Something tells me that Franchione may be able inspire the faith of his players and get the respect from the community and school. I don’t know how the College Station media is reporting the news of everything being mentioned in this thread, but the Houston media (just an hour and half away and with a sizable population of A&M alumni) haven’t really touched on any of it. There’s been quite a few stories on A&M snagging Franchione, but I have seen nothing about the seemingly deceitful way he left UA mentioned at all. It is my impression that they’ve created a rosy painting of how all of this has gone down. I wouldn’t be surprised if this information doesn’t become general knowledge in this area.
Numerous sports outlets (including ESPN, CNN/SI and other national media) have questioned Fran’s integrity and the way in which he handled this. Media members from both Alabama and Texas asked some hard questions at his press conference this morning, and he seemed quite ill-at-ease trying to answer them.
Besides that, Gene Stallings and Lee Roy Jordan (two Alabama legends that have considerable influence in Texas) are not happy with Fran. And they’re in a position to bend a few ears in College Station.
Fran’s a good coach. But I think he has seriously tarnished his reputation. If he doesn’t win big and win fast, he might not find the reception at A&M as warm as he had hoped.
Of course, if he starts churning out Big XII and national titles on a regular basis, nobody’s gonna care.
Hey Sauron, do you have a link for Gene Stallings’s and Lee Roy Jordan’s reactions? I haven’t seen anything, and I’ve been looking.
Gene Stallings, yet another A&M coach who left for 'Bama.
Thanks, Sauron, I guess I’m just not reading and watching the right sports and news programs then. :o
But it is about sports. In the large scheme of things what these prima donna dipshits do should be entertainment not something to raise your blood pressure. Why get all wound up over someone in a profession that serves no useful purpose? Some things are taken way too seriously that shouldn’t be.
…spoken like someone who has no idea of the intensity of SEC football. 
In short, 45/70 it’s important to us because it is. We love it. We love the tradition, the atmosphere, the players, the legendary plays, the close games.
You may not be aware of it, but in this state, football is a way of life. A religion. It’s something to celebrate. Alabama football is among the proudest sports traditions in the country, and every coach out there on the waiting list knows it. It is an honor to coach here. Mike Stoops has already said he’d “walk to Tuscaloosa” if it meant he could have the job.
I don’t expect you to understand, but it’s important here. Calling it neanderthal and stupid is not going to keep 100,000 people from all over the country from descending on Tuscaloosa every fall Saturday for a home game.
I didn’t find Lee Roy Jordan, but I found the link to Gene Stallings’ interview at this site www.finebaum.com. Just go to the 12/5/02 interview with Gene Stallings on the front page. It’s a media file, that’s why I didn’t directly link. [sub][sup](Pssst…while you’re there, listen to the Brody Crowell interview. He put the “class” in “act”).[/sub][/sup]
And yes! Please forward my letter to Coach Scam to anyone you think would enjoy it, Ogre. I’m sure the other five people that my husband forgot about would love to read it. 
I know he will never read it, but I had an immense satisfaction just sending it.
It amazes me to no end that these guys keep getting jobs. He did squat at New Mexico, then moved on to these big jobs like A&M and Alabama. 
Then again, the Lobos suck anyway, so I guess it didn’t really matter.
Someone already beat me to the Stallings interview. However, a few friends of mine are acquaintances with some influential folks at Alabama. Word is that Gene Stallings’ blood pressure went up about 50 points when Fran mentioned Stallings’ name at his press conference.
Don’t have a confirmed source for the Jordan information, but since Lee Roy was a major influence in getting Fran’s name mentioned for the Alabama job in the first place, I’ve gotta believe that he’s less than pleased about Fran skipping out on Bama in two years. My friends said Jordan was vacillating between calling Fran to tell him what he thought of his cowardly move, and not ever speaking to the guy again.
Homebrew, as info, Stallings didn’t leave A&M for Bama. He coached at both places, but they aren’t right next to each other on his resume.
Not to defend the man, but he did take the Lobos from 3-8 his first season to 9-4 in his last. He led them to their first back-to-back winning seasons since 1971. And took them to their first bowl game in 36 years.
As information, Ian O’Connor with USA Today has written a rather scathing indictment of Franchione on that paper’s Web site. See the column here.
So, as I understand it, you’re mad at Franchione mainly because he left Bama before you could have the satisfaction of seeing him fired?
Enjoy your latest probation, and be grateful it isn’t the death penalty - apparently that was a narrow escape for y’all.
Couple of points, you moron:
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Who on God’s green earth said anything about Fran being fired? In case you missed it, Alabama officials were doing everything in their power to keep the guy. They had a three-hour meeting with him the night before he flew to Texas, trying to convince him to stay.
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Thomas Yeager, chairman of the Committee on Infractions, admitted that his “death penalty” rhetoric in his press conference was overblown. He said that he raised the possibility of imposing the death penalty against Alabama when his committee was discussing the penalty phase of Alabama’s case, but that it was never seriously considered – never even brought to a vote.
Get the facts before you spout off again, you idiot.
No, you insufferable jackass. As has been pointed out several times in this thread, Bama fans are indeed disappointed he left, but we’re enraged over the sneaky, classless, demonstrably hypocritical manner that he left. We understand that coaches do their jobs for a while and then move along, but we expect at least a nod in integrity’s direction.
Do try to keep up.
The guy damn near destroyed the program, and certainly crippled it for years. But they still wanted to keep the guy?
Who are the morons, then?
Ogre, you must be a young whippersnapper if you’re surprised and enraged by how business is done in the world of football coaches’ careers. You’ll learn and grow, though.
Uh, you’re mistaken. That was DuBose, Williams, and Cottrell that damaged the program. Franchione came after all that.
Again, son. Try to keep up.
ElvisL1ves, I’m not sure you’re up on current events vis a vis Alabama football. Dennis Franchione is a very good coach. Alabama fans are upset with the way he left for Texas A&M, not with the job he was doing. By all accounts, he had Alabama heading back in the right direction. He went 7-5 his first year (when the team, the year before, had gone 3-8), and this year he went 10-3. He improved strength and conditioning, and fielded one of the best defenses in the nation and the top offense in the SEC. He did not “near(ly) destroy” the program, and he helped guide it through a period of NCAA sanctions and innuendo.
For the record, most college football fans understand that the hiring game is played so that both sides can save face. A coach who is secretly campaigning for a job can have his agent contact the athletic director. An athletic director who wants to hire a certain coach can contact the agent – or have an influential alum do it. This way, they can honestly tell the press “I haven’t spoken to any officials at XYZ State” or “We haven’t tried to contact coach ABC.” Meanwhile, the deal is being worked through intermediaries. (I’d be willing to bet Ogre understands this process, as well.)
The ire of Alabama fans was raised at the way in which Franchione pulled this little stunt. Read the whole thread if you don’t understand that. Basically, he talked the players into staying, preaching loyalty and togetherness in the face of adversity, then bolted at the first opportunity.
…without having the common decency to face the very same players with whom he begged and pleaded.