Ranking SEC football coaches: Who’s the most irritating?
Given that SEC football coaches have long had the capacity to rankle — remember Jackie Sherrill? Charley Pell? Tommy Tuberville? — you wouldn’t have thought one offseason could wreak so much havoc in the venerable league’s pecking order. Well, you’d have been wrong. Here’s the new world order among SEC mentors, ranked from least irritating to most:
12. Bobby Johnson, Vanderbilt. Everybody likes him. Even rival coaches like him. Except when they lose to him and his intramural team. Then they hate him for getting them fired.
11. Rich Brooks, Kentucky. The only nettling thing about Daddy Rich is that he’d pretty well convinced UK grads — full disclosure: I’m one — he was a lousy hire, whereupon he takes the Cats to three consecutive bowl games. Which means we geniuses were wrong. Geniuses hate being wrong.
10. Gene Chizik, Auburn. The only folks who seem to have a problem with G-Chiz are the Auburn people who can’t believe he’s their head coach.
9. Dan Mullen, Mississippi State. Just got to Starkville. Hasn’t done anything or said anything to rile anybody. (Unlike another newly minted SEC coach.) Doesn’t matter. He came from Florida, which means there has to be something objectionable about him.
8. Houston Nutt, Ole Miss. Arkansas fans hate him for leaving Fayetteville and turning around and beating the Hogs, but that’s what they get for demanding to see his text messages. Other recruiters are mad because he signed 37 players this spring, 12 above the presumed limit. I like him because he’s the only coach in the country about whom you can write, “He’s a certifiable Nutt,” and not be sued for libel.
7. Bobby Petrino, Arkansas. In any other conference, leaving one team the day after a game and showing up in a different time zone that night leading goofy cheers would make you the biggest irritant hands-down. In the SEC, it doesn’t even put you in the barrel’s bottom half.
6. Steve Spurrier, South Carolina. The Evil Genius seems benign and toothless in his new environs. It’s clear he’s not going to win anything of note with the Gamecocks, and the folks who used to cringe at his every utterance can now just ignore him. It’s sad, really. Kind of like seeing Willie Mays stumble in center field as a Met.
5. Mark Richt, Georgia. He’s a famously affable guy, but more and more he’s trying to have it both ways. He tried to pass off a season that began with his team ranked No. 1 and ended in the Capital One Bowl as a rousing success. He has also fallen into the trap that snared his former boss Bobby Bowden — espousing morality but seeming to tolerate misdeeds among his players.
4. Urban Meyer, Florida. Gets decency points for not getting into a spitting match when the new Tennessee coach called him a cheater. Loses decency points for those timeouts he burned against Georgia. Still, he has taken his second BCS title with a surprising amount of grace, especially for a hated Gator.
3. Les Miles, LSU. On the one hand, he has a sense of humor and uses the English language with a definite flair. On the other, his teams have won two Chick-fil-A Bowls by the aggregate score of 78-6 and tried three fake kicks in the second halves of those games. That’s low, Leslie.
2. Nick Saban, Alabama. Because he makes all that money. Because he wins big. Because he never smiles. Because he never sleeps. Because he’s Coach Satan.
1. Lane Kiffin, Tennessee. He thinks the way to win is to talk trash and recruit hard. If your record as a head coach was 5-15, you’d think that, too. But he has already frosted so many people — including some who work in his athletics department — that he’d better win big immediately or he’ll be gone by 2011. Which would be unfortunate. We in the South need to hang on to Li’l Kiffy. He’s the greatest villain since Spurrier sank his fangs into Ray Goff.
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216 comments Add your comment
tdawg
February 26th, 2009
3:24 pm
Mark- this was pretty weak! Richt above Spurrier? You have just lost all accredibility!
Jim
February 26th, 2009
3:24 pm
and how are there Kiffin fans……….. and they act proud that he is irritating. Thats ignorant. A good coach just wins…….. Kiffin sounds like a moron even when he isnt spouting off about other coaches/teams.
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
3:33 pm
I never thought I had any accredibility to begin with. I’m not sure what accredibility even is.
JenniferGO Dawgs
February 26th, 2009
3:35 pm
Mark Richt even listed is a joke to me , but Spurrier behind him is plain out insane!
Preston
February 26th, 2009
3:40 pm
I believe that all players that make it to the NFL should be left off the list of players who don’t graduate because it makes the program look worse than it is. Who wouldn’t leave early to chase millions? At least show both stats: one with a total list with an asterisk by the players making money in the NFL and one with only the players that just couldn’t make the grades. Is there any way we can get those stats Mark?
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
3:43 pm
I’m not sure such a database exists, but I’m in agreement that guys who leave early to ply their trade shouldn’t be counted against a coach’s graduation rate. Paul Hewitt can talk for hours on the subject, and I understand why: If you’re recruiting the best athletes and they’re good enough to play professionally, how exactly have you failed as a coach?
Preston
February 26th, 2009
3:50 pm
Precisely Mark! As far as the most liked/hated coaches in the SEC, I’d have to say that, personally, Spurrier is still the evil one and Richt is the most loved. But of course I’m biased as a Dawg fan. Kiffin hasn’t been around long enough to count. If he gets his butt handed to him, he’ll be insignificant. If he wins and continues to talk so much trash, he’ll be despised.
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
3:52 pm
If Kiffin wins, he’ll be Spurrrier-in-the-’90s x 10.
BB
February 26th, 2009
3:55 pm
SEC Coaches formerly coaching in the NFL:
Spurrier (WAS) 12-20
Petrino (ATL) 3-10
Saban (MIA) 15-17
Brooks (STL) 13-19
Combined: 43-66
Sounds like a truly identifiable measure of collegiate success to me! Bill Belichick would’ve only been able to squeeze one more win out of the craptastic Oakland Raiders than Lane Kiffin.
Can the 5-15 argument be put to pasture?
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
4:00 pm
Good research, BB, but here’s another name for you — Blanton Collier. Coached at Kentucky in the ’50s, never won much and even had Shula and Arnsparger and Schnellenberger and J.D. North on his staff. Went to the Cleveland Browns and won the 1964 NFL title by beating the Colts 27-0. (Gary Collins caught three touchdown passes.)
Preston
February 26th, 2009
4:01 pm
For me to really dislike any coach, he has to make direct, negative comments or perform unsportsman like acts against the Dawgs. Spurrier has done this. That’s why I’m loving his non-success in Columbia. I really don’t dislike Meyer because of the timeouts. I believe he had to do something to appease the gator fans because of the endzone celebration the previous season. I’m not saying that Richt told the entire team to storm the field because that’s definitely not the case. I’m merely saying that if it were the other way around, UGA fans would have wanted Meyers head. Meyer got Richt back simply by winning the game big and prolonging the agony. I blame UGA’s coaches for allowing a team to beat them as badly as they did with so much hype going in. Maybe UGA will return the favor this year. I hope so!
gdawginkalamazoo
February 26th, 2009
4:04 pm
Mark, really? You think Kiffin could do that math?
Spurrier should be ranked higher if not for the joke in SC. Telling recruits ” I will be here until we accomplish something..”
Somebody should tell Steve that his insurance doesn’t cover those electric scooters or hip replacements.
SEC lunchtime links: Quarterback job open at Auburn
February 26th, 2009
4:04 pm
[...] Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution rates who are the SEC's most irritating coaches. Tennessee's Lane Kiffin is No. 1 and Alabama's Nick Saban is No. 2 on his [...]
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
4:08 pm
I wonder how much longer Spurrier will be at South Carolina. I’d say two years more, tops.
Oh, and thanks to Gdawginkalamazoo and Preston for hanging in there with me today. Your patronage is much appreciated.
Russ
February 26th, 2009
4:11 pm
Hey Bradley – How about giving us the NFL records of the other SEC Coaches. I’ll do it for you;
Spurrier (WAS) 12-20
Petrino (ATL) 3-10
Saban (MIA) 15-17
Brooks (STL) 13-19
Combined: 43-66
Case closed!
Preston
February 26th, 2009
4:11 pm
No problem Mark. Your articles are always the best the AJC has to offer. Keep up the good work.
Smyrna Man
February 26th, 2009
4:17 pm
Really Lame article Mark… Oh how the Jawjaw faithful forget how Urban Cryer called two timeouts to rub their blowout in
GATORZONE
February 26th, 2009
4:19 pm
Mark, I agree. Spurrier will retire for good within 2 years.
GATORZONE
February 26th, 2009
4:21 pm
Smyrna Man it’s Jawja, not JawJaw….
Why do you think Urban “Cryer” did call those timeouts?
Most UGA fans remember why.
DawgGirl32
February 26th, 2009
4:37 pm
Mark- Who thought of your “About Mark Bradley” section at the top? It kinda makes you seem a little…well…crazy.
gdawginkalamazoo
February 26th, 2009
4:37 pm
No problem Mark. I have to get my Bulldog fix. Being a Bulldog in Michigan I quite often get confused for a Green Bay fan who wears funny colors. Should have been outside enjoying the rain because it will turn into snow tomorrow. I am looking forward to Stafford being drafted by Detroit. Imagine Reggie Ball and Stafford on the same team.
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
4:40 pm
DawgGirl, that would be me. I figured: Why deny the obvious?
Ed
February 26th, 2009
4:47 pm
Let’s see…Richt suspends troublemakers left and right and has kicked off a few of the hard cases, and he “tolerates misdeeds?” He’s tolerant by Bobby Knight standards, perhaps.
Meanwhile, Urban Meyer runs up the score on outmanned opponents, cries in public, and let’s a starting safety play the week of his felony arrest, and the worst thing that can be said of him is that he called some late timeouts once?
Makes sense – in Bizarro World.
As for Saban, what many of us find irritating is not that he “wins big” but that he gets full credit for his good years but absolutely no heat for his mediocre years, of which there are quite a few. The man is made of Teflon on the strength of a 9-2 season at MSU (which probably saved his job) and a split MNT at LSU. Other than that, his resume’ is dotted with 4, 5 and 6 loss seasons.
I don’t know how much of an irritant Les Miles is, but the man has a MNT despite never finishing with better than a 2-loss season. That’s hard to do. Ask Mark Richt and Tommy Tuberville. Irritating, but not really his fault.
As for Kiffin – he has to win something to be more than a minor annoyance, much less #1 on the list. That’s demonstrated by your low ranking of Spurrier, who at one time would have been easily at the top of the list but is now just an amusing old grump who’s good for an occasional zinger or two.
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
4:59 pm
Ed, I can — and have — said worse things about Urban Meyer, but for some reason I’m feeling kindly toward the hated Gators. Maybe because I appreciated how they took that Ole Miss loss and played like mad thereafter. That was impressive. I wasn’t sure they had it in them, but they sure as heck showed me.
Kiffin is a baffoon
February 26th, 2009
5:04 pm
Some of you are so clueless spouting off your delusional lines about Meyer and running up the score or whining.
Fact 1. Tebow and most of the florida starters barely played in the 4th Quarter in 11 of the 14 games UF played this season.
****DAWG 97**** Get your facts straight….Tebow played all of 2 minutes in the second half vs. Kentucky and didn’t even throw a pass.
Fact 2. If your team could run up the score you would have no problem with it, especially when it’s necessary in a year like 2008 where there were 6 legitimate teams that could make claims to play in the BCS title game.
Fact 3. Mark Richt, Les Miles, Nick Saban etc… have all had multiple games that were extremely lopsided
Fact 4. Urban Meyer DID NOT write “Urban’s Way” and he was asked about how he felt about the UGA celebration and he answered honestly. If Mark Richt were asked about how he felt in the same situation I sure would hope he used it as motivation if I were a UGA fan.
Fact 5. Urban Didn’t say one-word in response to Lane Kiffin’s FALSE ACCUSATIONS. In fact he went directly from his NSD press conference to Ohio for 2 weeks to be with his father who is in a tough battle with Cancer. And T how is the UF AD standing up for him letting his AD fight his battles. That is the WAY it SHOULD be done and you should expect that type of support from your AD. Especially the guy who built the best Athletic Program in the SEC which is a FACT that Florida is winning 18 of the last 21 SEC All-Sports titles.
Just goes to show most of you will go to great lengths to exagerate and outright make things up to try and demean a coach that does everything you wish your coach could.
Mark Richt is a GREAT COACH and an even better person but don’t fool yourself if you wouldn’t easily trade his personality for a fiery coach that is driven to win and accomplishes what Meyer has in a such a short time.
Jack
February 26th, 2009
5:20 pm
Go Kiffin. You gotta start with a #1 somewhere. We love all the attention and can’t wait till we are #1 in the SEC. It’s not an overnight fix, but the 2009 class was a good start. Go Vols!!!!
ZDog
February 26th, 2009
5:27 pm
Hmmmmm, I agree with just about everything you said KiffinBaffoonGuyPerson:
1. I don’t think I would trade Richt for any other coach at this point, though I do think that Meyer is an outstanding coach and I hope he leads UF to a great season in ‘09 (say…12-1 & #2 BCS ranking?)
2. You mispelled 1 word and made up 1 new word entirely…..sorry, I just have this THING about spelling!
LMAO
Good article, good response, it’s tough on a CFB fan in February…
Huh?
February 26th, 2009
5:28 pm
Has anyone mentioned the late field goal that Meyer called against Miami? I guess the Canes must have done something horrendous to get his panties in a bunch too. He’s such a swell guy and all. No way he does something completely classless like that unless they deserve it.
joe
February 26th, 2009
6:20 pm
Glad Lane Kiffin has made such a splash in your mind, Bradley, after just a few months on the job. Let’s all hope that he sticks in the side of grand ole UGA for many many years both on the fielf and off. Yes, he will take some lumps in 2009, but 2010 looks to be a turnaround year for UT. Oh, 45-42. woof.
Matt
February 26th, 2009
7:13 pm
Hmm. Saban at #2. just because he wins, makes good money, and “doesn’t smile.” Yeah agreed people hate his guts but he is not the 2nd most “IRRITATING” guy in the league. People hate him because of what he did in Miami and because he is a good coach! he brought alabama back up after Dubose, Shula, oh and of course the most popular Mike Price led us into complete utter dissapointment. He has has 2 full years of recruiting at Alabama. Cough cough, number 1 class both years. Just because hes a good coach, makes money, and wins does not make him irritating. I had no respect for u to begin with Mark, this list is terrible. Start looking for a new job now. You SUCK at writing! my 5 year old niece could write better sports articles than you.
Gen Neyland
February 26th, 2009
7:13 pm
Kiffin hasn’t led the Vols through the ‘T’ and he has already taken Saban’s #1 spot. I got a feeling we’ll be out of the running for the Fulmer Cup, too…
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
7:22 pm
Thanks, Zdog. We aim to please. Sometimes, anyway.
CHARLES BARKLEY
February 26th, 2009
7:28 pm
MB you are just stupid, just stupid for putting Mark Richt before Steve Spurrier the dumba** cock. Lebron James is Stupid. These UGA boys haven’t done anything wrong this year. Mark Richt is a 9 or 8 at least, GO DAWGS!!! I’m Charles Barkley and I approve this message.
The Fight Realtor
February 26th, 2009
7:53 pm
Mark, I still break out in a cold sweat when I think of how the fortunes of two football programs changed in 12 months, when UGA hired Goff in 1989, and then UF hired Spurrier in 1990.
In the previous 25 years, before Goff came on board, Florida had beaten Georgia a grand total of seven times. Florida had never won a national title. They had never played for a national title. They had never won an SEC title. Georgia had won six SEC titles in the previous 25 years. Georgia had won a national title less than a decade before.
Since the hiring of Spurrier and Goff, Georgia has won three times in 18 attempts at Florida. Georgia has two SEC titles. I’m not even sure how many Florida has, but it’s at least eight. Florida has played for four National Titles since these hirings, and they’ve won three. Georgia has not come close to playing for one.
Goff and Spurrier are both long gone, but these two programs were irrevocably changed because of these hires.
And the terrible news is that Mark Richt can not beat Florida. Unfortunately, we at Georgia are going to have a John Cooper/Lloyd Carr decision to make in a couple of years — Do you keep a guy that wins a lot, but who absolutely can NOT beat the most important team on your schedule?
gdawginkalamazoo
February 26th, 2009
8:09 pm
General Neyland, I would bet that Kiffin has led at least the potential recruits through the T in Neyland. You know, with fog machines going and all that. Screaming Urban is a cheater over the PA while wearing his orange “I hate grandmothers” T-shirt.
Ted Striker
February 26th, 2009
8:11 pm
Contrarian view on Saban: Doesn’t run his mouth, doesn’t disparage opponents. Has changed jobs, but in coaching that’s staying a step ahead of the hangman. (OK, Saban’s cautious — he stays 8-9 steps ahead). Schools are no better. Tuberville, Fulmer, Croom, and Tommy Bowden were all shown the door last year while working under recent contract extensions.
Bonus — the real reason Alabama collapsed at the end of last year. It had nothing to do with Saban or the current team and had all to do with karma. God never forgot the way fans treated Curry after a 10-1 start in ‘89.
Wonder what the Zooker thinks about Auburn’s and Tennessee’s hires. He was 23-14 at UF, reviled as the devil from day one, and two schools hire coaches with a combined record of 10-34. Anyone else feel some late arriving karma coming for Florida?
(Sometimes it just takes a while)
Meyer: Refers himself in 3rd person, looks like a constipated Mike Shanahan, is “friends” with Bill Belichick. Whatever. Anyone “friends” with Belichick – who doesn’t own a personality and won’t spend the money to rent one – has an irritation gene somewhere in his DNA. “Timeout, FLORIDA.” Classy. More karma coming.
S.E.C. fan
February 26th, 2009
8:18 pm
Tha mutts don’t like any coach that whips their butts. As far as Mark R. He’s a good man and a good coach. But I’d bet a million if he lets those north ave. bumble bees kick his mutts butts again. The howling and whinning will start and all those loyal Coach Richt fans will call for his head.
Dan Dawg
February 26th, 2009
8:35 pm
Mark, you are getting to be as bad as the editorial board of the AJC and Terrance Moore. They write anything but do not provide facts to back up any of their claims. Where did you get this information? If you are going to make claims such as this, provide FACTS. Or is this your personal opinion? If it is, just keep it to yourself and stick to the reporting scores, statistics, schedules, etc.
coachgb
February 26th, 2009
8:37 pm
come on now, Bradley and Moore must be the same person, or was it just a really bad day!
Dan Dawg
February 26th, 2009
8:46 pm
Both of them think they are Furman Bisher or Grantland Rice. They are as nuts as the editorial board at the Atlanta Urinal an Constipation.
Zach
February 26th, 2009
8:56 pm
Mark-great work. This is hilarious. I have enjoyed reading your witticisms since I moved to Atlanta in 1984!
FloridaDawg
February 26th, 2009
9:06 pm
Urban Meyer is #1, Kiffin does not rank..hasn’t played a game, who cares, toss Spurrier, Miles and Saban in a bag….all about the same.
Now Richt…he is aggravating only in that he thinks or states that we had a great year.
No we didn’t…we didn’t beat the #1 whiner…Urban Cryer
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
9:11 pm
Thanks, Zach. I arrived in 1984, too. Almost 25 years ago to the day.
Dawg Tired
February 26th, 2009
9:13 pm
Mark – I certainly agree with Kiffin being the current leader in irritation rank, but I get the impression more each day that he may not understand exactly what he’s doing. Hard to disagree on Saban. e Petrino, in light of his obvious lack of character, seems like a less capable Saban. It seems just as obvious to me that Richt is the classiest coach hands down. Oh, I fully understand why the Florida crowd is mad. They apparently just can’t accept that his idea was for the players in the game to celebrate – not those on the bench. Plus that happened early in the game and resulted in two penalties – punishment enough. It was not a direct insult to the other team (which is also true of most excessive celebration penalties). Now, calling the time outs was something I would expect from Meyer – therefore, it did not bother me (49-10 bothered me) – I simply thought, “How predictable” and “Consider the source.” However, after further reflection, my view is it his prerogative to call dumb time outs if it makes him fell better. Certainly, it had no positive motivation behind it. The Dawgs celebration was to motivate them – and it did. So at least it had a purpose other than being a jerk. Spurrier is not even irritating any more. In fact, he’s pretty funny.
I would simply rank Kiffin, Saban and Petrino as being tied for the most irritating award. Meyer would be mildly irritating, but pales in comparison to the top three. All the rest seem ok to me.
The most irritating SEC coach in my memory bank? That would be tie between Spurrier when he was at Florida and Donnan when he was at UGA. Spurrier for obvious reasons. Donnan because he was such an embarrassment to the school I root for. I just can’t forget that post game interview after we beat UT in Athens at night on national TV. It was all about him – not the team. So very embarrassing!
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
9:30 pm
Postgame was not Jim Donnan’s best time. I remember him snapping at Loran Smith for asking about cramps after the Dogs beat South Carolina, and I personally witnessed him yelling at esteemed former colleague Matt Winklejohn after the epic four-overtime victory at Auburn.
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
9:33 pm
As for who’s the best-looking coach … I try not to venture into people’s appearances. Everyone is beautiful, I always say.
ZDog
February 26th, 2009
9:56 pm
Hmmmm, I thought you were around a little before ‘84? Who used to have the curly hair, you or Barnhardt?
Mark Bradley
February 26th, 2009
10:05 pm
Curly hair, you say? Why … I believe that was …
Yours truly.
tennezz
February 26th, 2009
10:10 pm
You say richt is the classiest coach in the sec, I`ll take your word for it, But he is the worst coach. With all the talent ga. has, he has never won the national championship, or even come close! Vandy`s coach could win it with georgia`s players!
JMO
February 26th, 2009
10:23 pm
Great blog Mark and mostly because you stayed with it.
Agree with the Intramural program; they get the most for their buck!
Richt can’t possibly be ahead of Steve.
Keep it up.