Illinois State coached by ol Brock Spack up 6 at half time against the mighty wildcats. Hello!!
Don`t look now
- Thread starter pb1941
- Start date
Not something Hope or Hazel could have accomplished. Thank you Big M little organ.
Correct. Spack wouldn't come to Purdue with Morgan Burke as AD. If Bobinski were to make that call, I suspect the answer would be different.
This is yet another of Burke's many poor decisions. With Morgan out of the way, Brock might just consider coming back. Given our current misfortunes, we would be damn lucky to land him.
When Brock was here and interviewed, when Hope got the job, Brock had a detailed plan. When Brock went into Morgan's office for his "interview," Brock had a binder with detailed plans for Purdue football. Morgan wouldn't even look at Brock's plans.
I'm not sure if there has been any Purdue coach who has not greatly disliked Morgan. That is why they all refer to him as Big M little organ.
Brock handled this unprofessional and unfair treatment by Morgan like a true gentleman. He left without making a fuss, and has made Illinois State into a national contender. He is the prototypical Purdue man. His connections with Indiana high school football coaches were very strong. Remember when we actually used to be able to recruit quality Indiana kids?
Please....all you people clamoring for Spack now weren't backing him then.
Most were down on spack. Here's his first 5 years at isu. Do you really think he would have made it here longer than hope did?
Year1 - 6-5
Year2 - 6-5
Year3 - 7-4
Year4 - 9-4
Year5 - 5-6
Yes, he'd most likely be better than hazell. But that doesn't mean he's the savior either. And I doubt he would have done any better here than hope did.
Most were down on spack. Here's his first 5 years at isu. Do you really think he would have made it here longer than hope did?
Year1 - 6-5
Year2 - 6-5
Year3 - 7-4
Year4 - 9-4
Year5 - 5-6
Yes, he'd most likely be better than hazell. But that doesn't mean he's the savior either. And I doubt he would have done any better here than hope did.
We need a hire that will re-energize the fan base. That isn't Spack.
Hope wasn't done with a "national" search team. It was very much in house.
I'm of the opinion, shared by a significant portion of the fan base, that Spack was the weak link in the coaching staff during the glory days of the late 90s-early 00s. My opinion won't change no matter how many directional Illinois schools he beats this year.
The fact of the matter is pretty simple...he's got zero FBS sniffs since leaving Purdue. If he was a program savior and s coaching savant, he'd been promoted by now.
This fan base was re-energized by Hazell. I think fans will get behind just about anyone coming in new with a somewhat positive track record.
As you list his record above all I see is 4 out of 5 years his team would have gone to a bowl game. 4 out of 5 to me isn't bad at all. We have been bowl-less since Danny Hope left the program. Joe tiller went to bowl games 10-12 years. I would like to get back on that track.
I miss the days of going to bowls and a mini vacation from work around the holidays. It boggles my mind that some people here can look at a winning record 4 out of 5 years and think "that's not good enough for our mighty program"
Idiots I tell you
I miss the days of going to bowls and a mini vacation from work around the holidays. It boggles my mind that some people here can look at a winning record 4 out of 5 years and think "that's not good enough for our mighty program"
Idiots I tell you
A (barely) winning record at isu doesn't mean he would have had the same record here. Just like an 11 win season at Kent state doesn't translate to 11 wins in the b10.
My point isn't that spack is a bad coach. I actually always liked him. But he's not some huge miss that the first few posters are claiming.
Burke has multiple issues with which to be frustrated, but the hire of hope over spack isn't one of them.
Comparing the win-loss records is very first level thinking.
Most years Illinois State plays a division one opponent. No matter who would be coaching Illinois State you expect them to lose. Hope played an FCS and a MAC opponent in the preseason, two expected wins. If you remove those three games from Brock’s and Hope’s win-loss record you start to see a different picture.
The Missouri Valley Conference is a football powerhouse and Illinois State has historically been a weak member. Since 1978 Illinois State has made 6 appearances in the FCS playoff, Brock has taken them there three of those six times. Brock has won two Missouri Valley championships. Previously Illinois State had only won once. Brock took Illinois State to the FCS championship game. Watching Illinois State’s win yesterday over Northwestern, I think they are a strong contender for another Missouri Valley Championship and another deep run in the FCS playoff. Brock took a weak football program and built a contender.
Brock would have done much better than Hope.
This is incorrect. Pat Richter, former Wisconsin AD who completely turned around their athletic department, works for DHR consulting, and he was involved with both searches. Hence, Paul Chryst, while the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin, was slated to come to Purdue. But when Burke broke the news to Tiller, who had hand-picked Spack to be his successor, it did not go over well. Tiller also did not have any interest in Burke's beloved coach-in-waiting process. When Tiller blew up, Chryst got cold feet and pulled out. Then Burke was in a pickle, and he panicked and picked Hope.
Comparing Hope and Spack is silly. Spack was a strong student, and one helluva of a linebacker at Purdue (honorable mention All American one year). His Purdue defenses, particularly early on, were highly ranked. His 2002 defense led the Big Ten in total defense. The preceding two years they were ranked 3rd in the Big Ten.
It is true that the football program fell off a bit at the end of Tiller's tenure as Joe got tired of the demands and the heightened expectations. But compared to Hope's and Hazell's tenures, even those teams at the end of Tiller's run look like world beaters.
We simply would not be in this mess now if Spack had been named the coach. And our recruiting, particularly in Indiana, would be significantly stronger.
I wouldn't be concerned about focusing on Indiana HS football talent - it is few and far between compared to other states. Tiller had success recruiting all over - especially Florida and Texas, that should be our approach. Purdue should view itself as a national university, not a "showcase" for mediocre Indiana HS talent. Not that ALL Indiana HS talent is mediocre, it's just not as fertile as other areas of the country.
So wait, Spack was once ridiculed and what not when he coached here under Tiller, now suddenly he is a savior? Sorry, we can do better than Spack
