Emotional Decisions Not Always Best

WRALSportsFan

Emotional Decisions Not Always Best

By Brad Simmons

Jan 5, 2008

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The dust hadn’t even settled in Glendale, Ariz. West Virginia took Oklahoma’s Tostitos and everything else the Sooners owned and sent them back to the Sooner state with a 48-28 loss in the Fiesta Bowl. What a great moment for the winningest team in college football without a national championship.

This came after WVU coach Rich Rodriguez bolted his alma mater for the glitz and glamour of the University of Michigan. In stepped interim head coach Bill Stewart, a UNC assistant coach under Dick Crum from 1985-1987). What a great job he and the coaching staff did to have those boys ready to play. What a great showing for the Mountaineers.

What did the university do? They took the interim off Bill Stewart’s title and now he is head coach of the Mountaineers.

But is this the right move? They’re basing this decision on one game. One game! Athletics Director Ed Pastilong said they had their eye on Stewart the whole time for the vacant position. I will tell you this. _ when you flirt with the likes of Jimbo Fisher and Terry Bowden, then spend big money to bring in Chuck Neinas to aid your search for a coach, you have no inkling of hiring Bill Stewart.

Stewart’s hire was based on the emotion of winning the Fiesta Bowl.

So what happens now? He will reap the benefits of Rodriguez’ recruits, and once they filter out, if history has any say, the high-octane Mercedes Pastilong just handed Stewart will resemble a 2-cylinder Yugo.

Look no further than Chapel Hill. Mack Brown left for Texas and Carl Torbush was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach. North Carolina, despite good talent remaining, sunk into a hole it’s still digging itself out of 10 years later.

A similar situation happened at Miami, when current Tar Heel coach Butch Davis left for the NFL in 2000. In stepped Larry Coker. It is true that Coker won a national championship, but with the talent that team had, give me a head set and I’ll take my championship ring, thank you very much. After Davis’ recruits left the program, the Hurricanes, with five national titles in their history, fired Coker and were no threat in the ACC this past season.

Emotional and rational decisions are rare bedfellows. In the business of college athletics, it pays to make the right decision. The consequences of making the wrong one can be devastating.

Most Recent Comments

I'll agree that often emotions cloud judgement. One thing I believe is that the players should have no say in who the coach will be. They are the most important parts to the team, sure. They also are very temporary in the scheme of the program. It is the right coach who will keep the good players coming, and keep the program in top form. In an established program, it is often not smart to elevate an assistant with little or no head coaching experience. There is often a reason the coach is an assisitant and not a head coach in their own right.