You can say he was never offered, butt, he was "never offered" only because he made it abundantly clear that he would not accept if he was offered. He got him a nice fat raise out of the speculation anyway. But don't act like we didn't seriously pursue him...cause we did; as I recall, Slef tracked the U of A plane down to So. Florida.
ScR ----- Original Message ----- From: "Steven Johnson" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > That guy is the wacko, we don't have two more years of > scholarship reductions, and Jim Leavitt didn't turn us > down, he was never offered. Shoot that messenger. > :-) > > > RTR > LC > > --- Joel Perry <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > The way the brash and crass Crimson Tide Nation is > > easing along and nodding > > endlessly to every word from the new boy king, Mike > > Shula, it may as well be > > the periwinkle populace. > > Those maniacal and menacing fans -- and we're being > > extremely gracious here, > > folks -- have been humbled and handcuffed by some of > > the worst > > decision-making in recent memory. From the wackos > > with the Tide boxes and > > toilet paper to fat-cat boosters in those god-awful > > crimson sport coats to > > Joe Sixpack who praises Coach one week and burns his > > lawn the next, there is > > peace among Tiders far and wide. They have no > > alternative. > > This is what happens when school presidents, > > athletic directors and > > influential boosters get involved by reactively > > duct-taping problems instead > > of proactively eliminating them. This is what > > happens when the coaches hired > > by those same administrators make poor decisions > > that affect the whole of a > > storied program. This is why Shula, who by all > > rights should be in way over > > his head in Tuscaloosa, suddenly has the easiest job > > in America. > > Who would've ever thought "easy" and "Alabama" would > > ride in the same cart? > > Not Dennis Franchione, and certainly not Mike DuBose > > or Mike Price. Yet > > Shula could lose more than he wins in his first > > three years at the Capstone > > and still be safe. > > The program has been dragged through enough muck and > > mire to last three more > > coaching hires. Extramarital affairs, lies, deceit > > and sexcapades -- a hell > > of a resume to run the country, but no way to run a > > football program. So the > > Tide is left to a young man who never has been a > > head coach. Who never has > > recruited and doesn't know an NCAA manual from a > > Jackie Collins novel. Who > > has toiled the last 15 years as a somewhat obscure > > NFL assistant but now has > > been dropped into a desperate situation -- with two > > more years of > > scholarship reductions staring back at him. > > There's an eerie sense of calm in Tuscaloosa, but > > for all the wrong reasons. > > "He'll have a long leash on the field," one > > prominent Alabama booster says > > of Shula. "And he can thank those other three > > (coaches) for that." > > In the aftermath of DuBose, Franchione and Price > > mistakes, both the > > administration and Tide Nation are desperate for > > stability and sensibility. > > But at what point does it become more important for > > a university to retain > > its pride and prestige off the field instead of its > > power and performance on > > it? The only coach worth a spit since Paul "Bear" > > Bryant retired in 1982 > > (there have been seven) is Gene Stallings, who won a > > national title in 1992 > > and retired after the '96 season. The last three > > have humiliated the > > university to the point of becoming late-night punch > > lines. > > Did you hear about Mike Price's 2003 season slogan? > > "Win one for the > > stripper." > > After all that, it couldn't be clearer: Mike Shula > > is bulletproof. > > He still hasn't met half his players. He still > > doesn't know some of the key > > employees in the football offices, a few of whom run > > the day-to-day > > operations. He can't evaluate talent or teach until > > August, and neither > > Franchione's nor Price's offense will be remotely > > close to the one Shula > > wants to use this fall. Different formations, > > different terminology, > > different philosophies -- it will all be rolled into > > three weeks of > > preparation before the season opener against an > > underrated South Florida > > team whose coach, Jim Leavitt, just happened to turn > > down Alabama hours > > before it panicked and hired Price. > > If Shula loses over the next three years, it will > > have little to do with his > > coaching ability and more to do with what he is > > sweeping up. If he fails to > > recruit well, it will be because of the negativity > > brought about by the > > previous instability. And if Alabama yanks the cord > > before his six-year > > contract is complete, it will be admitting it made > > yet another mistake in a > > monotonous soap opera. > > "The circumstances are what they are," Shula says. > > "They're not going to > > change." > > As strange as it sounds, those circumstances make > > his life more comfortable. > > No one knows what the Shula era will bring: a return > > to glory or another > > coach torn apart by the pressure of following the > > Bear. Shula's most > > significant coaching responsibility in the NFL, > > offensive coordinator for > > the Bucs, ended after four years because the unit > > was more predictable than > > productive. One NFL personnel director says Shula > > was shackled by then-coach > > Tony Dungy's desire to limit turnovers and win with > > defense. Whatever the > > case, Shula faces a boatload of sketchy recent > > history -- both his and the > > university's -- with a handful of mulligans in his > > pocket. > > No Alabama coach in more than 70 years has won more > > than eight games in his > > first season. Shula played on the last team to win > > eight under a first-year > > coach -- Ray Perkins in 1983. Shula also > > quarterbacked the first losing team > > after Bryant, finishing 5-6 in 1984. If he learned > > anything from that > > season, it's that there's always salvation at the > > end of the road: the Iron > > Bowl. The Tide beat Auburn, 17-15, that year, > > salting away a bitter campaign > > with an emotional farewell. > > How secure is Mike Shula? For now, the Auburn game > > doesn't even matter. > > > > > > > > > > > ______________________________________________________ > > RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics > > Discussion List > > > > "Welcome to RollTideFan! 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