Fran's 1st visit to the Hilltop as head coach

[CalallenStang]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef3ARf9mDQg

[SMU Football Blog]

Like the uni's

[SMUPhil]

Awesome clip. I was present for one of Fran's other visits: the 62-7 drubbing we received in 2000...not as fun.

Haha, did you notice that Flanagan posted under the video? Maybe we could get him to be our OC under Fran!

[ALEX LIFESON]

I have that game on tape, the great Ramon Flanigan and Brian Berry! Great uniforms!

[BrianTinBigD]

Like the uni's

Pants need stripes in them but otherwise I agree. Also, the helmet stripes need to be seperated just a bit.

[DickerJames]

Someone with alot more computer savy than me needs to set up an online petition that we could sign saying we want our WHITE HELMETS back!

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Haha, did you notice that Flanagan posted under the video? Maybe we could get him to be our OC under Fran!

I did and I sent him a message and he replied.

[Canadian Mustang]

Awesome clip. I was present for one of Fran's other visits: the 62-7 drubbing we received in 2000...not as fun.

Haha, did you notice that Flanagan posted under the video? Maybe we could get him to be our OC under Fran!

I remember this game - LT broke a huge one down the right sideline, and casey printers (later one of my BC Lions - Grey Cup tomorrow by the way) had a big game. What I remember about these games is our brutal offense, looks like we had 146 yards, total:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/scores10 ... 329384.htm

[Stallion]

yeah I think some of so called expert Conventional Wisdom shots at Franchione that he just got lucky with LT at TCU forget that Franchione built a strong football program across the board with superior athletes on defense and at all other positions on the field. TCU whipped all non-BCS schools in recruiting and he left Patterson a full cupboard. Of course, the convention wisdom types will point to the great defensive mind of Patterson. [deleted]. TCU had some great defensive players. Its just a lot easier for the shallow thinkers to point to one player and say see Franchione didn't do such a great job. Right. Franchione built about as solid a non-BCS program that you can build at TCU. That's a fact. Let's not forget the 44-0 asswhipping they gave us in Ft. Worth too-there weren't any great players on that defense? Just great Coaching? Ri-ght.

[Charleston Pony]

I'd love to see Fran announced as SMU's "wow" hire, but I really expect him to end up at Ole Miss or someplace much higher on the food chain than SMU

[KnuckleStang]

I'm sure the New Mexico fans are still mad at their AD for hiring Franchione, whose only head coach experience at the time was w/ the D. II Pittsburgh State freaking GORILLAS, and SW Texas State Teachers College. God forbid we should have to settle for a 1-AA head coach here...oh wait, what we really want is Bowden, who has never had to work under any recruiting restrictions at all. Great fit. Oh never mind.

[PK]

Some reasons for Fran's firing:

• A misleading track record: Except for his six seasons at New Mexico, where his overall record was 33-36, and five at A&M, where he had a losing record in Big 12 play, Franchione never coached anywhere for long at the Division I-A level. He built the foundation of his résumé in lower divisions and at programs where expectations weren't excessive or competition wasn't as fierce.

When he got to Fort Worth, he hit it big with a player he inherited from Pat Sullivan, LaDainian Tomlinson. LT powered the offense, while Franchione's top assistant, Gary Patterson, one of the nation's best defensive coaches, ran the other side of the ball, just as he had when New Mexico went to a bowl.

In fact, Patterson not only sustained what Fran started after he left TCU, he improved upon it. The question became which coach had the greater impact in Fort Worth?

Even if LT and Patterson were primary reasons for Fran's success at TCU, it's not an indictment. Big-time players and quality assistants are the two most important assets of any successful coach. Had Patterson been his defensive coordinator at A&M, Franchione might still be the Aggies' head coach.

Whole article here:

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent ... 926e6.html

[Stallion]

yeah that's the article I was talking about. Its total Conventional Wisdom [deleted]. And who wants a Coach that doesn't hire good assistants anyway. Franchione built a solid program that became the strongest non-BCS program in the Country. Its simply not fair to say that L.T. was the program.

[carolina stang]

I'd love to see Fran announced as SMU's "wow" hire, but I really expect him to end up at Ole Miss or someplace much higher on the food chain than SMU

If he were offered both the Ole Miss and SMU job, I believe he would go to SMU in a heartbeat. Remember, his wife figures in to this. He mentioned her in the statement. I see her preferring Highland Park to Oxford. Ever been to Oxford, MS?

Oxford is no Chapel Hill or Charleston!

At SMU, he would be a God. At Ole Miss, he would get his [deleted] kicked at least every other year in that conference. A tall mountain.

[Charleston Pony]

actually I have been to Oxford...years ago when SMU played there. Thoroughly enjoyed the Grove.

I really do hope Fran and the Mrs reflect back on their TCU days and recall them as their "good old days"...and that they want to try to return to those days by moving to Highland Park and becoming a part of the SMU community