Military Bowl: 10 Possible 2011 Destinations For Ralph Friedgen
Military Bowl 2010 kicks off tomorrow night as the University of Maryland battles East Carolina.
The Terrapins will be playing practically in their own backyard—the game is in Washington D.C. And for Ralph Friedgen, the game will be his last after 10 seasons as Maryland's head coach.
He's been let go from the place where he was once an offensive lineman and then, 35 years later, led to their first Orange Bowl appearance five decades.
But Friedgen, at age 63, has stated that he wants to continue coaching.
Although it's total speculation, we've dreamed up 10 possible spots for Friedgen to land in 2011.
Check out this list.
No. 10: Idaho Vandals
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Going from a fairly prominent ACC school to a perennial doormat in the WAC would be a pretty huge step down for Friedgen.
But Idaho would probably give Friedgen the moon to rebuild their program that has won only 25 percent (8-24) of their conference games in the past four seasons.
There is no indication that the program would want to let go of their current head coach, Robb Akey.
But Friedgen is a pretty big name and would attract far more recruits to Moscow.
No. 9: Alabama-Birmingham Blazers
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Blazers fans haven't been terribly happy with the team's performance in recent years.
And head coach Neil Callaway has admitted that the team has underwhelmed.
"I don't blame people for being upset," Neil Callaway said a few weeks back, ". . . If you look at the whole body of work and the progress that we've made, we've done a lot of good things. Obviously, we need to translate that over to the field with more wins and that's our goal. I'm not happy going 4-8, either."
Friedgen would certainly infuse life into the program that has taken steps back since Watson Brown led them to a 7-5 record in 2004.
In four seasons, Callaway has posted a 15-33 record and just 11 wins in conference.
Friedgen should be able to improve upon that mark.
No. 8: San Diego Chargers
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For a team that has repeatedly performed well below their talent level, the Chargers might be looking for a new head coach: Norv Turner's got to be on thin ice after another disappointing season.
It's unlikely that a team like that would select a mid-level college coach (who was just fired) to fix things. That could be a PR nightmare for the Bolts.
But Friedgen and the Chargers do have a history. He spent five seasons in San Diego under Bobby Ross and was the offensive coordinator of the only San Diego team ever to reach the Super Bowl, back in 1994.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 7: Virginia Destroyers
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The United Football League expands in 2011 and although the newest team, the Virginia Destroyers, already has a head coach in Joe Moglia, Friedgen would be a great replacement. Prior to taking over for the Destroyers, Moglia had been out of football, and an financial executive, for almost two decades.
Friedgen's name is well known in the DC-Virginia-Maryland area and he would be a great face not just for the franchise but for the developing league.
And since Dennis Green and Jim Fassel don't view a UFL gig as beneath them, neither should Friedgen.
No. 6: Kansas State Wildcats
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The Wildcats already have a head coach in Bill Snyder. But they don't really have a long term solution for a head coach that is 71.
Friedgen's offensive prowess would be put to good use in the Big XII.
Kansas State did well in 2010, thanks to the presence of Daniel Thomas, but the senior won't be back in 2011 and the Wildcats were 97th in the nation in passing last year.
With the shakeup occurring in the Big XII (Colorado and Nebraska leaving) the Wildcats could make a big splash by adding Friedgen.
No. 5: Miami (Ohio) Redhawks
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Michael Haywood is hoping to become the next coach in a long line to use Miami as a stepping stone: Sid Gillman, Woody Hayes, Bo Schembechler, Ara Parseghian, etc.
And although Lance Guidry is now the interim coach for when the Redhawks take on Middle Tennessee State in the GoDaddy.com Bowl, they haven't yet named Haywood's successor.
Friedgen's coaching style and offense would fit in nicely in Oxford and the 2010 MAC Champions would see little drop off.
No. 4: New York Giants
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With a second straight unthinkable collapse on the horizon for the New York Giants, Tom Coughlin's job is probably as shaky as any in all of professional sports.
And although a return to the NFL as a head coach for Friedgen is highly unlikely, Friedgen would make a good candidate as an offensive coordinator (Although Friedgen would make for a nice Rex Ryan body double at the New Meadowlands).
Depending on who the Giants might bring in to replace Coughlin, Friedgen, a native of nearby Harrison, New York, would be a nice addition to that staff.
With all the talent there, if he could cut down on the turnovers, they'd instantly return as a Super Bowl contender.
No. 3: North Carolina Tar Heels
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Butch Davis' stay in Chapel Hill has been pretty rocky the past year, although he might not deserve the blame for the program's academic issues this year.
Nevertheless, with all the scandals permeating college football recently (Cam Newton, Ohio State, A.J. Green, Dez Bryant) the program might want to make a clean break and start all over with a man whose record is pretty good.
Friedgen certainly knows the area for recruiting purposes and by staying in the ACC he would probably not miss a beat. After all, this is the 2010 ACC Coach of the Year.
No. 2: Stanford Cardinal
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With the possibility of the Carolina Panthers or San Francisco 49ers acquiring both Andrew Luck and Jim Harbaugh in a packaged deal, Stanford has to at least consider a contingency plan for their head coach in 2011.
Friedgen might be a pretty attractive replacement for the Cardinal program. Maryland is an upscale respected academic community, much like Stanford.
And to continue to compete in the Pac-10, the Cardinal will probably need an offensive mind at the helm.
No. 1: Maryland Terrapins
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It would show tremendous character, integrity and restraint on his part, but Friedgen is a pretty dedicated Terp—he played there, he was a GA there, he was an assistant there and a head coach there.
Maybe he would swallow his pride to stay on as an assistant or recruiting coordinator.
Even if Mike Leach takes over, there wouldn't be a better salesman for the College Park campus.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
