Gene Chizik: What Makes Him Deserve Rookie Coach of The Year

The 2009 NCAA Division I football season, as well as the season's aftermath, was filled with many thrilling games, exciting stories, and splendid football memories. A year ago, life was much different on the Plains of Auburn, as many apprehensive fans questioned the hiring of head coach, Gene Chizik. Things sure can change in one year's time, that's for sure. The Auburn nation applaudes the accolades of Gene Chizik and only the fans of the Crimson Tide remain reluctant to admit that he has been successful at Auburn, continues to be successful at Auburn and will be successful in the future. In more ways than one, the first Auburn season under Gene Chizik was very successful. Perhaps he did not do enough in the eyes of the nation to be named AP Coach of the Year but if voting exists for Rookie Coach of the Year, Gene Chizik should be the man to capture the honor.

In December 2009, Texas Christian coach Gary Patterson was named AP Coach of the Year for NCAA Division I football. To be honest, when I learned that Gary Patterson was named AP Coach of the Year, I disagreed completely. Why did he win? Did he earn AP Coach of the Year honors for going undefeated in the regular season? Was it because he took his team to a BCS bowl game? Perhaps the AP Coach of the Year award should have gone Chris Peterson, Head Coach at Boise State. After all, Boise State coach Chris Peterson wound up with the undefeated season when his team outlasted Texas Christian to win the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl. I believe there are several coaches who could have taken TCU to an undefeated season and a BCS bowl game because they simply did not have much adversity. They began the year with a great roster that had good depth on both sides of the ball. Patterson won significant victories over Clemson, Utah, BYU and Air Force but outside of those four games, life was easy for Gary Patterson and his TCU Horned Frogs. Still, he wound up as the AP Coach of the Year.

Should the award have gone to first year coach Auburn Tigers coach, Gene Chizik? Honestly, the answer has to be no. Out of Chizik's five losses in 2009, the losses to Kentucky, Georgia and Alabama decimated his chances for a shot at winning Coach of the Year. If Auburn would have beaten Kentucky and Georgia, and then somehow edged out victory over Alabama, Gene Chizik may have been considered. Then again, even if Auburn would have won those three games, Chizik still may not have captured the honor.

What about Rookie Coach of the Year? The 2009 season saw several new coaches take their places amongst sidelines everywhere, but I cannot think of any others besides Gene Chizik who walked into a nightmare and turned into a sweet dream. Gene Chizik should be Rookie Coach of the Year based upon his entire body of work and not merely his wins and losses. When Chizik was hired, he took the job and ignored the public outcry against him. He didn't whine or pout. He didn't scold the fans and he didn't make negative comments. He believed in himself and thus, he knew that he would win the fans over through success. Gene Chizik inherited a divided team; a team in turmoil. The condition of the team was a disaster when Chizik inherited the reins. After a horrible season in 2008, there was absolutely no unity whatsoever amongst the team, nor was there a positive, winning attitude. Because he is a good man and a good coach, Gene Chizik came in and changed all of that. When you think of big-time head coaches in college football, names like Joe Paterno, Nick Saban, Bob Stoops and Lane Kiffin come to mind. Just kidding! Lane Kiffin only comes to mind when I think about circus clowns. Seriously, Gene Chizik is not thought of as a big-time head coach but more and more, he is certainly becoming known as one of the most intelligent head coaches. Because he is able to recognize that he is not the best head coach, he chose to surround himself with dedicated and proven coordinators and assistants. He hired a staff that would motivate the existing players and win the hearts of recruiting prospects. He hired a staff that would be dedicated to rebuilding the football program. Case in point: Gus Malzahn. When Louisiana Tech headmaster, Derek Dooley, left for Tennessee, Gus Malzahn was contacted by Louisiana Tech regarding a position as head coach. Malzahn reminded the country that he and his family are happy at Auburn and that he is dedicated to the Auburn football program. Gene Chizik has done a magnificient job with recruiting. Perhaps Tommy Tuberville was known for signing three star players and turning many of them into five star players; however, this process did not work much of the time. When Tuberville left, Auburn's depth at several key positions was hurting or missing all together. Alas, Gene Chizik to the rescue. After recruiting a top twenty or top twenty-five class for 2009 in less than two months, Gene Chizik gathered his team and began to turn things around. He instilled attitude into the hearts of minds of the players, the coaches, the fans, and the University as whole. He took a team that was down in the dumps and injected them with confidence. Under Chizik, Auburn believed they could win every game and that type of confidence was missing in 2008. In all honestly, Auburn should have won five games, or perhaps six at the most. Because of the work of Gene Chizik, Auburn managed to defeat West Virginia early in the season and then Ole Miss after they had lost three games in a row. The team did not spiral downward after suffering losses to Arkansas, Kentucky and LSU. After losing two heartbreaking games to Georgia and Alabama, Chizik's Tigers faced adversity against Northwestern when the Wildcats in purple fought back to tie the game twice. The boys in blue and orange did not quit. Their leader had instilled too much confidence in them to lose. Presently, Auburn sits 44 recruiting points behind Alabama for the number three spot on Rivals.com with a total of three five star recruits and eleven four star recruits. Chizik has a great chance to land one more five star recruit by the name of Marcus Lattimore. Should that transpire, Auburn may very well end up with its first top three recruiting class in history. Let's face it folks: Gene Chizik has done, is doing and will do great things as the head coach of Auburn University. Based upon his body of work and not just his wins and losses for 2009, Gene Chizik is certainly the best candidate for Rookie Coach of the Year. One thing is for sure: He has my vote!