the Houston game, Orsini said on national TV that SMU was going to "hire the best coach in America".

So whether we felt Paul Johnson was the best coach in America, or if he was an alternate to our first choice as "best coach"... In either case it looks like the powers that be didn't Pony Up.

Point is, with a $ billion plus in the bank, we could've outspent GT if we truly wanted to play hard ball.

Are we going to get serious, or are we just going to keep screwing around?

I'm pretty sure we can't just go willy nilly spending the endowment however we want. Even if we could their endowment is bigger than ours - by a significant margin.

by **PerunaPunch** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:42 pm

No doubt, but GT had to be fiscally responsible too and they figured out a way to get it done.

Doesn't change the fact that Orsini is making promises he isn't keeping.

by **SMUMan02** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:44 pm

PerunaPunch wrote:No doubt, but GT had to be fically responsible too and they figured out a way to get it done.

Doesn't change the fact that Orsini is making promises he isn't keeping.

What did you want him to do? He offered him top dollar - all indications are he offered him more than GT - and he decided not to come here. That is not Steve O's fault.

by **SMU89** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:46 pm

PerunaPunch wrote:At halftime of the Houston game, Orsini said on national TV that SMU was going to "hire the best coach in America".

So whether we felt Paul Johnson was the best coach in America, or if he was an alternate to our first choice as "best coach"... In either case it looks like the powers that be didn't Pony Up.

Point is, with a $ billion plus in the bank, we could've outspent GT if we truly wanted to play hard ball.

Are we going to get serious, or are we just going to keep screwing around?

Wish things were that simple. There were more decision points than money.

by **locostang** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:46 pm

Orsini is a blow hard. Almost Les Milesesque. He is just full of [deleted] really. So painful to listen to.

by **PerunaPunch** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:50 pm

SMUMan02 wrote:What did you want him to do? He offered him top dollar - all indications are he offered him more than GT - and he decided not to come here. That is not Steve O's fault.

Cut out the hyperbole.

by **Stallion** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 12:58 pm

It says more about SMU's place in College Football that a top dollar, agressive above market offer did not seal the deal. Time to get back to reality and finish Step 1 in building a program-creating a Model which will allow us to compete so that the next time we go looking for a Coach we will have a better deal to offer. . Did SMU give Orsini the ammunition he needed to close the deal by completing Step 1 in building the Model. No.

by **EastStang** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:05 pm

We made a competitive offer against a BCS program with a huge budget. We drove them to offer the moon which by the way will hurt them down the road. I think they expected to get by with a 4 year $7 Million offer. Johnson clearly wanted to go to a BCS program and we were his Plan B. We are in CUSA not BCS. As a result, we need to hire someone who can bring us back to relevence and who wants to be here. I'd still go with Barnett.

by **NickSMU17** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:08 pm

Just so you know, SMU endowment is bigger than Tech

by **NickSMU17** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:08 pm

by about 100 million

by **huskerpony** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:16 pm

TOM OSBORNE TO SMU!!!!

1) He's Not Coaching

2) He's currently making $250,000 a year as AD

3) He would be a WOW hire

4) We could get him cheap--he doesn't think he should make more than the president of the university. What's RGT's salary? Besides, everyone has their price, maybe his is $2 mil!

by **tristatecoog** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:20 pm

It was an ambitious move by Orsini and I applaud him for that. It's tough competing against a BCS school for a similar offer. It may be time to go with a retread HC or an assistant. Then again, if SMU is still willing to offer north of $1.5 million per year, you can get another good HC. As you see from BU and GT, head coaches at even the lowliest schools cost $1.5MM unless you go the assistant route like it appears that UCLA will do. They are gambling in a high stakes environment.

Kudos to SMU for going "all in" on the PJ deal. I'm confident that they went after the right guy and will do so again.

by **formersmufan** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:22 pm

Just check all your threads especially like the ones regarding planes. And I am fully aware of the position of the Mustang Club and did not equate them with this forum.

BTW you can all thank [size=18][b]mt327 [/b][/size]for most of this. He is your leak. He came boasting to the Navy boards right after the Army-Navy game that it was a done deal and SMU had raised over $10M from "new faces" and posted the link quoting the AD.

And, yes, I am a Navy grad former submarine officer; and followed SMU athletics with my father since the day I was born. I was accepted by SMU in 1973, but followed my dream to be a Naval Officer. I have been to more SMU games in my life than Navy games. I was there before during and after the Pony Express and was a member of the Mustang Club years before I joined the Alumni Association. I was one of those most annoying fans trying to get the stands rocking with S-M-U when it was deadly quiet. It was a grand ride.

Oh well, Good-bye!

by **thefamousguy** » Fri Dec 07, 2007 1:58 pm

tristatecoog wrote:It was an ambitious move by Orsini and I applaud him for that. It's tough competing against a BCS school for a similar offer. It may be time to go with a retread HC or an assistant. Then again, if SMU is still willing to offer north of $1.5 million per year, you can get another good HC. As you see from BU and GT, head coaches at even the lowliest schools cost $1.5MM unless you go the assistant route like it appears that UCLA will do. They are gambling in a high stakes environment.

Kudos to SMU for going "all in" on the PJ deal. I'm confident that they went after the right guy and will do so again.

That's why this should have been done 4 weeks ago before the other schools fired their coach. The advantage we had by firing Bennett early has been lost.

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