In hindsight, Mark Hagan might have been better at that spot...or maybe Greg Olson, but both have pimp slapped Purdue at one time or another with their career choices, so they're disqualified.
That said, there is still a contingent of Purdue fans that want to see a Purdue-tied coach become the next HC...I do too, but only one guy, really...so since Sumlin isn't available, both J and I think it's probably best for the program to start fresh.
In the wake of that statement, here are some guys with Purdue ties that I hope Burke doesn't call:
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| No more mustaches. |
-Doug Downing played QB for Purdue in the 80s and is now the running backs coach at EMU.
-Taylor Stubblefield should be coaching at Purdue eventually under whomever is the next coach...but he's too green...Same goes for Rod Woodson, who might not ever want to coach again after his year in Oakland.
-Tim Brewster, Minny's ex-HC was a GA at Purdue in the mid-80s...he proved he's a bad HC at Minnesota already.
-Bill Doba coached for four years under Burtnett at Purdue...later, was HC at Washington state. After his first very successful season (10-3), Doba couldn't crack .500...was fired in '07 and hasn't worked since. Doba is retired and two years older than Joe Tiller.
-Bill Legg was co-OC under Tiller in the last few seasons. He's currently OC at Marshall...and they can score (as we saw in RA a few weeks ago)...but I get the feeling that a Legg-coached team would be a lot like Marshall in the fact that defense would merely be optional, and offense would be the primary focus.
All this is for entertainment purposes at this point...no wagering, please.
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The only thing I like about Brock Spack is his uncanny resemblance to Ron Swanson.
I don't watch that show, but my wife does...I looked up the name and completely agree. It's not a coincidence that the show started right around when he started his D-1AA career; more free time to act.
Just like politics, everyone is so entrenched in their view this will probably change few opinion's, but I think that Spack at least deserves consideration. Like most, Sumlin was my first choice but that isn't happening. Whoever Purdue hires needs to realize that in order for Purdue to be successful they most not emulate all the other teams in the B1G, they must innovate. Spack understands that, add in Solich, Ken Niumatalolo, and Trent Myles and you have a great group of proven coaches who have unique offenses, a history of turning programs around, their own style, and/or local connections. All should be in Burke's budget, though Niumatalolo might be a stretch.
As for Spack, I find it interesting that everyone likes to hate on him. Yes, a couple of the defensive units in the Spack era were statistically poor, but they were always (2005 excluded) very opportunistic. Also, Spack's defense were the best in the conference in 2002. You cannot argue with the number of players Spack sent to the NFL. The simple truth is he would have been a better hire than Danny Hope, I have said that since day one of the Hope era. Don't take my word for it though, look at the record.
Purdue Before Hope
2007: 7-5
2008: 4-8
Purdue Under Hope:
2009: 5-7
2010: 4-8
2011: 7-6
2012: 3-3
Illinois State Before Spack
2007: 4-8
2008: 3-8
Illinois State Under Spack
2009: 6-5
2010: 6-5
2011: 7-4
2012: 6-1 and currently ranked #11 in FCS
Sure, some of you will say it is Illinois State, but Illinois States plays in one of the toughest FCS conferences (toss-up between the MVC and Big Sky) and their exclusion from the FCS playoffs last year (in favor of 6-5 Hopeless EKU team) was decried by many. As a Purdue alum and a grad student at an FCS school, I follow both closely and Spack is very well respected in FCS ranks. Don't rule him out so fast.
19-10 (65.5%) in the FCS is hardly earth shattering, and referencing an earlier post today, hardly better than Hope's numbers at EKU (61%)
All good points, b3b45242-1938-11e2-a423-000bcdcb2996, and Spack might well have been a better choice than Hope. You never know, maybe Morgan's lack of interest in Spack had to do with Brock being more vocal about things he wanted to see changed... who knows?
Painter was almost allowed to walk when he began asking for more for his assistants, etc., so maybe it was something Spack said that we just don't know about... while Hope agrees to soldier on.
In the end, though, we definitely didn't like the idea of Spack because it would have been a continuation of Tiller during the time when Tiller teams were laying down.
Boilerdowd: Great lists from both you and J, and I agree with a lot of your choices: Flood, Rhodes, Jones, Chaney, Taggart, and Doeren should be targeted, and BS readers had some great picks like Gary Anderson and Bill Legg.
Regarding Brock Spack: True, he was passed over by Burke for Hope (I believe Tiller may have had a large hand in that as well), but he would be an all-too-easy hire for this unimaginative AD—(1.) Ties to Purdue as both player and coach; (2.) Theoretically inexpensive- he’d be so eager to return here and prove himself, I think that Spack probably would be willing to coach Purdue for $40,000, a book of McDonald’s gift certificates and an off-lease hatchback from Bob Rohrman Kia. (3.) a pornstache that puts Hope’s Dapper Dan to shame. I’ve given Brock plenty of stick on these boards (mainly because his once impressive defenses got progressively worse), but he seems to be doing well enough as a HC in the Missouri Valley Conference, putting together two mildly impressive 6-5 seasons out of the box, and his Redbird team is currently 6-1 and ranked in the FCS poll. Though he has supporters amongst some BS readers, it really is time for some new blood—there are plenty of better candidates out there, and Burke will likely (and sadly) only go for the low-hanging fruit.
I also have a few ideas— I’m not sure these guys would be available or Burke would want to spend the money to get them, but only two of the following come from AQ conference schools. In no particular order, here we go:
David Cutcliffe, Duke. Known as a QB guru, SEC head coach experience (only 1 losing season at a mid-tier program like Ole Miss is pretty impressive), and he’s making enough progress at woeful Duke that their first bowl game since 1995 is within reach.
Darell Hazell, Kent State: Young hire with a lot of upside. Deep experience in the Big 10 as an Ohio State Assistant Head Coach, stops at Rutgers, West Virginia, and Army among others. With Urban entrenched at OSU and an absolute ceiling as the coach of the 6th best D1 program in the state Ohio, this guy will be on the move soon enough.
Terry Bowden, Akron: Granted, this is a longshot, and his desirability is based solely on his past performances. He’s done nothing with the Zips, but that program was a hot mess when he inherited it.
Pete Lembo, Ball State: Another young coach with good upside. Excellent record as a 1AA coach, and doing a fine job downstate.
Mark Hudspeth, UL-Lafayette: Probably my favorite candidate—all this guy has done is win on every level he’s coached, from HS to D2, to his current job. Young, energetic, he teaches sound football that’s also really entertaining to watch.
Sonny Dykes, LA-Tech: Another favorite of mine. Son of legendary Spike Dykes, and a Mike Leach disciple who was on the same Texas Tech staff as current West Virginia HC Dana Holgorsen (they were co-OC’s together at Tech). His current offense may be really gimmicky, but it’s also great fun.
Mike MacIntyre, San Jose State: With his thin resume as an upper level coach (mainly a position coach in the pros, with stops as DC at lesser programs like Duke and Temple) I had my doubts when this guy was hired, but he’s won me over. Young, energetic, and he’s bringing a San Jose State football program back from the dead. He hasn’t produced a winning season yet, but barring a complete meltdown SJSU will be bowling this year—that’s a far cry from 1-12 in MacIntyre’s first season in 2010, and Scout ranked his 2012 recruiting class as best in the conference to boot, so the guy can recruit and develop players. May need a few more years under his belt and a few consecutive winning seasons, but early indications are good.
Loving all the comments on the boards these past weeks!
True, Spack's overall winning percentage ISU is not much better than Hope's at EKU. However, Spack has not regressed at any point in his tenure; certainly not something Danny Hope can claim at either EKU or Purdue. I was not and am not saying Spack should be the man, I am saying he should be a candidate. I like the idea of someone who views Purdue as a destination (Spack, Solich, etc.) and not someone who will bolt at the first hint of success. Someone who bolts after the first 7-8 win season could also set the program back several years.
A name I have not heard mentioned this year is Kirk Olividotti. A defensive guy from a solid defensive program with tons of local connections.
Youth-youth-youth.
At a mid level conference team like Purdue, you gotta take chances, and with few exceptions, people take fewer chances the older they become.
That's ANOTHER reason why Chaney is an INSANE choice. His teams worked primarily only when the stodgy Big Ten was slow to adjust to Purdue's offense. Once the adjustments were made, Chaney didn't adjust -- need I remind everybody how quickly the bubble screen stopped working at Purdue?
b3b- I like Olivadotti...but he's kind of a tweener- pretty qualified, but no HC or coordinator experience...he's a defense guy, which is positive.
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