Certainly brick and mortar will outlast us all, but a true legacy will outlast brick and mortar. To some Strong will represent more than just a coach. He is breaking a barrier that has been in place for generations. A TRUE barrier. It's not racist to see people given a OPPORTUNITY based on REAL qualifications. What African-Americans and other marginalized groups seek is the "EQUITY of OPPORTUNITY and not the EQUITY of OUTCOMES." It is racist to hire strictly on race, but it is equally racist to prevent qualified people the opportunity to perform. Again, DKR did not have the background, experience, or wins that Strong has and he was given the OPPORTUNITY to create his legacy. Allow Strong his opportunity, and if it works he joins Brown and Royal..if not he joins Mckovic, Mcwilliams, Akers, et al.
after reading everyone's reactions: NOTHING RED said was racist....not a word of it. I think the selection of Coach Strong was for the BEST MAN for the job......PERIOD!!!! (obviously done by Patterson....BRAVO!!!!) Red was "talking to Gruden" and had another talk scheduled "for Monday" (yesterday)....how whacky is this of RED to think that his talking to Gruden had anything to do with the selection of the newcoach???? ....to me that speaks volumes that he's off to the side talking to someone like that is going to matter a hill of beans in the process....Gruden is probably never going back into coaching as long as they pay him millions to show up on Sunday and be cute...why would he??? EVERYONE needs to google Red McCombs and look at the man we are being so highly critical of....he is an older gentleman that obviously is confined to sitting all the time and is close to 80....give him a break...if your Dad or uncle or someone you've loved got near that age you know that there are times that what comes out of their mouths is sometimes NOT ready for prime time.....this was one of those instances...give him a break and take it with a grain of salt... For people that have BILLIONS of dollars....the donation of 50 MILLION would be like my donating a thousand dollars....I would not expect everyone to wait what I thought about every decision being made at UT for my donation.... I think Mack Brown leaned on Red and Joe a little TOO much and I'm now glad that is in our past as well....that is creepy as hell to me about Mack....all his "integrity" and all....and then standing behind the fact that Red and Joe still support him....NEXT!!!!
What this really tells you is that your AD really did not give a **** what the cigar smokers thought and made the best hire he could for the situation. This is a good thing because many old time UT boosters (and some on this board) believe the UT is the best place to coach in the country and anyone that knows anything should beg to coach at UT. Sorry, but that is crap that keeps getting perpetuated by people that do not coach. This will not hurt the schools reputation as the official administrators make the decisions, not the boosters as is revealed by this situation. I did not know who Strong was before, but have been impressed by what I saw of him and can not figure out what all the criticism is about. Even the Daily Oklahoman had a nice article on him.
Boomer, you're right that this doesn't hurt UT one bit. Neither does it "embarrass Patterson and Powers" like some people reported. It is just the reverse. Patterson has talked to McComb's guy Gruden anyway. I don't know what McCombs is really complaining about. But then old rich guys sometimes think that money can always make things happen. May be he wanted Patterson to ask him for more money and make Gruden happen, even when it is clear from Patterson's conversations with Gruden that he doesn't have the interest to come and solve UT's problems and be there for 15 years like McCombs thinks he will. Any decent AD would have to make the call to move on, like Patterson did. May be he should have talked to McCombs and apprised him to make sure that the old guy wouldn't get all mad and do what he did. Seems like Patterson did the same thing to the rich guys trying to put money together to help out Saban on some bad real estate deals and make him come to Texas. Sure, money can sometimes do those things, but a good AD would do what is best for the program long-term. Guys who come in for such reasons never become long-term solutions. High marks to Patterson for thinking straight. Mr. McCombs should have just kept quiet, but he is just old, so I guess we cut him some slack and move on.
You mean Powers was not involved in hiring/firing decisions regarding the UT football coach position? Just the AD?
Just tell McCombs that we will call Charlie Strong the Red McCombs Head Coach of Texas. He may even be happy, you never know Hey professors get such positions - "Mortimer Randolph Winthorpe Professor Ein Stein" etc. Why not a "Red McCombs Head Football Coach Charlie Strong"?
Old or not, he should have never said this out loud. Personally I believe it makes him look petty. Ol Red got his little feelings hurt.
I'm not impressed with billionaires. I don't care about them. I think we know they are obsessed on levels that border on levels of mental illness in their sociopathic behavior.. He has no class and if I were King of the World I'd tell him not to bother with the university anymore unless he is wiling to make a full public apology and admit he was wrong without any qualifers such as "if you were offended."
Boomer, I remember will OU having an AD whose ego got in the way of what is best for the athletic department and wanted to make a name for himself apart from the wealthy alums input. Results: Douchebag Donnie Duncan hired Howard "I don't give a **** how much money his family has given no offer to a kid that doesn't keep scotch in the house" Schnellenberger. Patterson did what no AD at Texas has done since 1956. Bold move, but will likely cut his tenure very short. I doubt very seriously that any of the people bitching about Red McCombs have ever met him much less done business with him. Lots of assumptions made by people never having met the man and without the balls to go meet with him.
Sabre, it does not matter how good a man McCombs is, but he did damage to himself by speaking like he did. That's a fact. Like I said, I just don't hold it against him or anything. Anyone who has given so much money to the university deserves getting at least that much of slack when all he did was to just talk without thinking much about how that will make him look.
True Sabre, I am not trashing Red. He should not have said that pubic because that is a opinion to keep in house and he sounded like a fool. The fact is Patterson and Strong are in the same boat. Strong is Patterson's guy and CS knows it. That is the way it should be. Here is a worse scenario: Pattersons pressured to hire someone that he really does not want to. That coach fails and has no pressure put on the AD because the people in the know realize the AD did not want him in the first place. When Bob Stoops was hired, the Gaylord family was a little pissed because Joe Costiglione did not go after Jim Donnan at UG. Jim ended up being a failure at UG about the same time BS was winning a MNC. Sometimes the donors just need to be fans.
That audio makes it clear that Mccombs was not joking in any respect. He described Coach Strong in a condescending, and insulting manner. Saying he "might be a good position coach or a coordinator " was truly offensive to Coach Strong and to people who love and respect this school. McCoombs knows full well that Coach Strong has a fine record as a head coach. Why would he choose to ignore that, and minimize the reality of Coach Strong's accomplishments? Whining, pissed that he didn't get what or who he wanted? I think it goes beyond that. The kind of vehemence McCombs, in his position with this university, publicly expressed is unjustifyable and inexcusable.
Wow. I'm just surprised that Red didn't just come right out and say "we give you a laurel. And hardy handshake." What a db..
Sabre, I for admit to never have meeting the man. Based on what I just heard, it's no loss to me. In that audio link, he calls himself a team player? Seriously?
His comments (which I heard on the radio) frankly sound racist. #goaway Hes not racist. With the Vikings he had a black coach and qb. Just ignorant is all.
He can paint the walls of Belmont with $100 bills all day and he'll never speak for me. We're undergoing a long overdue culture change and Red McCombs and Joe Jamail don't like it. That just proves it is sorely needed.
Mack could heal some of this crap by talking to Red. Don't know that this will happen or should happen, but I would be for it.
Great. He's now made the front page of ESPN for his comments. He escalated this nonsense. It may be best to eventually get his name off of our schools and ball parks. Just because you have billions doesn't mean you have a lick of sense. If he has any sense left he should apologize.
I really don't understand how anyone who listened to that interview can side with Red, or make excuses for him. Regardless of how he felt about the hire or the fact that he believed that he was excluded from the process, his comments were unquestionably demeaning. Any objective observer that would dispute that claim -- that his comments were demeaning, must live on a different planet than I do. Now, is Red racist or were his comments racist? Here, opinions will differ. While apparently nothing in his background (that has been revealed) would suggest that he is, my opinion is that he probably would not have made the same comment had the choice of HC with which he disagreed been white. Having said that, let me assure that you that I am the antithesis of a political correctness guy. Whether Red or any of the big cigars likes it or not, there is some responsibility and plenty of visibility that comes with being a high profile, vocal alum. As I said above, what Red said in that interview will forever taint his legacy. But much more importantly, his comments reflect poorly on the university, a university that carefully manages its image and touts its diversity. While it is likely that the brouhaha will die down in a day or two, I actually believe that Powers should consider releasing a statement explaining that in no way do the comments of Red McCombs, a long time, substantial and highly valued supporter of The University of Texas, represent the opinions of the University. As for Red, if I was advising him (and, yes, I understand that I am not), I would tell him that he should also release a statement, and own up to his comments. In other words, he should not use the excuse of playing the "out of context" angle. Rather, he should say that he loves the University, and that his comments were I'll advised, inappropriate, and that they were made out of frustration. And finally, that he fully support the selection of Charlie Strong although he personally would have preferred someone like Jon Gruden. If you are truly honest, most people will forgive you. That is, except wives, of course. (I had to say that.)
