Jim Tressell

Dwan · Post by **Dwan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:03 pm

Wants to get back into coaching. Was a finalist at Stanford last year and took the Giants to the Super Bowl. Has been a head coach at Utah. Worth an interview at the very least.

Dwan · Post by **Dwan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:04 pm

Opps, I meant Jim Fassell

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:08 pm

I thought you had lost it there for a moment. Of course maybe you have but at least not with Jim Tressell

Dwan · Post by **Dwan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:29 pm

I just think a guy who took a team to the Superbowl three years ago should get an interview. If for no other reason it looks great from a PR standpoint. SMU, a team that has not gone to a bowl game in 25 years to interview a former NFL head coach who coached in the Super Bowl. That gets a nice article in the DMN and coverage on ESPN. And it increases the competition for the job. You are Terry Bowden, you look over your shoulder when you hear that guy is interviewing. That does not happen when you interview the OC at Missouri or jon Tenuta

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:35 pm

Dwan wrote:I just think a guy who took a team to the Superbowl three years ago should get an interview. If for no other reason it looks great from a PR standpoint. SMU, a team that has not gone to a bowl game in 25 years to interview a former NFL head coach who coached in the Super Bowl. That gets a nice article in the DMN and coverage on ESPN. And it increases the competition for the job. You are Terry Bowden, you look over your shoulder when you hear that guy is interviewing. That does not happen when you interview the OC at Missouri or jon Tenuta

For what it is worth, we have already had a Super Bowl coach/player and it did not help.

Dwan · Post by **Dwan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:47 pm

Yes, and he was senile at the time we hired him and coached a group of freshman walk-ons. I think the scenario is a bit different this time

mrydel · Post by **mrydel** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:49 pm

Dwan wrote:Yes, and he was senile at the time we hired him and coached a group of freshman walk-ons. I think the scenario is a bit different this time

Different, but this time I am senile and was thinking about walking on and claiming to be a freshman.

PK · Post by PK » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:52 pm

Dwan wrote:Yes, and he was senile at the time we hired him

That was really uncalled for. Besides being untrue, we should all be greatful that someone of his stature was willing to sacrifice his reputaion and take on a thankless chore for his alma mater. Yes he had a team made up mostly of freshmen and walkons...who else would have taken that task on for us?

Dwan · Post by **Dwan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 1:57 pm

LEts just say that his coaching days were behind him then. Fair enough? Wonderful man, great mustang, solid citizen.

OC Mustang · Post by **OC Mustang** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:11 pm

PK wrote:
Dwan wrote:Yes, and he was senile at the time we hired him
That was really uncalled for. Besides being untrue, we should all be greatful that someone of his stature was willing to sacrifice his reputaion and take on a thankless chore for his alma mater. Yes he had a team made up mostly of freshmen and walkons...who else would have taken that task on for us?

Agreed on all counts. Should have stayed coach; was better at that than at AD (the budget gave him fits at the time).

PK · Post by PK » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:12 pm

Dwan wrote:LEts just say that his coaching days were behind him then. Fair enough? Wonderful man, great mustang, solid citizen.

You must have forgotten that after he left SMU, he went on to coach another professional team. If you are looking only at his two years of coaching here with our rag tag team then you are hardly being fair. His players were for the most part under sized and obviously young, but they played with more guts and motivation than many of our later teams did. And remember, he was the first to have to deal with the recruiting restrictions we all despise. You are welcome to your opinion, but I still say at this juncture it was truely an uncalled for statement you made.

PK · Post by PK » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:15 pm

OC Mustang wrote:Should have stayed coach; was better at that than at AD (the budget gave him fits at the time).

I don't think Pye really gave him a choice to remain as coach...he wanted Forrest to be the AD and in the spirit of trying to help, he accepted.

PonySnob · Post by **PonySnob** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:20 pm

PK wrote:
Dwan wrote:LEts just say that his coaching days were behind him then. Fair enough? Wonderful man, great mustang, solid citizen.
You must have forgotten that after he left SMU, he went on to coach another professional team. If you are looking only at his two years of coaching here with our rag tag team then you are hardly being fair. His players were for the most part under sized and obviously young, but they played with more guts and motivation than many of our later teams did. And remember, he was the first to have to deal with the recruiting restrictions we all despise. You are welcome to your opinion, but I still say at this juncture it was truely an uncalled for statement you made.

He never went 0-12....and his first team looks like it will win more than Bennetts last team is going to win.

Dwan · Post by **Dwan** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 2:36 pm

yeah, he went on to coach an arena team in Shervport right? And was not successful there.

My point was that a statement was made that we already hired a coach who took a team to a Superbowl and that did not work out. I don't think where Forrest Gregg was in his career at that point in time and where the program was at that point in time, its a fair to compare that to interviewing a guy like Jim Fassell. Apples and Oranges. Forrest Gregg is a great man, I was just poiting out that at time, his coaching career was not exactly on the upswing. Senile was maybe not the best choice of words.

OC Mustang · Post by **OC Mustang** » Mon Oct 29, 2007 9:27 pm

PK wrote:
OC Mustang wrote:Should have stayed coach; was better at that than at AD (the budget gave him fits at the time).
I don't think Pye really gave him a choice to remain as coach...he wanted Forrest to be the AD and in the spirit of trying to help, he accepted.

That explains some things. Pye was uber-focused on budget, and he carried on with me privately about how the Provost and Deans were not as responsible or as savvy vis-a-vis school budgets, nor fundraising at the time. He diplomatically suggested that the AD at the time (Gregg) could have been better as well. (I was on the search committee for Provost Royce, who turned out to be a disaster financially, and it was Pye's worst fear for the university.)