Former S&C Coach Rick Court in the news....

[BeardoMSU]

...and it's not good.

http://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/24342005/maryland-terrapins-football-culture-toxic-coach-dj-durkin

[ShotgunDawg]

Maryland got any croots we want?

[Bass Chaser]

Is Durkin from the Meyer coaching tree? We know Court was.

[Spiderman]

Is Durkin from the Meyer coaching tree? We know Court was.

Yep and Yep.

Court developed the team here that went to number one. Never heard one former player or staff member go public of any problems.

Poor kid died and some, very few in fact, go public about it.

Football is a cut throat business. I coached, I love the game, but it ain't for everybody. I could care less if my sons play or not.

That said, I take the article with a grain of salt.

[Really Clark?]

Is Durkin from the Meyer coaching tree? We know Court was.

Yes. Started at Bowling Green as a GA under Meyer

[TUSK]

Urban has gotta love the timing of this....

#MeThree

[Mutt the Hoople]

Court and Durkin are lucky one of those Maryland players didn't break either one of them in two.

[Mutt the Hoople]

Yep and Yep.

Court developed the team here that went to number one. Never heard one former player or staff member go public of any problems.

Poor kid died and some, very few in fact, go public about it.

Football is a cut throat business. I coached, I love the game, but it ain't for everybody. I could care less if my sons play or not.

That said, I take the article with a grain of salt.

If my son died after Court pushed him like that, I'd find it hard to restrain myself if he ever showed.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

I remember my old coach would make us run until we puked and said belittling things to us everyday and yet no one ever considered running to a news source and whining. Things sure have changed

[BeardoMSU]

whining

Vomiting everyday sure does build character...as does watching your teammate die, I suppose.

Those damn whiners.**

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

Vomiting everyday sure does build character...as does watching your teammate die, I suppose.

Those damn whiners.**

Belittling everyday..puking was like once every couple of weeks

[Lumpy Chucklelips]

Maryland got any croots we want?

Just looked at their commit list. 10 commits, all 3 stars, ranked 59th in country.

Top 3 rated cruits:
5-8 166
5-9 180
5-10 165

To answer your question.....probably not.

[TUSK]

Lawd, if this thread makes it to the Poli Board.....

[thedawginme]

Belittling everyday..puking was like once every couple of weeks

I can think of lots of practices that were accepted as normal and healthy in past years that now - well, god what the hell were we/people thinking....

[Cooterpoot]

17 him and all the 17rs in the House Meyer.

[Homedawg]

Court and Durkin are lucky one of those Maryland players didn't break either one of them in two.
While the death is tragic, and there is no other description, there is always two sides to the story, always. Just imagine if this story was about us. Maybe it's true maybe it's not.

[Dawg61]

I remember my old coach would make us run until we puked and said belittling things to us everyday and yet no one ever considered running to a news source and whining. Things sure have changed

Things have changed for the better. People finally have spines and are standing up to bullies that abuse players.

[bulldawg28]

While the death is tragic, and there is no other description, there is always two sides to the story, always. Just imagine if this story was about us. Maybe it's true maybe it's not.

Meh, it wouldn't matter if it were us or not. Truth should trump loyalty. Living through college football conditioning my body went through things I never knew possible. If a person isn't in immaculate shape it's downright dangerous to participate.

Coaches need to be held accountable. Players come to play football not die. Dying shouldn't be an option. However, quitting a drill when it's too much without punishment should be ok. It signals my breaking point. Kids are pushed to go beyond which is dangerous. The #1 reason players quit isn't just contact injuries. It's the wear and tear of conditioning. All coaches should learn anatomy prior to coaching imo. Most are ignorant of the effects of these workouts.

[mstatefan91]

Similar to stories I heard when Court was here..

[gravedigger]

I remember my old coach would make us run until we puked and said belittling things to us everyday and yet no one ever considered running to a news source and whining. Things sure have changed

Do you equate what your coach did to the kid dying in Maryland and what that staff failed to do?

[gravedigger]

Yep and Yep.

Court developed the team here that went to number one. Never heard one former player or staff member go public of any problems.

Poor kid died and some, very few in fact, go public about it.

Football is a cut throat business. I coached, I love the game, but it ain't for everybody. I could care less if my sons play or not.

That said, I take the article with a grain of salt.

Well then. If he gets a team to number 1, a kid dying is just bad luck. Kid should have been tougher, huh? And really, when you think about it, since many kids didn?t actually die, that?s pretty good confirmation that nothing irresponsible happened here.

[gravedigger]

While the death is tragic, and there is no other description, there is always two sides to the story, always. Just imagine if this story was about us. Maybe it's true maybe it's not.

If the death was because they ignored signs and there is testimony from players to that effect, this is a crime.

[Mutt the Hoople]

I remember my old coach would make us run until we puked and said belittling things to us everyday and yet no one ever considered running to a news source and whining. Things sure have changed

Back when we played, we played at our natural weight. I played on a team that had 155 pound guards and a 160 pound all-State linebacker. Also, we didn't have summer training but worked or played outside all day (only drinking water out of a fountain when we got thirsty), and practice was used to get us into football shape.

Now, the kids work out all year long, they put on muscle that's 20-50 pounds more than their bodies are supposed to weigh.

Sounds like Durkin and Court were trying to run off some of the players from the old regime. Being tough and hard on the players crossed the line when someone dies...don't forget, this is a child's game, and no one should die playing childrens' games.

If I was McNair's dad, I'd make sure I got the sleaziest, slimiest lawyer I could find and sue Maryland for enough that I would OWN that university.

[Dawg-gone-dawgs]

Do you equate what your coach did to the kid dying in Maryland and what that staff failed to do?

not I don't sensitive Nancy...I was referring to the belittling the players, knocking food out of their hands basically what went on at nearly every high school from the 90's back.

[TaleofTwoDogs]

Being tough and hard on the players crossed the line when someone dies...don't forget, this is a child's game, and no one should die playing childrens' games.

Actually, American football evolved from rugby, which is definitely not a child's game. The first recorded football game was in 1869 with Rutgers vs. Princeton. Again, not kids. In 1880, Yale player/coach Walter Camp "the Father of American Football" penned the rules that is the basis for modern football.

Per Wikipedia:

"Despite these new rules, football remained a violent sport. Dangerous mass-formations, which involved interlocking interference, like the flying wedge resulted in serious injuries and deaths. A 1905 peak of 19 fatalities nationwide resulted in a threat by President Theodore Roosevelt to abolish the game unless major changes were made. In response, sixty-two colleges and universities met in New York City to discuss rule changes on December 28, 1905, and these proceedings resulted in the formation of the Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States, later named the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)."

What happen at Maryland was tragic and probably preventable but the player needs to know his limitations and the coaches should know the difference between best training guidelines and simple bullying. I don't think criminal intent is present in these situations just a lot of stupidity and arrogance.

[gravedigger]

not I don't sensitive Nancy...I was referring to the belittling the players, knocking food out of their hands basically what went on at nearly every high school from the 90's back.

Are you mature enough to respond without the grade school name calling bit?

[Jarius]

If the kid died and the staff was negligent they all need to be fired. The rest of that goes on at most big time programs.

[Goldendawg]

Who was our S&C Coach (maybe in the Jackie years), who ran our guys through the program based on the Navy Seals? They were carrying light poles around together and crawling through muddy obstacle courses. We even got a big story in SI (may have been the cover even). Had other stories about other schools doing outdoors things for FB training. I think the players who succeeded in the course were called "Irondawgs" with different levels of honor and a special poster was printed. One year the "Irondawgs" poster had them sitting on a tank. PS - Not sure what our record was in FB those years, but maybe we could have been good in that Scottish (?) sport where they throw telephone poles or making "mud angels".

[Dawg61]

not I don't sensitive Nancy...I was referring to the belittling the players, knocking food out of their hands basically what went on at nearly every high school from the 90's back.

Sounds like verbal and physical assault were as popular as Star Wars in the 80's.

[bulldawg28]

Who was our S&C Coach (maybe in the Jackie years), who ran our guys through the program based on the Navy Seals? They were carrying light poles around together and crawling through muddy obstacle courses. We even got a big story in SI (may have been the cover even). Had other stories about other schools doing outdoors things for FB training. I think the players who succeeded in the course were called "Irondawgs" with different levels of honor and a special poster was printed. One year the "Irondawgs" poster had them sitting on a tank. PS - Not sure what our record was in FB those years, but maybe we could have been good in that Scottish (?) sport where they throw telephone poles or making "mud angels".

It was coach Grant. It's amazing we didn't have a fatality.