MBA

[Redtwin]

TheBigRedDog,

 

Great points and I was with you until the end. Did Howard Allen and Tommy Owen their get shots after some shady dealings behind closed doors? I think not. That is what has the community in an uproar. Dan is a great guy, however, you must ask yourself, who is he loyal to??? I also think it is a sham to bring in some of the area's best tallent all for show. Some of these coaches could run circles around Dan. Nothing against Dan, he just does not have the experience or the track records of others.

 

This was a G-man pick, nothing more, nothing less. Let's watch and see what happens to the program now.

 

Hoosier,

 

I interested, who would you have selected out of coaches that applied for the job? Also, was Ricky Bowers underqualified as a 30 year old with no head coaching experience? I seem to recall there were some unusual circumstances there as well as Peter Thurmond was thought to be next in line for the job after Coach TO. Am I wrong?

[TheBigRedDog]

Hoosier,

 

I interested, who would you have selected out of coaches that applied for the job? Also, was Ricky Bowers underqualified as a 30 year old with no head coaching experience? I seem to recall there were some unusual circumstances there as well as Peter Thurmond was thought to be next in line for the job after Coach TO. Am I wrong?

 

Good point, Redtwin. I remember most of us thinking that Coach Thurmond would get the job. At the time, Ricky was the basketball coach and had coached our freshmen football team the year before. He also had some assistant coaching experience at BA. Not a long list of football coaching experience there and he worked out just fine. You know, now that I think about it, I wonder if Ricky had his eyes on the job when Coach Owen got sick and he decided to coach the freshmen in order to prepare. Who knows, maybe he and Dr. Pascal had discussions about it before the search process even began.

[KWoodroof]

Good point, Redtwin. I remember most of us thinking that Coach Thurmond would get the job. At the time, Ricky was the basketball coach and had coached our freshmen football team the year before. He also had some assistant coaching experience at BA. Not a long list of football coaching experience there and he worked out just fine. You know, now that I think about it, I wonder if Ricky had his eyes on the job when Coach Owen got sick and he decided to coach the freshmen in order to prepare. Who knows, maybe he and Dr. Pascal had discussions about it before the search process even began.

 

During the rumor stage of this mess, but prior to Rutledge's resignation, I talked to an old friend who is on the MBA faculty. He really had no information, but he did make the point that the driving force at MBA is the Board of Trust, and that they protect the school at all costs. As such, if there's been a major screw-up here, I would suspect they will right the situation sooner rather than later. Some years ago, there came a point where the Board felt that Gordon Bondurant had a number of interest that were taking his attention away from his primary job at MBA. They suggested he seek other employment, and Doug Paschall was in charge shortly thereafter.

 

And with all this discussion of intrigue, let me toss this out. Tommy Owen left MBA at the conclusion of the '70 season, finishing 10-0-1 with probably the best junior class in NIL history. Ray Ridgeway followed with a 10-1 record in '71; that team sent Tate Rich, Fred Fisher, Ernie Leonard, and Damon Regen to Vanderbilt on scholarships. Ridgeway's teams then went 6-4, 9-2, 6-4, 5-5, and 2-8. Strangely enough, at the conclusion of the '76 season, Ridegway resigned, and Tommy Owen was willing to leave Brentwood Academy.

[hoosierdad]

Hoosier,

 

I interested, who would you have selected out of coaches that applied for the job? Also, was Ricky Bowers underqualified as a 30 year old with no head coaching experience? I seem to recall there were some unusual circumstances there as well as Peter Thurmond was thought to be next in line for the job after Coach TO. Am I wrong?

 

I would not have had to select another coach.....Do you understand????

 

This shot was called before the ball got rolling. The new coach was hired before all of the dominos began to fall. Is the best you got to defend this institution is to ask who I would hire????? The answer is............................nobody. You had a great coach and the G-man cut the strings, immediately jumped on a plane to visit with Austin Powers, flew back to the states after the uproar, put on a charade interviewing coaches and then made this grand announcement that McGugin would be the next coach. Give me a break.

 

As for TheBigRedDog, you are on to something.

[Trojan]

I do know that James Counce Jr. from Dyersburg has been offered a job on McGugin's staff.

[Redtwin]

Have been hearing there might be a new AD coming from south Alabama. Not sure how reliable my information is, but that's what I've been hearing.

[TheBigRedDog]

Have been hearing there might be a new AD coming from south Alabama. Not sure how reliable my information is, but that's what I've been hearing.

 

MBA has hired Eddie Guth from St. Paul's Episcopal School in Mobile, AL to be it's next athletic director. Guth resigned as head football coach at St. Paul's to take the MBA AD job. As a coach he led St. Paul's to a 10-2 record in Alabama Class 5A last year, losing to Eufala in the playoffs. MBA headmaster, Gioia, knows Guth from their time together at Darlington School (GA) where Guth was a coach and Gioia, headmaster. I have been told that Guth interviewed for the head coaching position and was subsequently offered the AD job when that job went to Dan McGugin. He and his wife, apparently wanted to move closer to family near Nashville. Guth has a son who will be a 9th grader next fall. He will start his new job on June 1. Good luck to Coach Guth.

[Redtwin]

This is what I had been hearing. I have several friends from Mobile who think the world of Mr. Guth. Sounds like a great person.