Vaught’s note: Vaughtsviews.com regular James Boyers found our conversation on WLAP’s Sunday Morning Sports Talk almost more than he could take when it was suggested that former Louisville and Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino might be a good coach at UK. Boyers was so inspired after listening to Mark Buerger, Anthony White and myself that he put together these thoughts.
By JAMES BOYERS
I was listening to you guys and I agree 1,000,000% with Mark about Petrino. That would probably put an end to my football fandom as well. It’s already on life support, with the doctor’s hand on the plug.
What the hell is wrong with all these fans who want to hire him? Do you think they are really serious, or are they just venting and can’t think clearly? Anyone who truly wants to hire that lawsuit/infraction/death penalty in waiting have to be delusional. I don’t want to be the Texas Tech of football and repeat everybody else’s mistake.
I would keep Joker all day, every day and twice on Sunday, rather than hire someone like Petrino. At least Joker has integrity, loyalty and won’t embarrass us OFF the field. I’m sorry, but I just don’t see it as that big of a deal. I like college football and I love the University of Kentucky, but they are now and always will be a basketball school. This isn’t the 40′s and 50′s. Paul Bryant and George Blanda aren’t walking through that door.
UK will never be able to recruit well enough to win an SEC or BCS title, no matter how much money they throw at a coach or facilities. It is just reality and a lot of fans seem totally myopic and want to believe otherwise. I think the best UK can ever hope for, is to be competitive against the bottom half of the league. I think it was you that pointed out that, even at their best, that’s all they ever were under Brooks.
I just wondered if you think these people are for real. It’s scary to think they might be. Talk about selling your soul for a few wins. And that’s ALL it would be, is a few extra wins. It isn’t going to make much of a difference, in the grand scheme of things. Especially when weighed against the monumental, potential downside. I would hope UK has more common sense than to even entertain thoughts of such a move.
41 Responses to Fan does not want Kentucky to even consider Petrino if a coaching change is eventually made
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Amen. I like to think that people don’t understand that Petrino is reported not only to have had an affair, which to my way of thinking is his personal business, but he placed her in a job at the university when there were clearly more qualified candidates. As I recall she was completely unqualified. One of the candidates was reportedly of a “protected class” and giving preference to his girlfriend in hiring was not only tacky, but a violation of the law which would expose his employer, the university lawsuits, as well as ridicule. No Thanks!
Petrino/Girlfriend/Job hmmmm sounds a lot like Farmer/Girlfriend/job
We saw how both of those turned out. It’s 10 pm, do you know where Richie Farmer is? LOL
Your idiot, you wouldn’t give 2 cents if it were a coach hired to turn around basketball with the same off the court problems, folks like you are the problem with football you accept the crap & support it.
Who in the heck do you think you are calling an idiot? He is speaking his mind. This is a friendly site, we don’t call other people names here.
BTW don’t get my evil twin sister mad.
Don’t waste your time Linda. I didn’t even acknowledge him. He doesn’t know me or how I feel about anything, so I could give a crap about what his opinion of me is.
Have you not heard the whispers around this town about Joker’s off the field activities? I have heard them as often as I heard about Billy Clyde’s off court shenanigans during his first year at UK. However, those whispers are just that. Rumors, spread by detractors, and I have ignored them with respect to Joker, just as I ignored them relative to Billy Clyde.
That is not to say I disagree with this opinion about Petrino. I also agree that UK should take a pass on this guy. I also know that this position appears to conflict with my previous support for UK exploring the Calipari opportunities both when Tubby left and after the BCG crash. However, I view these situations as distinguishable.
In Calipari’s case, he turned in UMass about the Camby money, and was not a party to that in any way. At Memphis, he played a player that the NCAA declared eligible, only to get slapped retroactively when the NCAA concluded that their ruling was in error. Not a single coach in college basketball would have unilaterally decided to sit Rose in the face of the NCAA green light. I saw nothing in the public record regarding Calipari that justified the reputation that his detractors had spent considerable capital to establish in the public mind.
In Petrino’s case, he hired his girlfriend to a posh job at Arkansas and I see no other conclusion than the job being her reward for the favors she provided to him. Then he lied to the Arkansas administration when his scheme was coming undone. Petrino showed absolutely no class in the way he left the NFL job mid-season. I believe there is a very solid basis for the reputation he has earned on his own in the public mind, and he has contributed to that image more than his detractors could have ever done without his assistance.
Re: Playing Rose. IMO Calipari will not with will violate NCAA rules. He is willing to take a chance. He took a chance on the academic record of Bledsoe and won. He took a chance on the kid from Turkey and lost, although it did not cost UK. He took a chance on Rose at Memphis and lost. The NCAA clears players on the data that it has at the time. The coach and compliance officers know that that ok is based on current data and if that date is a fraud the kid is not elgible. In the case of Rose the testing authority declared that his SAT test was not valid. Remember this. It is the decision and responsibility of the University and it’s officals to sign and play an athlete. Rose had failed his SAT more than once. He left his Chicago school to take the test in Detroit, a place where he was not known. Playing a kid with this question mark is a gamble. Did Calipari break NCAA rules? He did not. He did take a chance.
I don’t want Petrino either. Way too much baggage.
Larry I’m dead serious, why put this on here??? Fans want to win!!! People like this that are ok with loosing shouldn’t have a say in anything. I can understand not wanting Bobby but he is a good football coach… We as a fanbase are ok with Cal and he’s always operated in the gray area yet we are to good to get a good coach with a little baggage??? I don’t really want Bobby, I just don’t understand the double standard. I want a good coach that is trust worthy that can recruit, coach and develop not a wanna be.
Kirby Smart should be the man hired if Mitch and CO are serious…. That won’t happen though because they don’t want to go all in they would rather “get a real bargain” and only go to small bowl games. UK can have a good FB program those who think we can’t are full of it… If Vandy can sign and recruit 8 4 star players a year so can we… I really wish I didn’t love UK so much because it’s obvious some of fans care more about the program than our own Athletic Dept, it should be the other way around… The SEC plays football when are we going to get serious and follow???
Hire Smart, I like to give readers a chance to share their views in guest posts. We all have our opinions and not sure there is a right or wrong on lot of issues. If change is needed, going to be very interesting to see what direction UK goes
I want to clarify that I am NOT happy with losing. I have never been, nor will I ever be okay with it. But, I would rather lose, with good kids and an honorable coach, than win with a douchebag, who has left several programs in the dead of the night.
I do think that UK can have a good, solid football program. Just not an SEC/NCAA champion type program.
As far as Cal “working in the gray areas”: That is perfectly legal and I don’t have a single problem with it. If he ever steps over into the black, I will be one of the first to blast him.
Re: good solid football program. I agree. Forget LSU and Alabama. We don’t play them. A decent UK team could play with and be capable of beating Mississippi State, Arkansas, Missouri, Vandy and Tennessee. UK is not a decent team. A good, solid program could compete with Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. All of those programs, as they stand NOW should be foes that UK could compete with IF UK was not the doormat that it is. Can UK expect to compete with the top two or three SEC teams on a a regular basis? No, but it should set it’s sights of being able to rise to the top occasionally. Look at this league. No team stays on top all the time. Remember Newton and Auburn and their national championship? Where are they now? Remember Tebow and Florida. They have droped back a bit. That’s the nature of this league. Super on top with other teams that can be beat or can spring an upset.
I had to google this guy, but his resume is pretty impressive; IMHO.
UK would have to pay him more, base salary, he makes more than Joker if I’m not mistaken; Smart earns $750,000.
If UK did not know about Gillispie’s baggage it should have. Before Calipari came to Kentucky many fans shared the same opinion of him that much of the rest of the sports world think of him now. Hiring Gillipsie turned out to be a huge failure. Hiring Calipari turned out to be a huge success. The lesson? UK is willing to hire coaches with baggage. Petrino would win at UK. I don’t like him. Most of us don’t. UK will not hire him, but if they did and if he won we’s all change our minds in a New York second.
Agreed. I couldn’t stand Calipari, all because of the image of him drawn by the media. I fell for it hook, line, sinker and bobber. Crow tastes pretty good with Texas Pete and a cold Bud light.
Other than running out on his team for better jobs (he was way out of his league with Atlanta) and wrecking a Harley w/his girlfriend on the back…how bad a guy is he?
It’s funny but I agree with just about everyone on this page; up to a point. I agree that patrino would be a bad choice. The problem with getting caught is that everyone gets to see “The Emperior has to cloths” side of a man. I also agree that UK has never shown it’s support for its football program that it does basketball and I do not see that changing.
But I disagree with the premise that KY football will always be genitcally deficient. Too many other football programs have decided start from ground zero and build a successful program. Note I said successful, not necessarily National Championship caliber. The key to getting the fan support to get this done is to articulate the plan honestly to the fan base what the plan is and show progress toward the goal.
The funny thing about fans is that if they sign up for your program they can be very fogiving when things get tough. Also the quickest way to lose the fan base is hype the program in the spring and summer then lay a brick when the season starts.
No Petrino. I say that with full conviction. Then I remember I felt the same way about Cal. The difference is we know the stuff about Petrino is true and the stuff about Cal (per NCAA is not). We saw Petrino slither out of Louisville and Atlanta and I just don’t want him leaving a SLIME TRAIL through Lexington.
WE ARE NOT THAT DESPARATE! ! !
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK GO BLUE OR STAY HOME
EXACTLY!!
My main problem with Petrino stems more from the way he left his other programs, as opposed to his off the field antics. Those just push him way over the top of my do-not-hire list.
I too felt the same about Cal, UNTIL I researched his past “infractions” and found that he wasn’t to blame for them and even TURNED HIS OWN PLAYER IN. I had always just followed the “Cal is a cheating slimeball” party line, to that point.
Petrino has no loyalty to the program where he coaches. While at UL he was pretending to love that school while he was seeking employment at other schools. But, is that not par for the course? People at Memphis have a bad taste in their mouths about how Calipari was talking to UK and telling Memphis folk that he was happy there. Actually, could a coach admit that he was looking? Re: Calipari, the slime ball. I too have changed my opinion about him now that Calipari has UK on top of the basketball world. I wonder how much of that change is due to super recruits and a national championship? So, IF Calipari was really a slimeball, would we accept it and still support him? I say we would. And…were Petrino hired and if he lifted UK off the bottom of the football world, we would put him right up there with Calipari? Of course we would.
Count me in on “don’t hire Petrino”. We(football fans) at some point have to overcome the label of just being a “basketball school”. For many years our AD’S have been basketball people, I suggest our AD today is not a basketball or football person. Hince our minor sports progams have grown. When he had a chance to hire a basketball coach he hired BCG enough said. When pressure and money was applied in comes coach Cal. Now when he tried to hire a football coach he didnt know where to turn so he ask Brooks for some help and after some mis-hits he finally turned to Brooks and caught lighting in a bottle. When Brooks annouced his departure our AD turned the easy way out and named Joker.
Now unless we get a new football AD to bring in a coach that runs in those circles we will be up a tree again. UNLESS the pressure and money are applied as in the hiring of coach Cal we will be hung again! I suggest we get a movement as such and go get “LEACH” it could have been done last year! Even though he is a west coast guy, and only been at Washington State a year, he loved his time here in Lexington and would lick his chops at the challange of the SEC. Not to mention the young talent already on board to start his “air raid” offense. Smith-Towles and all the nice young recievers-WOW. Get the football rolling-turn on- the sirens-make Joker the director of football operations-let’s get this hire done. I’m 70 years old and need some football excitment in my life!!!
Coach Leach was quoted in a article and although he beat-around-the-bush, said he would love to coach in the SEC; or was it directly at UK (?). Anywho, he’s now out in Washington St, as we all know, bringing life into that program.
Shinny, you and I are about the same age. I can remember all the excitement when the Bear was here, and I would love to enjoy it again before I skedaddle off to Big Blue Heaven. It can be done as per South Carolina, Oregon, Stanford,and even Northwestern. Bob Petrino is not the answer, though.
If the stories are true, UK has been a basketball-first school since the days of Bryant and Rupp. We may wish it were different, but decades of facts would point otherwise.
I love football and the Cats and would prefer to win every game and the national championship every year. That being said, I’m not willing to sacrifice integrity and influencing young men for good on the altar of football supremacy. If they can’t do it clean, better to shut down the program. I hope the powers that be look for a man with character whenever they determine it is the right time to replace Coach Phillips.
It is going to be tricky to find the next coach. It needs to be someone who has enough name recognition to recruit, a record of proven success at turning around a struggling program and who would consider UK a challenge worthy of his talents. The unversity may need to loosen up the purse strings with the hope of making back their investment in time. They — and the fans! — are going to have to give a little grace and give the man a chance to achieve the goals and overcome the setbacks. This program didn’t get to this point overnight and even all the money in the world isn’t going to bring it up overnight.
Very well said.
Joker will get to finish the year. Then the search will begin for a new coach. It’s a tough job, but with the lowest expectations in the nation.
Successful Kentucky Football coaches have…
1. Put an entertaining product on the field (like Hal Mummy)
2. Be competitive until October 15 (keep the stadium full before November)
3. Don’t EMBARRASS the University/Commonwealth (Petrino DQ’d here).
4. Go 6-5 or 5-6 with an occasional 7-4 and bowl win (8-3 and you’re immortal)
5. Graduate players
Do this and you’ll be around as long as you want to coach here. Experienced coaches have fared the best in this system (ie. Jerry Claiborne, Rich Brooks). Look for a coach with that M.O.
Texascat, you got it right. Nobody has to worry about Petrino he will be headed to old Rocky Top.
Do agree that Petrino will likely be coaching in the SEC again next year. Just don’t think it will be at Kentucky with Mitch Barnhart.
I think Kentucky can win in the SEC and be the top half not bottom. This program is waiting to bust the SEC wide open . We are an football school too. I’m not sure whom is the right hire to lead our football program however Joker isn’t . I think the answer maybe in hiring an NFL coach where past or present to get this program rolling . This is an class program with solid players .Anyone whom doubts this look at Randal Cobb’s game agaisnt SF last week . This team needs leadership . I have said before you may have the fastest car on the track but if you lack driving skills what the hell you doing behind the wheel . Kentucky doesn’t have time for Joker’s growning pains . The caught off guard last game winning play for WKU was unexcuseable . Louisville beat us but we beat ourselfs agaisnt WKU . Guy’s i m sorry but Joker should have been gone last year and if Mitch wants to defend this OJT action he should join him. I do not buy anyone loves these Cats and states it is what it is with our football program. It is what we demand it be or we get the right people in there making the decessions to get it there . Enough is enough and look at thee big picture over the pass 45 years and decide where this record stands . Stundents are for class rooms not Kentucky Wildcats coaching staffs.
i may be in the minority , but i would hire petrino lickity split. he is all the things i don’t care for/ but he can put a hell of a football team on the field and it would be well coached.
for every 1 fan uk loses they would gain 10 if they hired him and won. @ Jim Boyers, when you say good kids , do you mean dope smokers uk has. Since you are speaking in generalities , do you mean arkansas or anywhere petrino has coached he. never had one good kid such as joker has? Is joker recruiting in the land of oz where he has nothing but good kids? hmm good kids?
I never said anything about the kids Petrino had. My problems lie strictly with him. His players weren’t the ones who skipped town. They were the victims, just as much as the universities and fans. I know he had his share of good kids, bad kids and everything in between. Just like every program has.
And don’t get me started about the whole “evil pot smokers”. Smoking pot does not make a kid “bad” or “evil”. It makes him or her a typical college student. If you want to go after all the kids who smoke pot, on all the teams in every sport, you are going to end up giving the death penalty to a lot of programs. Should they be doing illegal drugs? Absolutely not. Are they horrible people, who are doing things outside the norm? Again, absolutely not. They are kids being kids and they are taking part in an activity that has thrived on college campuses, since college campuses came into existence.
I do completely agree with you that, if he was hired here and won a ton of games, he would be treated like royalty. That is just the nature of the fan base, in any university. People love a winner. I include myself in that. If he were to come here, win, stick around and not cause any controversy, I would probably end up loving him too. But it would take a long while for him to prove himself.
Lori, your last paragraph sums up my feelings as well. If the University hits a home run with it;s hire I’m sure the fans will be patient. Texascat, not sure today;s fans will settle for middle of the road seasons anymore. Seems to be a movement out there with the current football fan that now is the time to make a ” where in the hell did that come from” hire and shock the SEC and let them know UK is serious about football.
I have a lot of friends who are fans of that ‘other’ school in Lexington West. Some of them knew Petrino personally, some through their children who were players of his and some who were connected with the program or school in one way or another. No one had a good thing to say about him personally. No one really liked him, no one would choose again to have their son play for him. I don’t know why other people don’t know this, but it seems to be very well known here.
I don’t want him, he has too much baggage. He takes a job, leaves it for another one and then in a matter of days leaves that one for someplace else. He flip flops.
BTW his son was not very popular here in high school either.
We do need someone with integrity and grit. We do need a proven coach but it will be hard to build a winning program when this program for oh so many years has been the laughing stock of the SEC. Yes, they have had their moments, yes they still could have some moments, but what top notched player wants to come to a program like this, help build it and before there are any rewards he graduates. It is going to take a Steve Jobs or Warren Buffet to figure this out.
That last paragraph makes for some hard thinking. Woodson, Woodyard, Tamme, etc, thought they had done that. However, it’s not looking too good.
Say UK does find this “coach”. He puts UK on the “map” and guess who comes calling. The NFL or one of the big boys. Does he pack up and leave, does he stay and finish (his contract for example) or does he roll out?
My guess is he’s gone. Isn’t that the way it is in big time sports now?
“(UK)ise competing in a conference that, for the most part, whatever football wants at those schools sort of goes to the top of the list even beyond academics — and I’m not saying that’s right,” said Oscar Combs, founder of The Cats’ Pause and member of the Kentucky Journalism Hall of Fame. “That’s just the way it is. If Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia or Florida wants to do something for football, nobody is going to stand in their way on that campus.
“I’m not necessarily advocating that happen here at UK, but if you are going to compete with those guys you are going to have to invest a little bit more.”
Men’s basketball revenue also increased to $18.1 million from $14.3 million between 2008-09 and 2011-12, a growth of $3.8 million. Expenses, however, grew $2.97 million, meaning the basketball program kept 77.3 percent of the revenue growth.
The greater growth in kept revenue for basketball is attributed to the coaching staff.
“The largest growth of football spending has been with facilities, which are not reflected in the yearly football budget,” Neely said. “Looking at men’s basketball, the largest increase in its budget came from the hiring of Coach John Calipari and his staff prior to the 2009-10 season.”
The numbers speak to a lessening investment in football that manifests itself by falling behind the rest of the league in facilities, coaching salaries and recruiting — and in the end, wins and losses.
“In all college athletics, the compensation for the players is capped, so the only area that you can exert financial muscle is in areas such as coaches salaries, facilities, training centers and academic support,” Nagel said. “Really where you see the winning come from is when you can recruit better athletes because your practice facility, stadium, coaching staff or the way you travel is better.
“It is hard to say exactly what those yield in wins, but there certainly is an impact because the more talented players want to go to the nicer places.”
CREDIT GOES TO: http://www.kykernel.com
Whole article here:
http://kykernel.com/2012/09/17/less-funding-could-hurt-uk-football/
I hope I didn’t break any rules by posting this link Larry. If so, please let me know and obviously delete the link. It’s good reading however and one of four parts.
Dont need a Hal Mummie and probation, or Bobby P. Just let Joker Coach, and fans please dont act like Tennesse, Auburn, and Clemson. Given time we will be back to 8-4;7-5, and bowl game. Joker is true blue. Lets all give support to coaches and players..
Amen
There are well over 200 football teams and there are too many coaches and assistant coaches to even count. No doubt in my mind that we could find and hire a coach who would bring more wins than Petrino would bring. The only reason that we are discussing Petrino is that we have so little knowledge of who would be available that would improve the program. His name is one of a very few that we know.
The responsibility for doing the hiring and firing lies with the A.D. and he is the one who will make those decision. I have not yet given up on Joker even though I am getting tired of hearing excuses for our losing games. I say give Joker until the end of the year to show that he is the man for the job and if he does not, then Mitch can take a look at the long line of applicants who want to coach at this coaches graveyard of a school that we so dearly love.
I’m through preaching now!
Evil twin sister says, 22 more days