Pat Forde: Loyalty in college athletics is for suckers

[George S. Patton]

This Lane Kiffin episode is a stark reminder for you sunshiners who think the sun rises and sets on June Jones, that you should NEVER, NEVER become attached at the hip with a head coach even in their years of great success. These guys can leave in a heartbeat if something better comes along.

And if they leave, there's not a stinking thing you can do about it. About 5 years ago, I decided to just kind of let the coaches of the programs I support come in, get settled, run their program and watch them leave and to never let my personal feelings get in the way of this. Frankly, it's not worth it.

The tide of college coaching has changed where it is becoming more and more transient. Some of you need to put down the facial tissue and stop trying to wipe Jones' nose.

For the record, this is my stance on Jones:
1. I don't like his offense. Give me a power-I formation that emphasizes running the ball.
2. I'm not fired up about him personally based on the several face-to-face encounters I had with him. And that's OK. He doesn't have to appeal to all of us universally.
3. He does a great job with quarterbacks and getting kids to play for him because he believes in his system.
4. I hope he succeeds here and SMU returns to the glory days of the early 1980s because my first loyalty is to the success of SMU athletics. That will never change regardless of who is coaching whichever program.
5. I do believe that he can accomplish here in 5 years what it took TCU 10 years to accomplish.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/s ... id=4820927

[ponyinNC]

"Paris Hilton has paid more dues than Lane Kiffin." great line.

[SMU 86]

It works both ways. Coaches get fired quickly year as well. So GSP you ought to be glad Coach Doh is loyal to SMU by not leaving and SMU is loyal to Coach Doh by not firing him.

[smupony]

"Paris Hilton has paid more dues than Lane Kiffin." great line.

I like this one:

"Kiffin comes across as a guy who was born on third base and acts as if he hit a triple -- but given the way people have thrown good jobs and big money at him, it's hard to blame him for thinking he's the next Knute Rockne. "

[BRStang]

Dead on.

[Insane_Pony_Posse]

This Lane Kiffin episode is a stark reminder for you sunshiners who think the sun rises and sets on June Jones.... Some of you need to put down the facial tissue and stop trying to wipe Jones' nose.

I suppose it's just semantics but can someone just honestly disagree with many
of the criticisms of June Jones and not be categorized as "wiping his nose"?
I think one can strongly support a coach and his way of doing things but still
realize if Notre Dame, the Texas Longhorns, USC, Florida, or Oklahoma call
that he might take one of those jobs if offered. Most coaches left somewhere
else to get where they are today.