Good Write Up On Mullen

[Liverpooldawg]

I'm grateful to Dan for what he did here. He had us, and has us, in positions I never thought I would ever see us in. I hope he does well, except when he plays us. Some of y'all don't want to hear this, but we need him to do well. Think about it.

[klong-dog]

I'm grateful to Dan for what he did here. He had us, and has us, in positions I never thought I would ever see us in. I hope he does well, except when he plays us. Some of y'all don't want to hear this, but we need him to do well. Think about it.

What?? Why would it help us if he did well? I think it would benefit us more if he and SS failed. Would send the message that maybe we're not the stepping stone school, like most think.

[Liverpooldawg]

What?? Why would it help us if he did well? I think it would benefit us more if he and SS failed. Would send the message that maybe we're not the stepping stone school, like most think.

Think about it, we have?nt had a coach that left here and did well since the early 1950s. Mullen is the first one that left without getting pushed in over 60 years. It?s one of the main reasons we have historically had trouble hiring decent coaches. It took hiring one with some heavy NCAA baggage to start to break the cycle. If we have an ex coach out there doing well somewhere else then that helps change that perception, and it IS the perception, that MSU is a coaching graveyard. It will mean we will have a better applicant pool when you make the NEXT hire. I hope Moorhead stays a long time, but even if he does there will always be a next hire. Coaches that coach for a long time at one school are very rare, even more so now. Mullen exceeded the average tenure.

[BrunswickDawg]

Think about it, we have?nt had a coach that left here and did well since the early 1950s. Mullen is the first one that left without getting pushed in over 60 years. It?s one of the main reasons we have historically had trouble hiring decent coaches. It took hiring one with some heavy NCAA baggage to start to break the cycle. If we have an ex coach out there doing well somewhere else then that helps change that perception, and it IS the perception, that MSU is a coaching graveyard. It will mean we will have a better applicant pool when you make the NEXT hire. I hope Moorhead stays a long time, but even if he does there will always be a next hire. Coaches that coach for a long time at one school are very rare, even more so now. Mullen exceeded the average tenure.

No. No. No.

The problem was not that we were a coaching graveyard. We have had terrible leadership in the ADs office who constantly made decisions based on a lack of funds and an aversion to risk. Murray Warmath and Darryl Royal saw that quickly and bolted. Wade Walker was a bad coach who moved from HC to AD, then became a very successful AD at Oklahoma. Paul Davis was hired with almost no experience, bombed, and went on to a lengthy 24 year career as an assistant - primarily at Auburn. Charlie Shira was a lazy hire (coach who had worked here under Royal) who we could pay for double duty as AD, and sell all of our home games to other schools. He bombed, and then stayed on as AD. Bob Tyler was a very good hire and coach who got destroyed by the NCAA. Emory Bellard was an excellent hire and coach, who probably could have gone on to coach other places - but would have had to overhaul his whole approach to offense (by '85 the wishbone was almost dead) at age 58. Rockey Felker was a good assistant coach - but a lazy hire as a HC. After his tenure here, he still had a successful career as an OC (Tulsa, Arkansas) and then came back home. Jackie knew it was probably his last job, or next to last job when he was hired here. Croom was Croom, but is still coaching.

So - in summary - we had 2 coaches who left and went on to HOF careers (Warmath & Royal), 2 who became our AD one of whom went on to a major power, 1 tanked by the NCAA, 2 who ended their careers here probably due to age and the game having passed them by (Bellard & Jackie), and 3 who continued on as assistant coaches for long careers (Davis, Felker, Croom).

Where is this coaching graveyard you speak of?? Almost all of our coaches continued in successful careers after they left MSU. The problem always was - until Don - the lack of funding and resources to compete and a lack leadership and real support from the university to make sure we had the facilities to compete.

[Liverpooldawg]

No. No. No.

The problem was not that we were a coaching graveyard. We have had terrible leadership in the ADs office who constantly made decisions based on a lack of funds and an aversion to risk. Murray Warmath and Darryl Royal saw that quickly and bolted. Wade Walker was a bad coach who moved from HC to AD, then became a very successful AD at Oklahoma. Paul Davis was hired with almost no experience, bombed, and went on to a lengthy 24 year career as an assistant - primarily at Auburn. Charlie Shira was a lazy hire (coach who had worked here under Royal) who we could pay for double duty as AD, and sell all of our home games to other schools. He bombed, and then stayed on as AD. Bob Tyler was a very good hire and coach who got destroyed by the NCAA. Emory Bellard was an excellent hire and coach, who probably could have gone on to coach other places - but would have had to overhaul his whole approach to offense (by '85 the wishbone was almost dead) at age 58. Rockey Felker was a good assistant coach - but a lazy hire as a HC. After his tenure here, he still had a successful career as an OC (Tulsa, Arkansas) and then came back home. Jackie knew it was probably his last job, or next to last job when he was hired here. Croom was Croom, but is still coaching.

So - in summary - we had 2 coaches who left and went on to HOF careers (Warmath & Royal), 2 who became our AD one of whom went on to a major power, 1 tanked by the NCAA, 2 who ended their careers here probably due to age and the game having passed them by (Bellard & Jackie), and 3 who continued on as assistant coaches for long careers (Davis, Felker, Croom).

Where is this coaching graveyard you speak of?? Almost all of our coaches continued in successful careers after they left MSU. The problem always was - until Don - the lack of funding and resources to compete and a lack leadership and real support from the university to make sure we had the facilities to compete.

We haven?t had a coach leave here and have a successful head coaching career since the 50s Brunswick. That is FACT. The perception of MSU has been since the 50s that you can?t win at MSU and you will never even be able to go higher from there. JWS changed that a little bit. Mullen blew it up, for now. If he continues he to win then it is blown up. You will never get a coach that we will want to stay a long time if he won?t come to begin with. We all love MSU and none of us would want to leave here ever if we were a winning coach, but that?s not the case with most non-alumni coaches. Heck it might not be WITH an alumni, as loafers proved. I wanted Mullen to stay, but if you can?t see how him leaving in his own for what is perceived nationally as a much better job helps us in future coaching searches then you are just blinded by hate. Heck the evidence was there to see on the search to replace Mullen.

[BrunswickDawg]

I'm grateful to Dan for what he did here. He had us, and has us, in positions I never thought I would ever see us in. I hope he does well, except when he plays us. Some of y'all don't want to hear this, but we need him to do well. Think about it.

Name 1 good thing that comes to us from Don winning at UF. All his winning at UF does is enhance HIS reputation, not ours. People aren't going to say "Wow, MSU was so smart that they gave Don his first HC gig". They are going to say "Doc McStuffins is an incredible coach who can take a stinker program like MSU and win, and also take a powerhouse that was treading water and rebuild it." No. I wan't Dick Move to go 8-4 (4-4) every year for 3 years while the CC boys yuk it up and have Grantham bail on him after next season after Dick throws him under the bus after a Moorhead led MSU torches them for 548 yards of offense.

[thf24]

Name 1 good thing that comes to us from Don winning at UF. All his winning at UF does is enhance HIS reputation, not ours. People aren't going to say "Wow, MSU was so smart that they gave Don his first HC gig". They are going to say "Doc McStuffins is an incredible coach who can take a stinker program like MSU and win, and also take a powerhouse that was treading water and rebuild it."

Exactly. On the flip side, the worse he does at UF, the better it will make our program look. I'm not wishing it on him because I'm grateful for everything he did for us, but if he flops at UF, people will start realizing that just maybe we had more going for us over the past 9 years than just Dan Mullen.

[TrapGame]

Name 1 good thing that comes to us from Don winning at UF. All his winning at UF does is enhance HIS reputation, not ours. People aren't going to say "Wow, MSU was so smart that they gave Don his first HC gig". They are going to say "Doc McStuffins is an incredible coach who can take a stinker program like MSU and win, and also take a powerhouse that was treading water and rebuild it." No. I wan't Dick Move to go 8-4 (4-4) every year for 3 years while the CC boys yuk it up and have Grantham bail on him after next season after Dick throws him under the bus after a Moorhead led MSU torches them for 548 yards of offense.

I hope Don Merlin is a total failure at Flur-a-da.

[Tbonewannabe]

Name 1 good thing that comes to us from Don winning at UF. All his winning at UF does is enhance HIS reputation, not ours. People aren't going to say "Wow, MSU was so smart that they gave Don his first HC gig". They are going to say "Doc McStuffins is an incredible coach who can take a stinker program like MSU and win, and also take a powerhouse that was treading water and rebuild it." No. I wan't Dick Move to go 8-4 (4-4) every year for 3 years while the CC boys yuk it up and have Grantham bail on him after next season after Dick throws him under the bus after a Moorhead led MSU torches them for 548 yards of offense.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to BrunswickDawg again.

Instead of kneeling I hope we go for 2 more yards to make it an even 550.

[Gutter Cobreh]

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to BrunswickDawg again.

Instead of kneeling I hope we go for 2 more yards to make it an even 550.

To add: when Coach Moorhead is walking off the field I want to hear him tell the sideline reporter "That's what it looks like when everyone from the coaches to the players gives relentless effort"

Won't happen, but it would be glorious!!!

[Lance Harbor]

Get to 569 yards and then kneel it for his 69 wins...and just a good ole 69 joke.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to BrunswickDawg again.

Instead of kneeling I hope we go for 2 more yards to make it an even 550.

[Liverpooldawg]

Name 1 good thing that comes to us from Don winning at UF. All his winning at UF does is enhance HIS reputation, not ours. People aren't going to say "Wow, MSU was so smart that they gave Don his first HC gig". They are going to say "Doc McStuffins is an incredible coach who can take a stinker program like MSU and win, and also take a powerhouse that was treading water and rebuild it." No. I wan't Dick Move to go 8-4 (4-4) every year for 3 years while the CC boys yuk it up and have Grantham bail on him after next season after Dick throws him under the bus after a Moorhead led MSU torches them for 548 yards of offense.

They also won’t be saying look at Dan Mullen. We tried to warn him but he went anyway. Look at him now, a position coach at Thrasher Jr High. Look at the applicant pool we were talking to this time, it’s the best one we have ever had. What was evidently our final two were looked upon as the two hottest names among top assistants in the country. The one we DIDN’T go with just got hired by Tennessee. Come on guys. I know it sucks to loose a coach but the way we lost him is THE way you want to lose one if you lose him. For the first time since Royal and Warmuth we didn’t fire him and the program is in the best shape it’s been in since the 1940s.

[Percho]

They also won?t be saying look at Dan Mullen. We tried to warn him but he went anyway. Look at him now, a position coach at Thrasher Jr High. Look at the applicant pool we were talking to this time, it?s the best one we have ever had. What was evidently our final two were looked upon as the two hottest names among top assistants in the country. The one we DIDN?T go with just got hired by Tennessee. Come on guys. I know it sucks to loose a coach but the way we lost him is THE way you want to lose one if you lose him. For the first time since Royal and Warmuth we didn?t fire him and the program is in the best shape it?s been in since the 1940s.

That's the whole point Liver. I would say basically we all wanted to keep him. Wanted him to be one of us. He's the one shopping himself around every year. Personally I got tired of it and cared not weather he stayed or went and told my son so, going home from the egg bowl. I question if his heart was ever at MSU.

One thing he will never know is, was he a good enough coach to win a championship at Mississippi State University. And that is the reason I hope Joe does so.