College Football 2011: Lane Kiffin and the 10 Most Controversial Coaches
To say that a coach is "controversial" is a broad term. Let me give you a better idea of the coaches I am talking about.
- The coach who is always shooting his mouth off, and has zero filter regarding his words.
- The coach who is either being personally investigated or is having his program investigated by the NCAA.
- The coach that college football fans either love or love to hate.
You get the point of who I'm talking about. These aforementioned coaches are definitely out there.
I will let you know which 10 coaches are the greatest lightning rods for controversy.
10. Mike Locksley (New Mexico)
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Where do we begin when talking about New Mexico head coach Mike Locksley?
It should be noted that Locksley has guided the Lobos to only two victories in his first 24 games with the school. As unimpressive as that coaching record is, a lack of winning does not merit a spot on this list.
No, what puts Locksley on this list are accusations of sexual harassment, age discrimination and retaliation by a former employee in the New Mexico football athletic office.
As if that were not bad enough, don't forgot about the one-game suspension Locksley had to serve for allegedly punching wide receivers coach J.B. Gerald during a coaches meeting.
Despite a lack of “winning” (had to slip in a cliché Charlie Sheen pun) on and off the field, Mike Locksley has been given a vote of confidence by New Mexico. He will once again serve as head football coach for the Lobos in 2011.
9. Rick Neuheisel (UCLA)
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Rick Neuheisel held nothing back when he sued the NCAA and his former employer, the University of Washington, for his firing as head football coach at Washington.
The investigation and eventual dismissal of Neuheisel stemmed from his involvement in a neighborhood NCAA basketball pool.
Initially, Rick told investigators he never gambled in the pools, but later admitted to participating in the event. Washington eventually settled with Neuheisel outside of court to the tune of $4.5 million.
It would be years later before Rick would resurface on the college football landscape at fellow PAC 10 school UCLA.
When Rick was hired as Head Coach at UCLA, he called out the Bruins cross-town rival USC, stating that “the football monopoly in Los Angeles is officially over.” Despite that ambitious remark, Rick has only gone 15-22 in his first three seasons with the school.
Bruins fans’ patience is wearing thin.
Rick Neuheisel has a Rose Bowl appearance to his name, and has enjoyed highs throughout his coaching career. But along with the highs, there has been lows and controversy.
8. Butch Davis (North Carolina)
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North Carolina head coach Butch Davis found himself at the center of controversy last season. The controversy surrounded a Yahoo! Sports report detailing an apparent financial relationship between former North Carolina assistant coach John Blake and an NFL agent.
North Carolina featured three highly regarded NFL prospects at the time—defensive linemen Marvin Austin and Robert Quinn as well as wide receiver Greg Little. Ultimately, all three players were suspended for the 2010 season by the NCAA.
Speculation and controversy grew so rampant that reporters asked Davis if it would be in the best interest of the program if he resigned.
In response, Davis simply responded, “No.”
The fact that Butch is the former head coach at North Carolina’s ACC rival Miami only adds to the controversy.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
7. Mack Brown/Bob Stoops (Texas and Oklahoma)
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Mack Brown and Bob Stoops are tenured head coaches at their respective positions at Oklahoma and Texas.
The “Red River Rivalry” is one of the most heated and emotional contests in all of college football, and these two coaches are synonymous with their teams. Both Stoops and Brown are polarizing figures because they are both respected and disdained at the same time.
Neither coach has a history of off-the-field troubles, incidents or scandal. However, the competitive nature of these larger-than-life programs breeds animosity between the fans and schools.
Bob Stoops and Mack Brown are at the heart of that animosity, and that makes the two men controversial.
6. Bill Stewart (West Virginia)
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Was the decision to hire Bill Stewart as West Virginia’s head coach an emotional response or a truly analytical decision?
That is the question Mountaineer fans have been asking themselves for some time now. Stewart has only had marginal success during his time at the school, winning only one bowl game and having no Big East Championships to his name.
Former coach Rich Rodriguez left the school to take the job at Michigan, and Stewart served as West Virginia’s interim head coach for the Mountaineers' 2008 Fiesta Bowl matchup versus Oklahoma. Shortly after the Mountaineers' 48-28 defeat of the Sooners, West Virginia removed Stewart’s interim tag and made him the full time head coach.
Here we are in 2011, though, and Stewart is preparing to coach his final season with the school. He is already working with former Oklahoma State offensive coordinator Dana Holgerson, who is the head coach in waiting for West Virginia.
West Virginia fans are much more lukewarm about Bill Stewart now compared to the night in Arizona three years ago. At the end of his head coaching stay, many fans are still questioning Stewart's hiring.
5. Jim Tressel (Ohio State)
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In 2007, Ohio State head coach Jim Tressel released his book titled The Winner’s Manual: For the Game of Life.
This book reinforced a public image of Tressel that involved always taking the high road, playing by the rules and being accountable for your actions.
Putting Jim Tressel on a list like this at the time of the book’s release would be the equivalent of putting Bryant Gumbel on a list of the “top 10 most controversial television personalities.”
So, when five Ohio State players were suspended for trading memorabilia for discounts at a local tattoo parlor, it was viewed as poor decision making. Tressel and the university responded by suspending the players for the first five games of the 2011 season.
It was not until Yahoo! Sports reported that Coach Tressel knew some of his players had sold their memorabilia, eight months before the school was made aware of the infractions, that Tressel’s clean cut image took a hit.
This scandal, and the subsequent fallout, have sullied Coach Tressel’s image—creating a firestorm of controversy around what was once considering one of the most unassuming coaches.
4. Gene Chizik (Auburn)
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As soon as Gene Chizik became the head football coach at Auburn, he found himself in Charles Barkley’s sights.
Barkley scoffed at the selection of Chizik as Auburn's head coach. He hinted at race as a reason for not selecting Turner Gill, an African American who was the former coach at Buffalo, as the Tigers' next coach.
"I think race was the number one factor," said Barkley. "You can say it's not about race, but you can't compare the two résumés and say [Chizik] deserved the job. Out of all the coaches they interviewed, Chizik probably had the worst résumé."
The heat that Chizik faced from Sir Charles would ultimately pale in comparison to the firestorm of controversy that erupted during the Cam Newton saga.
Chizik most notably felt the heat when he announced that Newton would start in Auburn’s November 13th matchup versus Georgia. This decision was made as details were beginning to emerge regarding an investigation into whether Cam’s father, Cecil Newton, was seeking money in exchange for his son’s letter of intent.
Chizik and Newton ultimately navigated the firestorm en route to their 2010 BCS National Championship. The championship served as a bittersweet moment for this coach, who has dealt with ample controversy during his time at the school.
3. Steve Spurrier (South Carolina)
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The ole ball coach is not nearly as polarizing a figure as he was during his days as the head coach at Florida.
Still, Spurrier stirs the pot more than enough to warrant a spot on this list of controversial coaches.
Was there ever any doubt that Steve Spurrier was the only SEC coach that did not name Tim Tebow as the top quarterback in his All-SEC ballot?
Spurrier would go on to describe the error as a mistake and said it was a task that he passed on to his director of football operations.
Steve also brought on controversy in 2007 when he suggested that the confederate flag should be taken down from the South Carolina Statehouse.
"My opinion is we don't need the Confederate flag at our Capitol," Spurrier said Saturday. "I don't really know anybody that wants it there, but I guess there are a lot of South Carolinians that do want it there."
Whether Steve is delving into political issues or fans are coming up with conspiracy theories about the aforementioned Tim Tebow situation, it seems as though controversy is never far away from Coach Spurrier.
2. Nick Saban (Alabama)
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Winning a national championship at LSU will earn you a permanent place in Bayou Bengal fans' hearts.
Just make sure you do not leave the school to coach on Sundays in the NFL, and then make your triumphant return to the college game at your former school’s hated conference rival.
Yes, depending on which SEC football fan you ask, Nick Saban is either revered for his coaching greatness or hated with a passion.
The fact that Saban stands firmly by his decisions and does not try to appease his critics, only adds to the rift between pro and anti Nick Saban college football fans.
Nick Saban will of course downplay the controversy. He will probably say that he is only thinking about his current position as head coach at Alabama. Saban may say that the defection is not an issue, but do not tell that to the man that made a T-Shirt that said “Geaux to Hell Saban.”
1. Lane Kiffin (USC)
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Frankly, there is not enough space on the page to describe all of the side-stories and controversy surrounding Kiffin’s collegiate coaching career.
After becoming the head coach at Tennessee, Kiffin hit the recruiting trail and wasted no time making friends amongst fellow SEC coaches and universities.
Maybe the bad blood started flowing when he told former recruit Alshon Jeffery that if Alshon chose to become a Gamecock he would “end up pumping gas for the rest of his life like all the other players from the state who had gone to South Carolina.”
Or, maybe it was the comment Kiffin made to a crowd of Volunteer fans at a signing day breakfast celebration regarding Tennessee’s victory over Florida in the recruitment of wide receiver Nu’Keese Richardson that alienated Kiffin’s colleagues.
Kiffin told the crowd, "I love the fact that Urban had to cheat and still didn't get him."
Ultimately, Kiffin’s stay with Tennessee was short lived. Despite prior comments about his commitment to the university, Lane traded in the mountains of Rockytop for the beaches of the coast and USC.
Kiffin’s departure was met with rioting Tennessee fans and what else… controversy surrounding Lane Kiffin.
Lane is going into his second season at USC and has toned it down a bit since his time with the Volunteers. But if history is any indicator, you can expect more controversy in the future regarding Kiffin.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
