Charlie Waters article

[LakeHighlandsPony]

There is a local LH neighborhood rag that has an article on Charlie living in LH. He says that he really wanted the SMU job and says nice things about Phil Bennett. He says he was offered the Defensive Coord. job at Florida while Spurrier was there but says SMU might be the only job he would take.
Do you think he would take an asst. job here? What a recruiting boost that would be.

[Bergermeister]

They would like him for his outgoing personality and all that stuff, but high schoolers wouldn't know Charlie Waters as a Cowboy... might recognize his name as one of those talking heads on pre/post Cowboy game show, that's all. Don't think he'd want to pin his name to that SMU defense.

[gostangs]

I think Charlie Waters is an absolutely superior person, but I think we all tend to look at recruiting through our eyes instead of the eyes of todays very good 18yr old athlete, who either has never heard of him, and even if he did, would not care. Bottom line for most of them is which school will give them the best shot at going pro.

[Stallion]

Charlie Waters appears annually on about 3 times more media interviews in Dallas than our head coach right now. I rarely go a week without hearing him on the radio or seeing him on TV. The real question is if 18 year olds know who our head coach is.

[Boston Pony]

Stallion, the important thing is that kids know our coaches name & his coach sure does. The rationale about coming to a school is: do I think they will win (go to bowls, get on TV, etc.), do I get along with coaches & players, and do I enjoy the school. Most kids don't think about if they will play or not (they should think they can beat out anyone on the team). The issues about SMU has been players don't think we can win (and have been reinforced for 15 years). Until we can break that cycle, we will have problems getting great players. I'm thrill Coach Bennett got the extension, however that isn't the reason kids are coming to or not coming to SMU

[Dwan]

also, every high school coach in the DFW area and Texas knows who he is and I would bet the farm I good number of them hold him in high regard.

[couch 'em]

I had heard the name, I think, but I had no idea who Charlie Waters was until he was discussed for a replacement for Cavan. The average HS athlete would not know who he was at all.

[SWC2010]

I had heard the name, I think, but I had no idea who Charlie Waters was until he was discussed for a replacement for Cavan. The average HS athlete would not know who he was at all.

Couldn't disagree more, couch'em. HS FB players of today literally live on TV-- most have heard of the "Doomsday Defense" thru the 24 hr ESPN. If they haven't heard of Charlie Waters, their Texas parents have ( and parents have a big sway in where kids go).

Also, if I were a defensive recruit, especially a DB/FS, I would be more impressed with a school who had a coach that was an All-NFL DB than one who didn't.

I could be wrong, but I belive there is instant credibility with a kid when he gets advice from someone who has played the game at the highest level. Charlie Waters would be an asset to this program.

[jtstang]

Charlie Waters would be an asset to this program.

Too late. He would've been, but that's water under the bridge now.

[couch 'em]

Didn't Copeland play in the NFL? Do you think he is helping recruiting?

[HFvictory]

Charlie, God love him, would not be a good coach at any level.

[SWC2010]

Didn't Copeland play in the NFL? Do you think he is helping recruiting?

Stay focused couch'em. The discussion is about Charlie Waters (as a coach). And, "Coaches" recruit the players. It does not hurt to have collegiate/pro player experience when recruiting and coaching.

[LakeHighlandsPony]

HF Victory- I understand not wanting Charlie but to say he can't coach at any level is nuts. He was a coach for the Denver Broncos and the Oregon Ducks. He also had a better seat than any of us to the teachings of a coach who wore a funny hat-Tom Landry. I support Bennett, I just wondered if they had room on the staff for a great DC.

[Charleston Pony]

wasn't Waters the DC for Oregon before his son became ill and he decided to return to Dallas? As I recall, he was involved with the coaching staff that was credited for turning the Ducks' program around. I'd love to see him as our DC and thought that would have been a great hire for Bennett at the time he took over.

[Cheesesteak]

I find it interesting that during the week when SMU announces that Phil Bennett’s contract has been extended, Charlie Waters gets another round of support from some Ponyfans.

Former football coaches who genuinely still have coaching in their blood and on their mind usually coach – somewhere and somehow. They coach in the NFL, at a college, at a high school or in a semi-pro league – they don’t talk about it - they coach because they love coaching.

Charlie Waters presently seems comfortable as a businessman and community activities / media personality away from the daily pressure and constant public measurement of success that head coaches face.

As I recall, Charlie Waters had (family?) issues that led to his departure from coaching back in the early to mid-nineties. Being the head coach at a struggling program with potential like SMU requires a full-time commitment and a substantial sacrifice of time and energy. Phil Bennett, impressed with him or not, appears to have that energy and desire to lead the staff in the hard work of recruiting (Bennett has solid connections with Texas HS coaches), coaching, media relations and being an administrator.

Superior players seldom become successful head football coaches for lots of reasons. Charlie Waters was a superior player (3 Pro Bowls) but something tells me that nostalgia for Charlie Waters is like the nostalgia for SMU’s glory years on the gridiron. It (SMU victorious) won’t return unless the entire University, including the head coach, works very hard to achieve it.

In my opinion, Charlie Waters a good and personable man from what I have read would be a disappointment (after the initial media honeymoon ended) as head football coach at SMU.