I'm still chanting for him & the season hasn't even started yet. I have zero faith in Kines.
----- Original Message ----- From: "kurtrasmussen" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "rtf" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Saturday, June 26, 2004 8:34 AM Subject: [RollTideFan] Have we seen last of Oliver? > > http://www.al.com/sports/mobileregister/pfinebaum.ssf?/base/sports/1088241474144560.xml > > > > Have we seen last of Oliver? > > Saturday, June 26, 2004 > > At 64, Bill Oliver looks healthy as a horse. He is tanned, muscular, > still wearing that familiar cocky grin and his closest friends say he > still has a burning itch to coach again. > > But will he? Will one of the finest defensive coordinators in > Southeastern Conference history come back to the game that has dealt him > a bizarre series of cruel twists and fates? > > After all, this is a man who, at least by most accounts, had been > promised both the head coaching position at Alabama, his alma mater, and > at Auburn, where he served five games as interim coach after the > tumultuous resignation of Terry Bowden. > > When you ask Oliver about the past, he shrugs his shoulders as if it > doesn't matter any more. He says he is content living at Lake Martin, > fishing, gardening, playing golf and spending time with the grandkids. > About the future, his response is equally noncommittal. > > "You never know," Oliver said recently. On the record, that's about all > you're going to get from a man who rarely did much talking to the news > media. > > However, friends of Oliver say they do know and had Mike Shula opted to > replace Joe Kines after last year's calamitous 4-9 record, Oliver would > have been more than willing to return to Tuscaloosa, where a dozen years > ago he sculpted the Alabama defense into a magnum opus. > > Gene Stallings made millions and cemented his legacy as a result of the > 34-13 win over Miami, which gave Alabama its 12th national championship. > Oliver got a nice pat on the back. > > Going into that 1993 Sugar Bowl game, many thought Stallings was close > to retirement. In fact, Hootie Ingram, the Alabama athletics director > and the man who hired Oliver from Clemson to work for Stallings, had > promised "Brother Bill," as he is known affectionately by friends, the > job of replacing the man from Paris, Texas. > > However, Stallings decided to keep coaching and some believe hung on > several more years in order to keep Oliver from getting the job. > Stallings had tense relations with many of his staff and Oliver was no > exception. > > Finally, in December 1995, when it became plain Stallings was not going > to step down -- even in the wake of the devastating NCAA probation over > Antonio Langham -- Oliver decided he'd had enough. He and Stallings were > barely speaking, so Oliver put in for retirement. > > Bowden caught wind of this and set up a meeting. Within two weeks, > Oliver had signed a lucrative contract to replace Wayne Hall as > defensive coordinator on the Plains. Steve Spurrier had also tried to > woo Oliver to Gainesville (and later spoke to him about coming to the > Washington Redskins). > > With the move to Auburn, some Alabama fans were outraged and Oliver was > nicknamed "Benedict Oliver." > > As the Bowden regime imploded in 1998, Oliver was elevated to replace > him, and David Housel, the athletics director, was literally on the > verge of naming him the permanent coach until a small band of > influential trustees -- along with former coach Pat Dye -- intervened > and put the kibosh on Oliver. > > Eventually, Tommy Tuberville was hired and, despite several > conversations, chose not to retain Oliver as defensive coordinator. > Oliver sued the university and eventually was given a settlement. > > My guess is Auburn probably made the right decision in moving forward. > Although Oliver was very popular among the players, Auburn needed a > clean break. However, the school that may have made the biggest mistake > was Alabama. Had Stallings stepped down a year earlier -- and he > certainly should have -- it is very likely Oliver would have had a nice > and successful run at the Capstone. > > Oliver, who had been a head coach at Chattanooga, would have been far > more mature and able to handle the pressures of the Alabama job than > Mike DuBose. It's difficult to say if Alabama would have completely > avoided the NCAA mess. However, most agree Oliver would have given the > school stronger leadership, something sorely missing during this > critical transitional period. > > Even if Oliver ever coaches again, he will certainly go down in the > laurels of this state's football history as a footnote, being the only > person in modern time who was promised both the head coaching positions > at Alabama and Auburn. > > The past doesn't matter any more to Oliver; he has moved on. But have we > seen the last of him on the state's football fields? Or does Brother > Bill have a final act in him? If Alabama fans see a repeat of last > year's debacle (see Tennessee converting on a fourth-and-19 in overtime > against Alabama's defense), more than likely the chant for Bill Oliver > will echo again. > > (Paul Finebaum's column appears Tuesday and Saturday in the Mobile > Register. Contact him at [EMAIL PROTECTED]) > > > ______________________________________________________ > RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List > > "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" > > To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
