As we move past those exciting early stages of the season in the NFL and the English Premier League, we are starting to see coaches move to the “hot seat”. With the firing on Scott Linehan in St. Louis, and constant talk about Lane Kiffin in Los Angeles, we see the Donald Trump-like temperament of sports today. Win now or you're fired. No matter the state of the team.
In two parts, I would like to highlight how patience, even in the time of losing, can ultimately lead to Championships. Now the argument can be made that Championships lead to patience, but rarely does that work out for an extended period of time.
Part 1 will look at five men – with a couple extra – who were able to win, even if it did not happen right away.
Part 2 - which will come soon - will look at college coaches. While there has been great turnover in college athletics, there still coaches that have been with their school for many years and are extremely successful.
Below are a few examples of how patience breeds winning. How owners and franchise leadership waited and eventually won.
Joe Torre, New York Yankees– In 1996 Torre took over the Yankees from Buck Showalter and then led them to their first World Series appearance since 1981, and they won. Torre was the longest tenured coach under the fire-happy George Steinbrenner. In his twelve seasons in New York, Torre lead the Yankees to six World Series appearances, having won four, twelve post seasons, and managed arguably the greatest team in MLB history in 1998, when the team posted a 114 win season.
Torre biggest issue in New York may have been that he could not live up to the standards that he set early in his time with team. The Yankees last appeared in the World Series in 2003, losing to the Florida Marlins.
Bill Cowher, Pittsburgh Steelers – Fifteen seasons; eight division titles, ten playoff berths, played in AFC Championship games and two Super Bowl appearances. He is one of only six coaches in NFL history to claim at least seven division titles.
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