and seeing the list of coaches that Sterk brought forward, maybe the problem is not the program, the school or the money. Maybe the problem is Sterk. Hear me out...
Barry Odom was a coach who took over the team in one of its darkest moments, compiles a .500 record as a rookie Head Coach in the SEC with bowl eligible seasons the last 3 years. He was well liked by his players and was making some (arguable) improvements in recruiting. He was a man who has given half his life to Mizzou.
Sterk fired him because of lack of enthusiasm by fans and lost momentum in the program.
BUT, we also know that he has not been happy with Odom for sometime, that apparently there was tension in the relationship, and incidents between the coach and AD may have had a big hand in the firing of Odom over and above professional record.
That said, if you are a character like Kiffin, a charismatic young up and comer like Healy, or a strong personality like Norvell or Harsin, why would you want to work for Sterk? And why would Sterk look at men who would not be under his control and influence? Holtz and Anderson would be easy to control and an academy coach would understand chain of command and "yes sir."
When you look at the more successful coaches they work for the AD, but are not..... subservient to them (if that makes any sense). If Sterk has this stand off personality and personal incompatibilities can lead to personnel issues, I am not sure I would want to work for him myself. How many coaches have we gone through with him? Softball, men's basketball, volleyball and now football... true, some were fired for performance, some for rumor, some quit... could this be a bigger picture issue that we are missing?
The coaching community is not that large, and they all speak from what I understand... how do you get a top flight coach when the AD is the problem?
Now, this may be all wrong. It is based on a lot of hearsay and speculation... but it is also based on a lot of experience in running businesses and watching others run their teams into the ground. If I am wrong, and I really hope that I am, I apologize here and now. But, if there is some truth to this... what do we do right now? What does it look like going forward?
Barry Odom was a coach who took over the team in one of its darkest moments, compiles a .500 record as a rookie Head Coach in the SEC with bowl eligible seasons the last 3 years. He was well liked by his players and was making some (arguable) improvements in recruiting. He was a man who has given half his life to Mizzou.
Sterk fired him because of lack of enthusiasm by fans and lost momentum in the program.
BUT, we also know that he has not been happy with Odom for sometime, that apparently there was tension in the relationship, and incidents between the coach and AD may have had a big hand in the firing of Odom over and above professional record.
That said, if you are a character like Kiffin, a charismatic young up and comer like Healy, or a strong personality like Norvell or Harsin, why would you want to work for Sterk? And why would Sterk look at men who would not be under his control and influence? Holtz and Anderson would be easy to control and an academy coach would understand chain of command and "yes sir."
When you look at the more successful coaches they work for the AD, but are not..... subservient to them (if that makes any sense). If Sterk has this stand off personality and personal incompatibilities can lead to personnel issues, I am not sure I would want to work for him myself. How many coaches have we gone through with him? Softball, men's basketball, volleyball and now football... true, some were fired for performance, some for rumor, some quit... could this be a bigger picture issue that we are missing?
The coaching community is not that large, and they all speak from what I understand... how do you get a top flight coach when the AD is the problem?
Now, this may be all wrong. It is based on a lot of hearsay and speculation... but it is also based on a lot of experience in running businesses and watching others run their teams into the ground. If I am wrong, and I really hope that I am, I apologize here and now. But, if there is some truth to this... what do we do right now? What does it look like going forward?
