By TORI ADDISON
Staff Writer
As a Cowboy’s fan, I was both flabbergasted, and extremely annoyed, at how remarkable the Philadelphia Eagle’s offense looked under Chip Kelly on their first drive of the season versus the Washington Redskins. Kelly’s memorable hurry-up, no huddle offense he implemented in Oregon when he coached for the Ducks last season was being executed not only successfully at the NFL level, but also at an astonishing speed. The Eagles however, continued to disappoint as always as the weeks rolled on. Simply put, their defense cannot keep up with their offense and their offense cannot perform in the red zone. Was it too soon for Kelly to move to the pros or are the Eagles just blowing their season as usual? This far into the season nothing can be determined, but Kelly is not the only coach who has had to make the decision to move upwards in the ranks. Not all college coaches who go professional have a happy-go-lucky experience, although some fortunately do.
Nick Saban is the man, myth, and legend when it comes to coaching college football. He holds an all time record of 163-55-1 and is the only coach in the history of college football to win three BCS Championships. But, believe it or not, Nick Saban is not NFL coaching material. Saban’s brief stint away from the collegiate level occurred when he accepted the head-coaching position for the Miami Dolphins. It’s not that the Dolphins were bad; it is just that they were not very good either. His team had more loses than wins during the two seasons he was in Miami. To make things worse, Saban experienced his first losing season as a head coach in 2006 when the Dolphins went 6-10. I will give Saban some credit as the 2006 seasons’ failure was in part due to the loss of quarterback Daunte Culpepper. Luckily, Saban accepted the job as head coach for the Alabama Crimson Tide and has been taking names ever since.
Jim Harbaugh knows all about quarterback troubles and how they can unexpectedly lead to triumph. Thanks to Harbaugh, America now knows the beloved art of “Kaepernicking” and also what it is like to watch two brothers go head to head in the Super Bowl. Before Harbaugh led the San Francisco 49ers to become NFC Champions last season, he was coaching college ball at Stanford. Interestingly enough, he coached Andrew Luck whom would go on to become the Indianapolis Colt’s first round draft pick in 2012. Harbaugh had a decent four year run while at the collegiate level, holding a record of 29-21 and earning the program two bowl wins. He stepped in as the 49ers head coach in 2011 and he has shown steady progress since his arrival. San Francisco has been to the playoffs each season since Harbaugh has started coaching and have also made a Super Bowl appearance. Despite their so-so start this season, I have no doubt that the 49ers will continue to flourish under Harbaugh.
Not all coaches can be as great as Harbaugh; in fact some can prove to be much worse. Yes, I am talking about Mike Riley. Unfortunately, he can’t even claim success at the collegiate level let alone the professional. He lead Oregon State to two losing seasons his first time around, but would eventually return after an epic failed attempt at coaching in the NFL. Riley would sign a five year deal with the San Diego Chargers, but would only end up lasting three of them. His all time record is one to gawk at, 14-34 and that is counting the 2001 season where the Chargers went 1-15. Luckily for Chargers fans, Riley was booted out of San Diego and is back at Oregon State performing slightly better than he did initially.
When I think of iconic American football coach, I always think of Jimmy Johnson. He not only won a championship at the collegiate level, but also multiple at the professional level. His run with the Miami Hurricanes is his most well known from his experience coaching college football. Johnson earned the Canes a national championship in 1987 with wide receiver Michael Irvin who he would later be reunited with when he moved to Dallas. His overall record for the four seasons he coached at Miami was an astonishing 52-9. To clarify, he had a total of nine loses during four seasons. He was untouchable even when he reached the NFL as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach. The first season he coached the team ended with a record of 1-15. However, circumstances changed quickly as the Cowboys would go on to win two Super Bowls in the four seasons that Johnson was there. Unfortunately, a fall out between Johnson and Cowboys’ owner Jerry Jones would force the two to go their separate ways. Despite his early departure from coaching what could have been one of history’s biggest dynasties, it is safe to say that Jimmy Johnson will always remain a legacy. Jimmy may be one of the best collegiate coaches to go pro, but he will also not be the last.
