AS A rule, one should never, ever gush over an athletic director. If you follow Marshall athletics over any extended period, you need not be told as much.
AS A rule, one should never, ever gush over an athletic director. If you follow Marshall athletics over any extended period, you need not be told as much.
But I must admit I'm thisclose to worshipping one of those guys. Namely, Mal Moore of Alabama.
The "Teflon" entry in Wikipedia needs to include this guy's mug shot. It seems that nothing sticks to him.
A member of Bear Bryant's 1961 national championship team and a Bryant assistant for more than a dozen years, Moore was named AD in November 1999. In the nine-plus years, he has steered the program through:
The 2000 firing of Mike DuBose, who was plagued by a sexual harassment lawsuit that led to the ouster of Moore's predecessor. His bigger sins, as far Crimson Tide fans are concerned, were two losses to Louisiana Tech and one to Central Florida.
(Take triple extra credit if you name where DuBose is currently coaching.)
The 2001 NCAA sanctions involving money paid to the high school coach of defensive lineman Albert Means. The Crimson Tide suffered a two-year bowl ban and a reduction of scholarships, and was fortunate to escape the death penalty. (I still think 'Bama owes SMU a few games in Dallas.)
The 2002 resignation of Dennis Franchione, who not only left for Texas A&M, he informed players of his decision by video teleconference.
The hiring of Mike Price, followed by the firing of Price after his reported strip-club patronage in nearby Pensacola, Fla.
The Mike Shula era. The outrage really spiced up my 2006 trip to Birmingham, I must say.
A rejection of the football coaching job by none other than Rich Rodriguez. (Moore found good fortune on that account, as he dusted himself off and hired that Nick Saban guy.)
And in recent days, "Textbook-gate." Athletes in 16 sports were found to have abused their scholarship privileges to obtain textbooks, and the NCAA has ordered 21 Crimson Tide victories vacated.
Moore got through all that and remains employed. The press might call him "Mal-function," but he still seems to be a popular figure in the sovereign state of Alabama.
I'm not sure an AD could survive all that in the other 49 states. You've got to tip your hat to the "Teflon AD."
nnAS A rule, one should never, ever gush over an athletic director. If you follow Marshall athletics over any extended period, you need not be told as much.
But I must admit I'm thisclose to worshipping one of those guys. Namely, Mal Moore of Alabama.
The "Teflon" entry in Wikipedia needs to include this guy's mug shot. It seems that nothing sticks to him.
A member of Bear Bryant's 1961 national championship team and a Bryant assistant for more than a dozen years, Moore was named AD in November 1999. In the nine-plus years, he has steered the program through:
The 2000 firing of Mike DuBose, who was plagued by a sexual harassment lawsuit that led to the ouster of Moore's predecessor. His bigger sins, as far Crimson Tide fans are concerned, were two losses to Louisiana Tech and one to Central Florida.
(Take triple extra credit if you name where DuBose is currently coaching.)
The 2001 NCAA sanctions involving money paid to the high school coach of defensive lineman Albert Means. The Crimson Tide suffered a two-year bowl ban and a reduction of scholarships, and was fortunate to escape the death penalty. (I still think 'Bama owes SMU a few games in Dallas.)
The 2002 resignation of Dennis Franchione, who not only left for Texas A&M, he informed players of his decision by video teleconference.
The hiring of Mike Price, followed by the firing of Price after his reported strip-club patronage in nearby Pensacola, Fla.
The Mike Shula era. The outrage really spiced up my 2006 trip to Birmingham, I must say.
A rejection of the football coaching job by none other than Rich Rodriguez. (Moore found good fortune on that account, as he dusted himself off and hired that Nick Saban guy.)
And in recent days, "Textbook-gate." Athletes in 16 sports were found to have abused their scholarship privileges to obtain textbooks, and the NCAA has ordered 21 Crimson Tide victories vacated.
Moore got through all that and remains employed. The press might call him "Mal-function," but he still seems to be a popular figure in the sovereign state of Alabama.
I'm not sure an AD could survive all that in the other 49 states. You've got to tip your hat to the "Teflon AD."
nn
At this point, I thank the Good Man Above that I don't cover University of Florida football.
Oh, the football has been pretty good, as you know. And my one interaction with Urban Meyer was nothing but positive.
But with the May 30 arrest of starting cornerback Janoris Jenkins for misdemeanor affray and resisting arrest, the Gators have piled up a whopping 24 run-ins with the law in four years under Meyer. The Orlando Sentinel reports that 18 of those players were Meyer's signees, so no blaming Ron Zook in absentia.
The Sentinel went a step further and calculated the team's arrest rate at about 10 percent, or 24 of the 239 listed on official rosters in that period.
But is it me, or is Florida getting off easy in the court of public opinion? Get that many down the road at Miami and you'd hear the howls of "Thug U!" from coast to coast.
By the way, the "U" has all of two arrests in those same four years. Coach Randy Shannon may be 12-13 in two seasons, but his troops are behaving.
nn
A week or so ago, CBSsports.com's Dennis Dodd caught up with Patrick Edwards, the Houston receiver who suffered a compound fracture when some genius at Marshall left a yellow metal cart parked mere feet past the edge of the end line. Knowing Dodd's history of piling on MU whenever he can, I wondered what took him so long.
Anyway, Edwards said he is going to take legal action, but told Dodd "I'm going to wait until after the season to see how I come back." I do wonder what statute of limitations comes into play if Edwards waits past the one-year mark; otherwise, it's a gimme. Shoot, I could score a few bucks for the plaintiff.
Since that Tuesday night last October, the sight of one of those carts makes me shudder. I've seen the same cart at Appalachian Power Park and another at Laidley Field, and I want to take a can of spray paint and turn them both blue.
Or green. Or red, brown, purple or anything else but yellow.
nn
Answer to DuBose's whereabouts: Millsaps College, an NCAA Division III school in Jackson, Miss. He's not doing badly - the Majors went 11-1 and lost to Washington & Jefferson in the second round of the 2008 playoffs.
Reach Doug Smock at 304-348-5130 or dougsm...@wvgazette.com.
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