Best Coach

[DG Cowboy]

It was said of Bear Bryant that "he could take his'n and beat your'n, and take your'n and beat his'n". Now, who is the FCS coach who can do that? Who gets the max out of the potential his teams have?

[Pards Rule]

Frank Tavani!!!

[WrenFGun]

I'm always impressed by smaller schools or difficult locations doing well..in the CAA, I think the two that come to mind are Sean McDonell at UNH and London at Richmond, though London walked into a good deal of Clawson's work.

I've always liked Mickey Matthews even though he's generally an idiot. I like the athleticism of his teams in general.

[GannonFan]

I'm always impressed by smaller schools or difficult locations doing well..in the CAA, I think the two that come to mind are Sean McDonell at UNH and London at Richmond, though London walked into a good deal of Clawson's work.

I've always liked Mickey Matthews even though he's generally an idiot. I like the athleticism of his teams in general.

Way too early to give that nod to London, IMO. As you said, Clawson left him stacked (he's not starting anyone younger than a junior on offense or defense right now - that's a pretty full cupboard he was left).

McDonnell, though, has been doing it for years with little to no facilities and going up against some of the real biggies in terms of FCS. I give it to him in a heartbeat. xthumbsupx

[ASUG8]

I was trying to find a list of FCS winningest coaches, but couldn't find it. Given that, I'll submit my homer pick, Jerry Moore:


Stats 1989 through 2008 season:
178-73 with ASU .709
117-35 SoCon .770

3 NC's
7 SoCon Championships

[MR. CHICKEN]

KEELER WAS ROBBED IN 'O3....TAKIN' TUBBY'S...LEFTOVERAHS....TA BLING LAND.....AWK!

[UNHFan99]

Coach Mac probably only has 5 guys on his entire roster that were offered scholarships by other top 25 programs. That being said most of his team and most starters were partial scholarship guys or walkons to FBS. I give it to Coach Mac based on the level of play he gets out of guys that werent really on any other teams FCS or FBS radar.

[State Line Liquors]

My vote goes to Mike Ayers at Wofford. Talk about doing alot with a little.

Recommence Sean McDonnell knob slobbing...

[Eaglesrus]

My vote goes to Mike Ayers at Wofford. Talk about doing alot with a little.

Recommence Sean McDonnell knob slobbing...

Not seeing it this year, but if we are talking about over a career I'll second Ayers. We are talking about active coaches, correct?

[WMTribe90]

Can't argue it, in the CAA McDonnell does the most with the least and he did not inherit a winner. UNH isn't in a hot recruiting bed, nor does it have great facilities. UNH has a creative offense and does a good job developing players.

Runner-up goes to Laycock. He inherited a program in woeful condition and produced winning teams in 20 of his first 30 years despite sub-standard facilities until just a few years ago. Laycock also succeeds despite the most stringent academic standards in the CAA and like McDonnel does a really good job of developing players after they arrive on campus.

Too early to tell on London.

Keeler and Matthews have great facilities at their disposaland do a great job recruiting, but I don't think either maximizes or develops talent to the extent McDonnel and Laycock do.

[SFspidur]

London clearly walked into a good deal and not too many of his recruits are seeing the field yet, but there's no denying that he gets his guys ready to play. The number of times he's guided his team through tight spots to victory over the past two seasons is remarkable. He just refuses to lose, and he brings that attitude to his players.

I agree that it's too early to anoint him, but right now, I wouldn't take anybody else for my team.

[89Hen]

I'm not sure it's a runaway for McDonnell in the CAA... five straight trips to the playoffs and no semis precludes me from saying he's #1 with no contest. I think it's McDonnell, Laycock and Talley at 1A, 1B and 1C in no particular order.

[State Line Liquors]

Not seeing it this year, but if we are talking about over a career I'll second Ayers. We are talking about active coaches, correct?

I think 'yes' to it being an active coach.

I think 'yes' also to it not turning into a thread about who the best coach in the CAA is, despite how enthralling the conversation would be for fans from other conferences.

[DG Cowboy]

Clarification: He may not be the best recruiter, but whatever the talent level assembled, he gets them to play about as well as they are capable of playing. Does that help?

[Houndawg]

It was said of Bear Bryant that "he could take his'n and beat your'n, and take your'n and beat his'n". Now, who is the FCS coach who can do that? Who gets the max out of the potential his teams have?

Dale Lennon is doing it right now at SIU.

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

I would give the nod to Mike Ayers of Wofford as the best coach in the country, as well.

McDonnell at UNH is a fine coach and may have sub-standard facilities, but so do a number of teams at our level. McDonnell benefits from playing Northeastern, Rhody, Hofstra, and Dartmouth annually. He only needs to find 4 more wins to make the playoffs annually. Didn't they also play St. Francis this year?

[ElonPride]

No mention of Lembo?

Takes a dismal Elon program and turns it into a SoCon title contender his second season!

[KiddBrewer]

best coach?

probably an assistant coach somewhere that nobody knows about other than the people who know that particular team. ill submit SHAWN ELLIOT and/or SCOTT SATTERFIELD. food for thought.

[UNHFootballAlum]

I would give the nod to Mike Ayers of Wofford as the best coach in the country, as well.

McDonnell at UNH is a fine coach and may have sub-standard facilities, but so do a number of teams at our level. McDonnell benefits from playing Northeastern, Rhody, Hofstra, and Dartmouth annually. He only needs to find 4 more wins to make the playoffs annually. Didn't they also play St. Francis this year?

He's also beaten 5 straight FBS schools.

[KiddBrewer]

He's also beaten 5 straight FBS schools.

how many michigans and LSUs he coached against?xcoffeex

[UNHFootballAlum]

how many michigans and LSUs he coached against?xcoffeex

They are still FBS schools and are the one's on his schedule. I recall this year ASU lost to ECU..not exactly LSU or Michigan. Yes, I know that you have played them in the past

[appirishmen]

homer.... i like the class and education that Jerry Moore gives to Apps players. He not only teaches them about football. he teaches them that there is more to life then sports. He is strict about education and team rules. he made our star CB stay home and miss he 07 NC game b/c of team rules. he is a class act!!

[PhoenixMan]

If there is a coach in FCS that can do what the Bear described (and I'm not sure there is, there are very few coaches in history that can live up to that- Lombardi, Parcells at one time, Woody Hayes, and the Bear himself) they either are, or soon will be, snatched up by an FBS team.

[UNHFootballAlum]

homer.... i like the class and education that Jerry Moore gives to Apps players. He not only teaches them about football. he teaches them that there is more to life then sports. He is strict about education and team rules. he made our star CB stay home and miss he 07 NC game b/c of team rules. he is a class act!!

I think that jerry Moore has done a great job at ASU and has major momentum going in the program

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

He's also beaten 5 straight FBS schools.

You noticed that Ball State's Sagarin Rating is lower than all CAA schools except Northeastern, Towson and Rhody, right?

[appirishmen]

I think that jerry Moore has done a great job at ASU and has major momentum going in the program

yea. i really do not know that much about other coaches. i just like how Moore runs it here at App. He does it like its supposed to be. No favorites. they bad call i think he has made was keeping AE in the Richmond game last yr seeing that he was not healthy and was hurting the team.

[KiddBrewer]

They are still FBS schools and are the one's on his schedule. I recall this year ASU lost to ECU..not exactly LSU or Michigan. Yes, I know that you have played them in the past

yes, i understand, but if there not upper level FBS teams it makes the statement 'also beaten five straight FBS teams' sounds a little bigger than it is IMO, beating those 5 FBS teams is about equal to beating 5 straight upper level FCS teams....

Ball State
Army
Marshall
Northwestern
Rutgers (pre-good)

throw in a top level team in there, the 5 game streak probably doesnt happen. With that said, i do agree you can only play whos on the schedule and they have won those games.

but what im really saying is....i would have taken a relatively good number of FCS teams to win those 5 games also

(i may be delusional with my high level of confidence in our brand of football!)

[KiddBrewer]

xthumbsupx
You noticed that Ball State's Sagarin Rating is lower than all CAA schools except Northeastern, Towson and Rhody, right?

see my statement above

[Saint3333]

Who does the most with the least in the SoCon - easy Ayers.

[KiddBrewer]

Who does the most with the least in the SoCon - easy Ayers.

agreed. if thats the criteria, its easy to pick Ayers.

[ASUG8]

I was going to suggest Ayers also, given that roughly 10% of the student body is wearing shoulderpads on Saturday. You almost have to give this title to someone who has had to recruit on their own and has shown a history of fielding decent teams. Ayers has certainly filled that requirement, but I'll stick with Jerry Moore for having done it since 1989.

[UNHFootballAlum]

You noticed that Ball State's Sagarin Rating is lower than all CAA schools except Northeastern, Towson and Rhody, right?

So that should count against Coach Mac doing a great job..makes no sense to me. When the Ball Stae game was committed to they were going to have a Heisman candidate back at QB in Kelly Davis and a 1700 yard TB in Lewis. it wasn't as thogh UNH scheduled a bottom feeder in their conference.

[rcny46]

how many michigans and LSUs he coached against?xcoffeex

Somehow I knew that was coming.The old "our FBS schedule was more challenging than yours" factor.

[Dane96]

Bob Ford, Albany.

Respected by just about every coach, fan, player, etc. he had met. Just ask people on this board who have met/talked to him

Former AFCA President...and has been a winner at every level. What he has done since we moved up to FCS is nothing short of astounding considering we have only 30 scholarships...and none until a few years ago.

His kids play hard...and arguably has coached a Top 25-35 team for the past few years with the WORST FACILITIES IN THE COUNTRY...except for maybe CSU.

OH, over a 100 of his Coaches are active high school, college and NFL coaches. Head Coaches at Elon, Penn, Wagner, Monmouth, etc...

[State Line Liquors]

homer.... i like the class and education that Jerry Moore gives to Apps players. He not only teaches them about football. he teaches them that there is more to life then sports. He is strict about education and team rules. he made our star CB stay home and miss he 07 NC game b/c of team rules. he is a class act!!

Now there are some very specific metrics you can stand behind!

[JohnStOnge]

Back when Paul Johnson and Jim Tressel were in the subdivision it was basically a two horse race. Now I have no idea. I guess you have to give Moore at Appalachian State a lot of credit for changing his style and taking that program from being kind of a consistent winner and frequent playoff contender to the next level of being a multiple national championship winner.

[JohnStOnge]

Seeing the Richmond helmet above reminded me that Richmond's coach...whose name I can never remember for some reason...deserves consideration.

[State Line Liquors]

Somehow I knew that was coming.The old "our FBS schedule was more challenging than yours" factor.

Somehow I know the old, we beat 5 FBS teams in a row was going to get pulled out. Those 5 FBS wins aren't exactly the type of wins I'd consider deal makers for McDonnell as best coach.

Good coach, but on further review his record isn't nearly as impressive as one would hope, and he's still coaching at a state school with 12,000 undergraduates enrolled.

[UNHFootballAlum]

Somehow I know the old, we beat 5 FBS teams in a row was going to get pulled out. Those 5 FBS wins aren't exactly the type of wins I'd consider deal makers for McDonnell as best coach.

Good coach, but on further review his record isn't nearly as impressive as one would hope, and he's still coaching at a state school with 12,000 undergraduates enrolled.

With some of the oldest and worst facilities in FCS. The fact that he can recruit and develop those players into a contender over the past 6-7 years says a lot about his coaching. How well would/do other coaches do in similar situations?

[jmc_jackrabbit]

How about SDSU's John Stiegelmeier?

Talk about doing a lot with a little. We're just past our transition and have only been fully-funded for scholarships for three years. We have the smallest football budget in the MVFC. Our stadium is 50 years old. Yet we're #9 in the country and tied for the lead in the MVFC. And SDSU set an all-time Gateway/MVFC record for team GPA last year in our first year in the conference.

Plus, Coach Stig is a great person, real character guy who expects the same from his players. I don't know if he's the "best" coach. It's way too early in our FCS history to say he ranks with the great coaches around the country. But Stig does it the right way and has things going in the right direction.

[Mattymc727]

McDonnell is a great coach but I think the success was started more from the Santos/Ball era rather than Mcdonnell himself. Remember Mcdonnell was head coach from 1998 to present and posted a record of 23-32 from 1998-2003. Since 2004, the start of the Santos/Ball era, he has been 47-17. He has done a great job feeding off the success from the Santos/Ball era though and probably will continue to do so for a while......

[DG Cowboy]

How about SDSU's John Stiegelmeier?

Talk about doing a lot with a little. We're just past our transition and have only been fully-funded for scholarships for three years. We have the smallest football budget in the MVFC. Our stadium is 50 years old. Yet we're #9 in the country and tied for the lead in the MVFC. And SDSU set an all-time Gateway/MVFC record for team GPA last year in our first year in the conference.

Plus, Coach Stig is a great person, real character guy who expects the same from his players. I don't know if he's the "best" coach. It's way too early in our FCS history to say he ranks with the great coaches around the country. But Stig does it the right way and has things going in the right direction.

So many good ones that I did not even know about, but when I started the thread I was thinking "Corch" Stiegelmeier might be in the mix.

Recommend folks go to SI archives and read Frank Deford's story about "The Toughest Coach There Ever Was".

[Reign of Terrier]

I'll Homer and say Ayers...if he was coaching at Georgia Southern in the initial post-Johnson years (though honestly he would have NEVER left Wofford) the option dynasty would still be going.

honestly I think he would have won an NC at any other top 25 program IMO

[WrenFGun]

I think Ayers and Ford are both great comments. It's easy to recruit if you've got top notch facilities and a winning tradition...not so much otherwise.

[ASU_MBA]

Chris Hatcher.....oh wait this is for the best coach....

I would go with....
Jerry Moore (The face of ASU, a proven winner and you will not find a coach with more class....)
Mike Ayers (Does so much with so little....still wins this year with 6 or 7 guys out with ACL tears)
Mike London (took a good team to great and recruiting is A+.....This will be his last year in FCS....)
Bobby Hauck (if he learns to avoid the media...)

[Aho_Old_Guy]

I think Ayers and Ford are both great comments. It's easy to recruit if you've got top notch facilities and a winning tradition...not so much otherwise.

Ayers does a good job but the ankle-biters ain't exactly slummin' it (http://www.panthers.com/schedule/training-camp/wofford-college-detail-page.html) at the Richardson facilities ....

[Reign of Terrier]

Ayers does a good job but the ankle-biters ain't exactly slummin' it (http://www.panthers.com/schedule/training-camp/wofford-college-detail-page.html) at the Richardson facilities ....

xnodx

[UNIFanSince1983]

How about SDSU's John Stiegelmeier?

Talk about doing a lot with a little. We're just past our transition and have only been fully-funded for scholarships for three years. We have the smallest football budget in the MVFC. Our stadium is 50 years old. Yet we're #9 in the country and tied for the lead in the MVFC. And SDSU set an all-time Gateway/MVFC record for team GPA last year in our first year in the conference.

Plus, Coach Stig is a great person, real character guy who expects the same from his players. I don't know if he's the "best" coach. It's way too early in our FCS history to say he ranks with the great coaches around the country. But Stig does it the right way and has things going in the right direction.

If we are talking about a coach doing a lot with a little this would be my vote too. He doesn't have the most talented team, but they play hard and are very disciplined. Now if he can keep them up there like he has these first couple of years he will definitely get more votes. It is hard to judge him after so far one great year, and a couple pretty good ones before that.

[jcmanson]

Danny Rocco, Liberty

End of thread.

[ASU_MBA]

Danny Rocco, Liberty

End of thread.

Yeah he has led the Flamers deep into the playoffs several times......oh wait...nevermind...

[UNHFootballAlum]

Yeah he has led the Flamers deep into the playoffs several times......oh wait...nevermind...

That isn't the only criteria for being a good coach. I don't know anythng about Liberty's coach, but this applies for coaches in general.

[State Line Liquors]

That isn't the only criteria for being a good coach. I don't know anythng about Liberty's coach, but this applies for coaches in general.

Very true. And also very convenient to Sean McD.

[PhoenixMan]

No mention of Lembo?

Takes a dismal Elon program and turns it into a SoCon title contender his second season!

Lembo has done a heck of a job turning things around. But, they have to play well at the end of the year and make the playoffs in order for him to be talked about on this level IMO. I'm confident that they will take that step this yearxthumbsupx

[jcmanson]

Yeah he has led the Flamers deep into the playoffs several times......oh wait...nevermind...

He's done an amazing job since being at LU. The year before he got there we went 1-10 - the only win being over a D2.
Rocco's first year - 6-5.
2nd year - 8-3 first conference championship in school history.
3rd year - 10-2 conference champs.
4th year - we've lost 20+ seniors from last year's squad and are currently 5-2 and the favorite to win the conference again.

[UNHFootballAlum]

Very true. And also very convenient to Sean McD.

I was not even talking about Sean McDonnell. If you decide to read my entire post, its says coaches in general

[Thunderstruck84]

John Stiegelmeier at SDSU. He's left Craig Bohl and NDSU in the dust while working with significantly less resources. He knows how to recruit a complete team and he does a great job developing those recruits into winners.

[EKU05]

There's room for a lot of discussion here, but are we really 6 pages into this thread before the name "Roy Kidd" is even mentioned?

[crusader11]

Tom Gilmore. Although, I think Dick Biddle is one of the best FCS coaches in the last 10 years.

[VT Wildcat Fan53]

Bob Ford, Albany.

Respected by just about every coach, fan, player, etc. he had met. Just ask people on this board who have met/talked to him

Former AFCA President...and has been a winner at every level. What he has done since we moved up to FCS is nothing short of astounding considering we have only 30 scholarships...and none until a few years ago.

His kids play hard...and arguably has coached a Top 25-35 team for the past few years with the WORST FACILITIES IN THE COUNTRY...except for maybe CSU.

OH, over a 100 of his Coaches are active high school, college and NFL coaches. Head Coaches at Elon, Penn, Wagner, Monmouth, etc...

100% agreement. The man is an institution and has literally transformed Albany football single-handedly from a D3 program (with a coaching staff of virtually all GA's) into a respected FCS team. And, on top of it all, U of A was once dubiously tagged as one of the ugliest college campuses in the US.

Ford, as noted above by Dane96, is simply a class act and always has been and has always pushed his program to compete against those with many more resources. And, as a non-relevant, but impressive sidebar, a nicer man you will not find anywhere. xthumbsupx

[Oldhen]

It was said of Bear Bryant that "he could take his'n and beat your'n, and take your'n and beat his'n". Now, who is the FCS coach who can do that? Who gets the max out of the potential his teams have?

Not to pick nits, but that was Bum Phillips talking about Don Shula.

...and the answer to the question is Sean McDonnell.

[DX Man]

There's room for a lot of discussion here, but are we really 6 pages into this thread before the name "Roy Kidd" is even mentioned?


Coach Kidd would go into the LEGENDS category!xbowx

[jmufan999]

My vote goes to Mike Ayers at Wofford. Talk about doing alot with a little....

i'll second that.

[ngineer]

I also agree on Bob Ford. He has absolutely done the most with the least. And, as pointed out, a class act. I would follow him with Biddle and Ayers.

[DG Cowboy]

Not to pick nits, but that was Bum Phillips talking about Don Shula.

...and the answer to the question is Sean McDonnell.

A quick search of Ixquick does mainly attribute it to Phillips about Shula, but it was also used by or about Frank Howard, Bo Schembechler, Ron Turner, and many sports writer wags, including several writing about Bear Bryant. So you are seemingly correct, but my first knowledge of it was that it was used about Bear as well, just as many great original sayings are applied to many people and situations.