It’s meaningless and inherently flawed, but quick…name the SEC school ranked highest in the New America Foundation’s 2nd Annual BCS Academic Standings. For the 99 percent of you that said Vanderbilt, you’re wrong. It’s Ole Miss.
The NFA’s formula starts with the team's most recent federal graduation rate, which includes four classes of players who entered college between 1998 and 2001 and graduated within six years of initial enrollment. Then, each team gains or loses points based on (A) the gap between the team's graduation rate and the overall school's graduation rate and (B) the gap between the team's black-white player graduation rate disparity and the overall school's disparity. Finally, the team gains or loses points if its Academic Progress Rate exceeds or falls below the Division I-A median.
Chris Low runs down the Top 25 players in the SEC. Alabama leads the way with seven. Florida, Georgia, and Ole Miss check in with three a piece, while LSU and Tennessee have two each.
Auburn’s questionable hire of Gene Chizik has raised more than a few eyebrows across the SEC and the blogosphere (I know, who knew?). Pat Forde grades the recent SEC hires and drops this gem:
"Maybe Chizik will be the next Bill Parcells. He went 3-8 in his first year as a head coach, at the Air Force Academy in 1978 before turning out all right. But until that happens, this has the makings of the worst hire in SEC history."
Jason Whitlock is dead on again. While race may or may not have been a determining factor in Auburn’s passing on the more-talented Turner Gill for the Ed Orgeron Redux that is Gene Chizik, Auburn may not have been the right fit for Gill at this point of his career.
Is Charles Barkley Right About Gene Chizik's Hiring Being About Race?
Dec 16, 2008
Former Auburn and NBA star Charles Barkley has been known to speak his mind. Yesterday was no different, when the Round Mound of Rebound made it clear that he believed race was the primary factor in Auburn’s hiring of Gene Chizik to replace Tommy Tubberville as head football coach.
“I think race was the No. 1 factor,” Barkley told ESPN. “You can say it’s not about race, but you can’t compare the two résumés [Turner Gill and Chizik] and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst résumé.”
It’s hard to argue the resume point. Turner Gill is the University at Buffalo’s coach who took over a fledgling program in 2006. The Buffs had won 10 games the previous seven seasons before capturing their third MAC Championship this season with a win over previously undefeated Ball State.
The other interesting candidate was Rodney Garner, an Alabama native, former star player and assistant coach at Auburn. Garner is currently a highly regarded assistant head coach at Georgia where he’s considered a master recruiter.
And then there’s Chizik who’s on a 10-game losing streak as part of a three year 5-19 record at Iowa State. Huh?
Barkley said he was “shocked” by the hire and it’s easy to see from where Sir Charles is coming. But was it really all about race?
No doubt, this will start the debate again about Afro-American coaches in the NCAA’s D1 football. There are many fewer black coaches than there are black people in terms of relative population in the U.S. When you consider the number of Afro-Americans that participate in the sport and then count the number of coaches, the numbers are obviously disproportionately low. Same is true in the NFL.
So, let’s set aside the issue of acting responsibly even though any institution of higher learning should be mindful of all of these issues. So feel free to admonish Auburn, we aren’t here to defend them, they should have been a bit smarter or, at the least, a bit more sensitive to this issue. We’re just gonna take a broad brush look at, as we say here at TAH, “why things are.”
We’ve always been white and we aren’t worldly enough to have a great deal of expertise on this subject, but we’ll take a stab. We aren’t convinced that the trend line is a grand conspiracy so much as a local issue. Each school, and each school’s administration, is a reflection of the folks that are running the place. Sixty-year-old plus white men in Alabama may be more comfortable with Gene Chizik than Turner Gill. That shouldn’t shock anybody.
That doesn’t make the folks at Auburn who hire a white guy anymore racist than the folks at Grambling who hire a black guy. It’s what people who were born in the 40’s, 50’s and even the 1960’s still do. Old habits are hard to break and comfort zones are developed over many years. It doesn’t make it right, but that’s the way it is.
The Auburn brass may simply have hired Chizik because of who they are, where they are, who their primary constituents are (who’s paying for all of this) and what their life’s experience has been up to this point. And the words “up to this point” are key.
Consider this. Why hasn’t Virginia Tech’s Bud Foster ever been seriously considered as a candidate for a major D1 job? He’s white and he’s extremely well qualified. So why doesn’t Auburn consider him? The answer is easy. The folks at Auburn don’t know him. Foster has been at Virginia Tech for so long that other school's decision-makers aren’t familiar/comfortable with him personally or professionally.
Black or white, Foster is a Hokie because he’s been a Hokie, and only a Hokie, for most of his adult life thus limiting his exposure to like-minded decision makers. Somebody at Auburn knew Chizik. They liked him and trusted him. They didn’t know Bud Foster and probably not Turner Gill. The rest is Barkley aggravating history.
In the end, it's a comfort zone issue. If you were asked to present four candidates to run your business, and ultimately determine your job security and paycheck, we wager that if you are white the majority of your candidates you pick would be white. Conversely, if you are black, the majority would be black. If you’re of Latin American, Asian or Eastern European descent we wager the trend would hold steady.
In addition, would you pick candidates you know personally that you know are qualified or ones others recommended? It would seem the answers are fairly obvious. (Again, setting aside the issue of institutional responsibility, you see the point as it relates to basic human behavior and daily frames of reference that impact each individual’s reactions and decisions.)
Yes, it’s slightly different depending on where you live and how old you are. But if you are over fifty and living in anywhere but a big American city or urban area, we surmise the comfort zone is still wrapped pretty tightly around you and yours. You can’t change who you grew up with, or with whom you went to school or church. You certainly can’t change who you work with, unless you’re the boss, and, ultimately, that's the point. The people in power have to be the agents of change.
Obviously, the situation is changing daily in places other than Auburn, and will no doubt change some more come January 20th when Barack Obama is sworn in as the President of this troubled country.
Our kids live in a very different world today and most are seemingly color blind. Until they’re running the show, there is work to be done, and old white guys will hire the folks they know and have worked with over the years. Fact is, so will old black guys. It’s what we old guys tend to do. Having owned up to that, wouldn't it be nice if the presidents of major universitities and thier athletic directors were a bit more enlightened?
Change comes slowly, but if Turner Gill keeps winning and Charles Barkley continues to speak his mind, change will continue to come.
(AP Photo/Jamie Martin, Reuters, AP Photo by Luis M. Alvarez, Getty Images)
The Uglier Side of the Coaching Carousel: Kiffin's Unite, Chizik Backlash
Dec 15, 2008
Well, in case you were so overcome with joy at the news that “Kiffin the Elder” (a.k.a “The Full Monte”) would be joining Tennessee Head Coach, Lane Kiffin next Fall in Knoxville—and I can completely understand why you might be—the news out of Auburn is much less pleasant.
Apparently, “War Eagles” are cannibals because at present, the Auburn Tigers are voraciously eating their own…
First of all, I want to make it absolutely clear that I am not purporting to offer any thoughts on whether Gene Chizik was a good hire from a “football” perspective.
First, aside from my remembering that Chizik was on the Auburn staff as a defensive coordinator in the 2004-ish era, I really don’t know enough about the man’s essentials to assess him one way of the other. I have never been (nor do I plan to become) a devoted follower of the Iowa State Cyclones either, thus I also lack the knowledge to weigh whether Chizik’s 5-19 record as the head coach in Ames really means that much or not.
Second, as a Tennessee fan, I have little room and even less desire to point out the shortcomings of other programs at this particular point in time (“ahem… pot, meet kettle”)…
Third, I don’t have to really even get into the substance of Chizik’s qualifications to realize that all hell has broken loose on the Plains.
There are some very restless natives in Auburn.
Since Gene Chizik’s announcement as the new head coach, the Tiger faithful have literally declared a civil war on a scale which boggles the mind and confounds reason.
The only reaction I have been able to draw thus far is that, based purely upon the reaction of the fans, alumni, and talking heads—completely irrespective of his abilities—Gene Chizik is going to have a very tough time winning at Auburn.
The reason for this is that, with the exception of Auburn AD Jay Jacobs, and perhaps Kirk Herbstreit, there appears to be no one among the Tiger faithful who is, was, or believes that they will ever be happy with this hire.
Of course, this is an understatement of prodigious proportions—somewhat akin to saying that GM is undergoing a “minor financial adjustment” or that Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has made some “unpopular decisions.” Only two words accurately describe the situation among the Aubies:
Cataclysmic Meltdown.
For example, listen to the guy ranting and raving in the background as Jay Jacobs returns to Auburn after sealing the deal with Chizik over the weekend.
Now, mind you this is occurring before the official announcement has even been made. This was not, however an isolated incident.
This pretty much sums up the thoughts in Auburn
Over at Track ‘em Tigers, the reaction was enough to induce vomiting (you simply have to read through some of the comments), and I am pretty certain that a few of the commenters have since committed suicide. In particular, the guy who wrote this letter:
Mr. Jacobs
I have no words to express how I feel about the hiring of Chizik as the head football coach at Auburn University. How can anyone be this devoid of wisdom. I have been an Auburn fan for 40 years. I went to school during the Barfield years for goodness sake. During this entire period I have never once even considered wavering in my allegiance to Auburn.
As of now I will turn in my tickets. (scholarship) I will not send another dime of support to the University, and I will join all efforts towards the removal of you and everyone else involved in this ridiculous hire.
You and Dr. Gogue may think you can sit in your ivory towers protected by the powers that be, (and you know to whom I am referring) but you forget Auburn is a grassroots university. Hard working men and women made Auburn the great university it is today. I hold fast to the belief that it is the spirit that lives in these same men and women which will cause us to band together and throw you and the rest of your crowd out on your ears.
Of course, we all know that comments are often submitted in the heat of the moment, and are less than well thought out—I’m as guilty of that as anyone. The bad news is that, by and large, even the cooler heads have shown strong misgivings at the hiring of Chizik. One such “cooler head” is that of Will Collier at From the Bleachers who writes:
All that stuff about “don’t panic” and “they sky is not falling” and “Auburn will hire a good coach?” Never mind all that. Dogs and cats are, in fact, living together in the luxury suites of Jordan-Hare Stadium.
* * * * *
Gene Chizik is almost certainly the worst candidate interviewed during this utter farce of a coaching search. He is a poor recruiter who has completely failed to date as a head coach. Chizik’s own friends in the coaching community openly scoff at the idea of him being a head coach for a major program.
For Auburn’s program, he will be the equivalent of Mike DuBose, although hopefully without the cheating.
* * * * *
I don’t say this lightly, but, Fire Jay Jacobs. And while you’re at it, fire his buddy Tim Jackson, who inexplicably was invited along for the interviews, despite the fact that Jackson is Auburn’s… ticket manager. That makes as much sense as asking a halfwit greenskeeper to sit in on interviews for a corporate CEO.
All of this begs the question, when does exercising your constitutionally (and in my opinion morally) protected “bitching license” leave you in the proverbial Catch-22? It seems to me that even if Gene Chizik were the second coming of Vince Lombardi or (to put it more into context) Shug Jordan, that he is now doomed to fail. In other words, no matter how good he is as a coach, he is already disliked by the fanbase before a single down of football has been played.
I understand that the Auburn faithful are not happy with the hire, and that many feel Tommy Tuberville was essentially fired for no good reason, but at the end of the day if you are an Auburn fan, if you don’t rally around your new coach, it is all but assured that the program will implode for at least 2-5 years, if not more.
I feel for the Auburn folks. The Tennessee Volunteers are just coming out of the gloom of what is, without question, the single most difficult football season I’ve ever lived through. All season long Orange Nation spent a great deal of time ripping one another to shreds before Smiling Mike Hamilton and the Great Punkin finally quieted things.
Like it or not, at least Smiling Mike had the decency and good sense to address the issue with Fulmer in as transparent and public a manner as was probably possible. That helped start the healing process, and probably accounts for the general sense of excitement surrounding the ascendancy of the Blackjack General as Tennessee’s new football coach, despite the fact that many still have questions about his experience.
That is also precisely why Auburn AD Jay Jacobs is currently public enemy number one down on the Plains. Still the situations are really not all that dissimilar.
That’s the odd thing. From where I am sitting—from a purely “factual” perspective—both Tennessee and Auburn are looking at largely untested and unknown head coaches putting on their headsets next fall.
The only difference is that Tennessee is doing everything it possibly can to help boost their new skipper to success, while it seems that Auburn is obliterating every possible chance for their new hire to enjoy the same.
Both men have a tough road and a lot of work ahead of them, but—as things currently stand—it would appear that Kiffin has a much better chance of success simply because the fanbase is uniting behind him.
Right now, I am really appreciating Smiling Mike…
Hopefully, the Tennessee fans out there who are quick to attack will pay attention to this debacle at Auburn and learn. Sometimes you have to come together, sometimes you have to put differences aside, sometimes you have to bite your tongue. That is what it means to be part of a team or, as I have described it, a family. Establishing a tradition always requires unity and sacrifice.
Learn from this, Orange Nation, lest you follow the Tigers down that bitter primrose path…
Anyone who is engaged and otherwise has intelligence about college football understands that the Auburn program is light years ahead of Iowa State’s, which is 476-556-46 all time.
Auburns football (681-395-47) legacy is that of rich storied traditions, undefeated seasons, and winning championships, Auburn is the only school in all of college football that has produced a Heisman winner where John Heisman coached. Two winners I might add, Pat Sullivan and Bo Jackson. The Tigers have an epic annual battle in two of the biggest and best rivalry games in the country, Georgia and Alabama respectively.
For those of you out west, comparing Auburn to Iowa State is like saying the Texas longhorns are equal to Rice University. Looks real good on the plate, but without the seasoning it is bland as the cardboard box it was packaged in.
It does not take long to Google the Iowa State Cyclones football program and find out real quick that they are extremely insignificant in the world of college football. Outside of the fact they perform with excellence in a variety of other areas, that would rival many Universities, but we are not talking about those right now. We are talking football, and in the Deep South and in anywhere in the SEC that is king. You can throw out any cliché you would like, but when push comes to shove, folks around here take there football as serious as a heart attack.
I don’t mean to sound arrogant, harsh or other adjective's we could insert here, but come on. Iowa State and football in the same breath-really? I remember what I thought when Chizik left Texas for Ames, Iowa to coach the cyclones. I asked my wife “what the heck is he thinking” as if she new. I was positive then that it was a bad move for him. Boy was I right!
Very few coaches are successful. The best coach in recent history is Dan McCarney (1995-2006). It took him six years to have a winning season. He resigned at the end of the 2006 season.
Year
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Record
3-8
2-9
1-10
3-8
4-7
9-3
7-5
7-7
2-10
7-5
7-5
4-8
McCarney generated a 56-87 record for the Cyclones. Other than Pop Warner (18-8) who coached from 1895-1899 the only other recognizable former head coach is a Hall of Famer Johnny Majors. He coached from 1968-72 with a record of 24-30-1. Majors left State for Pittsburg in 1973. At Pittsburgh he recruited such greats as Heisman Trophy winner Tony Dorsett and Matt Cavanaughamong others. The Panthers won the national title in 1976, after which Majors went back to his alma- mater. Majors also was voted National Coach in 1976 as well.
At the University of Tennessee (1977-92, Majors achieved success in the 1980s and early 1990s winning three SEC Championships (in 1985, 1989 and 1990), but falling short of a National Championship. He finished his career with a 185-137-10 over all record.
What’s my point after all of this? A Hall of Fame coach, who won a national title at Pitt and nearly another at Tennessee could not be successful at Iowa State.
No one in there right mind can judge Gene Chizik’s failures to rebuild the Cyclones program. What standard would one truly expect to rebuild it too? Oklahoma, Texas Tech, or Texas come on its good to have ambition, but don’t place one man’s failures over a two year period squarely at his feet alone. It’s an unfortunate side effect of Iowa’s State’s football failures through their history. Those failures took place over many years sense 1892. Don’t expect anyone to come into that program and turn it around in two years. It’s never been a consistent winner. Who are kids going to sign with coming out of high school? It’s tough to compete with almost every school in the Big 12, not to mention their state rival Iowa.
Chizik's defensive units while at Auburn and Texas were top rated in many statistical categories. Why? Because of supreme talent he recruited. Further proof of the facts I have detailed before you. At Iowa State Chizik's defense regressed in every major statistical category in 2008. The Cyclones worsened from 65th to 111th nationally in total defense, 93rd to 110th in scoring defense, 44th to 95th in rushing defense and 91st to 115th in total defense. This took place with the previous coaching staff’s players. Any of his recruits would have been playing as freshmen and sophomores. There are not enough high quality talent to compete in that state with the big boys.
The Cyclones have amassed 17 non-winning seasons in a 19-year period before Dan McCarney took them to five bowl games during a span of six seasons.
Iowa State has never notched an outright conference championship in the 117-season history of the program. The Cyclones shared Missouri Valley Championship titles as co-champions in 1911 and 1912. The proof is in the pudding as they say. That pudding is an unfair comparison to judge Gene Chizik.
Current and former Auburn players believe in coach Chizik. Why would they not? Before Iowa State, he was respected and revered as a great candidate to be a head coach. As one reporter wrote in the Birmingham news; “had Chizik still been the defensive coordinator at Texas, this would be considered a great hire.” I can not agree more. The man has not lost a single game at Auburn and people are ready to refuel the plane and send him on his way.
Defensive back Jerraud Powers welcomed Chizik back to Auburn. Chizik, in his first Auburn stint, recruited Powers, Walter McFadden, Aairon Savage, and others.
"I was just happy it was over. That was the most part," he said. "I'm glad they chose a guy like Coach Chizik. Now, we can go back to no worries and just doing what we're doing. Lately, since the thing happened, it's been kind of crazy around here. We're just happy it's over."
Former Auburn linebacker Antarrious Williams said; "A lot of people are underestimating Gene Chizik's coaching ability and motivating players, and players buying into the system, which is the key right now," Williams said. "That's why Alabama's successful - players are buying into Nick Saban's system. It's not that, what they're doing is so great. It's that the players have bought into what he's tellig them.
TE Tommy Trott offered some clues about Chizik's regime. He said Chizik said Auburn would return to a run-first physical offense. He laid down that attitude Sunday.
"He just came in and he said how pumped he was and how jacked up he was to be back at a place he loved. He said the last time he was in this room he was 13-0. He plans on getting us back there."
Believe what he's saying. "He's going to be a good motivator, just coming out of that speech he just gave. It was very motivating. He's a little bit different style. I'm looking forward to it.
Chizik was visibly excited about his return to Auburn. "Through my travels in coaching over the last 23 years, there's one place that I've always wanted to return to and that is Auburn.”The tradition of the Auburn football program combined with the passionate fans and their love for Auburn are second to none."
Remember those words; “and their love for Auburn.”
Auburn Nights: The Ballad of Football Stupidity!
Dec 15, 2008
If you woke up to the sound of Gene Chizik being Auburn's new head coach a few mornings ago, I feel for you. But imagine living in the state in which Auburn plays. I don't have to, because I do.
Auburn could have hired many other coaches, even Athletic Directors, but they decided to be stupid and hire the Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik. The man is 5-19 in his two seasons as head coach.
Really? Auburn, that is sort of like looking at yourself in the mirror and saying, "I give up." You are an SEC team and last year you had a winning record, as well as the year before that. We could go on forever.
Seriously, I have never seen such stupidity committed by a school in my life. Of course, if you're Notre Dame, then you may disagree. Chizik's first opportunity as a BCS school head coach is big for him, but a downside for the university.
We all know that Alabama Crimson Tide football head coach Nick Saban controls Alabama. And some say the entire South in many areas. It has been a two-horse race between Alabama and Florida for some time now.
But not many are talking about going to Auburn. Some have even backed out of their commitment to the school ever since Tommy Tuberville "resigned," or we could just say "forced out."
I don't think that Auburn can even compete in the SEC now. First off, unlike Iowa State, Auburn actually knows what they are doing down here and they are not the worst school in their conference. Well, that was until now of course.
Auburn didn't even waste time either. They called Texas Tech coach Mike Leach, and possibly got in touch with a few other coaches. Many, including myself, thought they would try and get former Auburn defensive coordinator Will Muschamp.
He has spent time under Tommy Tuberville and Mac Brown. He has a good relationship with Auburn too, and since he is a defensive coordinator and the SEC is all about defense he would fit in great there.
I think he will get his chance, but this was the perfect one for him, I thought. Of course, Auburn didn't hesitate once they saw Gene Chizik was interested. Wow! What a pick-up, right?
I don't think he will be around long at Auburn myself. I give it two years or maybe three years max. I don't see him winning many games mainly because much of the team left last year.
The main reason Tuberville did badly was because of that reason alone. Now you have more leaving who were actually helping Auburn win games. It looks really bad for any coach, especially Gene Chizik.
As an Alabama fan I could not be happier for Auburn's blunder here. But seriously, Alabama needs competition in their state. I just wish Auburn would give them some. It looks like another Ballad of Stupidity for Auburn.
He will be formally announced as Auburn's new head football coach at 2/1c today. Try going to ESPN or possibly Auburn's website to see it. They may have footage for you to see.
What do you think about Auburn's choice? Good or bad?
We Were Wrong About The Auburn Head Coach Situation
Dec 14, 2008
Let me be the first to apologize to all of our readers, and anyone else out there who may have read some false information concerning the coaching vacancy at Auburn. On Friday, I received a call from a typically very reliable source who gave me a heads up on who would be taking over at Auburn.
After doing a little snooping around, it appeared that my source was correct so I ran with the story. As it turns out, I could not have been farther from wrong. Will Muschamp is not the head coach at Auburn. The new head coach is Gene Chizik.
To be fair, I don't know anyone who saw Chizik as being a potential fit for that job. To be honest, if I were an Auburn fan I would be furious. Tommy Tuberville had one bad season and he was chased away, and you replace him with a man who has a record of 5-19 at Iowa State? That move does not make a lot of sense to me.
Chizik really has no coaching legacy or a proven track record, but he was employed by Auburn at one point, so I guess that was enough to give him the job.
Anyways, the point of this post was to apologize, because we were wrong here at Walker-Sports, and unlike most media sources, when we botch a story, we don't mind admitting it.
I say it's gaining traction because apparently Richt has no comment on the matter yet, which in the gossip world always means "yes," but I have no idea if it means the exact same thing in the football world.
Personally, I think Searels name has been thrown around already with Auburn officials as a "must-get" guy, no matter who came in to be a head coach, but I doubt that merely hours after the hire of Chizik, Searels has already been contacted.
Hell, Chizik hasn't even had enough time to pack up the trophy case he bought for all those Big XII titles he's won. I highly doubt he's had time to pick up the phone and call potential assistants.
The Chizik hire has been incredibly rushed, it took everyone off-guard and the Barners are very pissed about it. What I think is most likely the case here is that Searels' name has been kicked around and some of those famous tight-lipped Auburn boosters let it out that Searels was a target. From there, the story gained ground and took off running.
I'm not saying that we shouldn't worry about losing Searels, because we certainly should be. However, nothing's set in stone and if you think that UGA won't make a STRONG push to keep him on staff, you're insane.
Out of all our assistants, Searels is one of, if not the most, important one to keep for future success. He made an O-line this year out of duct tape and bubble gum. We'll do whatever we can to keep him.
Right now, we will list all of Iowa State’s Big 12 wins in 2008:
Wow. Pretty impressive stuff. You know, you only fire a coach when you are confident you can find a better candidate.
Husker fans know that feeling all too well.
That now leaves a surprise opening in the Big 12. One would have to conclude that two names with ties to the Husker program will be front runners: Turner Gill and Shawn Watson.
The thought of losing Shawn Watson, and some coaches he might take from the current program, would be setback to Restoring the Order. Plus, with knowledge of the Big 12 North and its landscape, he would instantly make Iowa State more competitive.
I would say Turner is actually more of a long-shot. He might also be a little more choosy given his younger age and that he is a head coach.
Former Auburn and Texas Defensive Coordinator Gene Chizik to Take over Tigers
Dec 13, 2008
Gene Chizik, according to reports by people within the Auburn athletic department and by ESPN, will become the former head coach at Iowa State.
Chizik is expected to be named Auburn football’s 26th head coach on Monday. Chizik was Auburn’s defensive coordinator under former head coach Tommy Tuberville from 2002–2004 before leaving for the same position at Texas, after his defense held opponents to an average of 11.3 points per game and a 13-0 season at Auburn. His defense at Texas in 2005 lead the Horns to an undefeated season and a national title in his first year there.
He then was hired by the Iowa State Cyclones after the 2006 season at Texas.
Auburn AD Jay Jacobs is expected to officially announce Chizik as Auburn’s new head coach as early as Monday in order for Chizik to say goodbye to his players at Iowa State.
There will be a split between the Auburn fans about this hire. However, I suggest for all to keep an open mind and give a fair chance to Chizik. Like it or not, he is now the leader of Auburn football; he deserves to be supported.
Chizik is excited about being back at Auburn as quoted from a general press release in provided by the AP.
“Through my travels in coaching over the last 23 years, there's one place that I've always wanted to return to and that is Auburn," Chizik said. "The tradition of the Auburn football program combined with the passionate fans and their love for Auburn are second to none.
“My family and I are Auburn through and through and look forward to being part of the Auburn family and community.
"I am dedicated to working tirelessly to win championships. We will not be outworked in any facet of the building process. I'm excited to get on the recruiting trail, meeting with the current players and reconnecting with past players. We want to develop young men into champions not only on the playing field, but in the classroom and in the community."
Although Chizik’s Cyclone team’s over last two seasons did not manage more than five wins, Tiger fans should not allow his record to influence their conclusion about the level of success Chizik will produce at Auburn. Historically, Iowa State is a very difficult program for which to coach.
Many were surprised that Chizik had taken the coaching position two years ago. I personally remember thinking it was a bad move. There could not be more of a polar opposite between two storied programs. Iowa State a story of hardship, losing, and desperation long before Chizik’s attempt to rebuild the program, while Auburn's is a story of championships, pride, power, and a tradition of winning.
Chizik is a very good recruiter; he understands that it takes defense and a scoring offense to win in the SEC. He knows what Auburn is about and has solid relationships throughout the south in recruiting. The relationships he built with high school coaches while at Texas will be a vital new recruiting base from which to draw for Auburn football. As well as Georgia, Alabama, and his home state of Florida.
I am sure I speak on behalf of the true Auburn family as I welcome coach Chizik and his family back to Auburn. Good luck, and War Eagle.
Gene Chizik Hiring at Auburn Says a Lot Without Saying Anything
Dec 13, 2008
Oh, how far the mighty have fallen at Auburn University after the insider information that Iowa State's Gene Chizik will be the Tigers' next head football coach. Gene Chizik? You've gotta be kidding me!!!!
This is Auburn University, not Slippery Rock or Farleigh Dickinson. How in the world is a football program like Auburn settling for a coach who posted a 5-19 record over the past two seasons at Iowa State?
Alabama fans are salivating all over the state at this news! If Auburn does indeed hire Chizik, next season's recruits will be de-pledging quicker than a barefoot kid running across a summer blacktop parking lot.
Potential replacements for departed Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville were solid coaches who had successful track records. Jim Grobe at Wake Forest, check. Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech, ditto. Turner Gill at Buffalo, check. Gene Chizik at Iowa State...hold on a corn field minute!
Chizik may be a great guy. He may have been a great defensive coordinator in 2004 at Auburn and then after that at Texas. But, to keep Auburn fans happy, and to keep arch rival Alabama from kicking you into football oblivion for many years to come, you don't hire a guy who could only win five games in two seasons at Iowa State.
Auburn Athletic Director Jay Jacobs should have tried for Oklahoma defensive coordinator Brent Venables or Alabama defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. Either of those coaches would have been better hires than Chizik.
I am not an Auburn fan (and I wouldn't admit it now if I was!). I did, however, spend 35 years living in Alabama. With no professional sports of any significance in that state, the University of Alabama and Auburn University garner attention 365 days a year.
The hiring of Chizik is going to make for a long 2009 for Auburn fans everywhere. Auburn is going to lose season ticket holders left and right. Fans are going to be livid at the fact that their proud institution settled for a coach with an abysmal record.
Why did Auburn settle for Chizik? Because of these reasons:
Booster Bobby Lowder runs the show on The Plains and he didn't want Gill
The Tigers didn't want to take the public rejection of storied and more desirable coaches like Steve Spurrier, Bobby Petrino, Mike Leach, etc. They wanted to get a coach in the fold as quickly as possible, and who better than a guy like Chizik who would have been run out of Ames, Iowa by next season anyway?
Chizik has ties to Auburn's last run of glory in 2004.
An Auburn fan's comments on one of the state's biggest newspaper websites summed up the situation best: "I think I just Chiziked in my mouth a little after hearing who our next football coach is going to be."
Hang in there, Auburn fans. At least baseball season will be here soon.
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