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The Place of the Brown-Stoops Rivalry in History

Posted by TaylorTRoom on October 14th, 2009 under Football

Do you realize how rare the Brown-Stoops rivalry is? Two coaches, each one of the biggest winners in the game, each holding a MNC, playing each other every year, for more than 10 years? College football is full of great rivalries, and great coaches make great matchups, but the length of this particular head-to-head rivalry sets it apart. This is the 11th year they tee it up, and that puts them in rare air. It seems that long term great matchups wear coaches out.

I made a list of long term continual rivalries between great coaches, and this is what I found. Note- many matchups were eliminated because they just didn’t last that long. For example, Vince Dooley and Bear Bryant were in the SEC together for 18 years, but only went up against each other 6 times (the Bear won, 4 – 2). There were probably some great ancient Big 10 running battles in the ’30s between Pudge Briffelheimer of Minnesota and Rocky Psarkeweicz of Wisconsin.  I just don’t care about them.

Here goes-

Bo Schembechler-Woody Hayes (’69 – ‘78). Bo wins, 5 – 4 – 1. Neither won a MNC during this period. Actually, the series was better known for killing MNC runs. This was a great series because it happened so late in the year. There were no surprises; each team knew exactly what they had and what they needed. Woody Hayes had owned the Big 10, and after a losing streak to Michigan, he exploded in 1978 and killed his career. Woody was kind of tightly wound, and Michigan gaining an edge was wearing him out.

 John McKay-Ara Parseghian (’64 – ‘75). McKay wins 7 – 3 – 2. Ara won a MNC in 2 of the 3 years he beat USC. McKay won 3 MNCs during this period, too. This series may have had less extreme bitterness than any other with such high stakes, perhaps because the two coaches were just too much the gentleman. Or perhaps you just can’t get too bitter when you’re getting MNCs at this rate.

Darrell Royal-Frank Broyles (’58 – ‘76). Royal wins, 14 – 5. Texas won 3 MNCs in this period, and Arkansas won one. This is the most lopsided of the series.  This series is notable for the sportsmanship, respect, and friendship of the two coaches. Not many elite coaches are that well-adjusted.

Barry Switzer-Tom Osborne (’73 – ‘88). Switzer wins, 12 – 5. Note- that’s 17 games in a 16 year period. In 1978, Osborne won his first game against Switzer, and was rewarded with a rematch in the Orange Bowl. He wasn’t happy, and let people know about it (he lost that game). Switzer won 3 MNCs in that period, and Osborne didn’t win any of his 3 until after Switzer was fired. Credit to Nebraska for making the sensible decision to not fire their coach, who was one of the three best in the country, during the time Switzer was clubbing him.

Steve Spurrier-Bobby Bowden (’90 – ‘01). Bowden wins, 7 – 5 – 1. Note- again, 13 games in 12 years. Spurrier won his only MNC in ‘96, when he lost to FSU, but got a rematch for the championship. Bowden won 2 MNCs in this period.

So, from ‘99 – ‘08, Stoops leads 6 – 4. Both coaches have a MNC. After Stoops jumped out to a 5 – 1 lead, Brown came roaring back. The story on this series will probably be written soon.

What does this history teach us? Well, for one thing, that even “Hall of Fame” coaches don’t last long when they have to play other great coaches every single year. It wears them out. Lesser coaches get fired. Think of all of the “Hall of Very Good” coaches that saw their careers derailed by being in the same conference as these guys- Les Miles was smart to bail when he could. How much longer will Brown and Stoops tee it up?

Another thing to note is how valued the wins are.  If all of these great coaches were to list their 20 best wins in their career, almost all of their classic coaching rivalry games would be listed. In Bo’s old age, thoughts of his win over the defending MNC Buckeyes in ‘69 kept him warm at night (it warms Royal, too, as it opened up Texas’ path to the MNC). I imagine Stoops is still being asked to autograph the Roy Williams/Chris Simms SI cover. When you beat a great team led by a great coach, it MEANS something.

Which leads to the third point.  Many of these coaches are great because of the great matchups. In this miserable economy, isn’t it terrific that we get to enjoy this one?

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8 Responses

  1. chang said:

    October 14th, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    “Les Miles was smart to bail when he could. ”

    Excellent post. But I’m not sure Saban/Meyer are going to be any easier over the long haul.

  2. Confused and Dazed said:

    October 14th, 2009 at 6:42 pm

    Maybe not, but he’s able to buy better players at LSU, which tips the scales quite a bit, IMO.

  3. parlin said:

    October 14th, 2009 at 7:08 pm

    “The Place of the Brown-Stoops Rivalry in History”

    I like this headline; on this site it can be written (and read) with no irony whatever.

  4. Horn In Exile said:

    October 14th, 2009 at 9:34 pm

    Ironically, Switzer and Osborne have become good friends in recent years.

  5. TaylorTRoom said:

    October 15th, 2009 at 3:51 am

    I don’t know if Saban and Meyer are going to have longevity as a rivalry. Saban is over 55, and they aren’t scheduled to play every year.

  6. Bob in Houston said:

    October 15th, 2009 at 7:04 am

    “For example, Vince Dooley and Bear Bryant were in the SEC together for 18 years, but only went up against each other 6 times (the Bear won, 4 – 2).”

    “Traditional” SEC scheduling (only six league games) kept them apart.

    LSU and Tennessee played so infrequently that they once played in the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.

  7. burntorangehorn said:

    October 16th, 2009 at 7:58 am

    TaylorTRoom said:
    October 15th, 2009 at 3:51 am

    I don’t know if Saban and Meyer are going to have longevity as a rivalry. Saban is over 55, and they aren’t scheduled to play every year.
    =======================
    I think he’s saying that Miles will have to face Saban every season, and Meyer in at least every-other season (plus any in which LSU faces UF in the SECCG), which makes for a road not much easier than facing both Brown and Stoops every year.

  8. TaylorTRoom said:

    October 16th, 2009 at 8:30 am

    I see. Still, he has a better chance of surviving that as LSU coach than as OSU coach.

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    Barnes’ three “strengths”:

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  • skymonkeyhorn commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   3 hours, 2 minutes ago

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  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 35 minutes ago

    Nordberg,

    Ironic indeed……teachable moment, I guess….

    NY Horn,

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  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 39 minutes ago

    Egg, that’s fine, but at what point do you blame Barnes? Seriously, man. You’ve thrown players under the bus left and right, but at a certain point, doesn’t the buck stop somewhere. I know you’re more of an NBA guy so it begins and ends with players there, but we need fucking

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 39 minutes ago

    Egg, that’s fine, but at what point do you blame Barnes? Seriously, man. You’ve thrown players under the bus left and right, but at a certain point, doesn’t the buck stop somewhere. I know you’re more of an NBA guy so it begins and ends with players there, but we need fucking

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 41 minutes ago

    Trips,

    I hear ya. I’m frustrated as well. I guess I just don’t prescribe to such a black and white characterization of the situation. I do know that no matter what happened in the huddle, JCB made a dumb play. If Rick didn’t explain or remind him of the situation, then I

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 49 minutes ago

    Pat, know I don’t, but I’ve had coaches draw up plays to free up the best foul shooter and then tell that guy they’d put their foot up his ass if they passed the ball. It’s funny, but as a fans of football we nitpick blitz pickup and shit like that. Shit that’s

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 49 minutes ago

    Pat, you know I don’t, but I’ve had coaches draw up plays to free up the best foul shooter and then tell that guy they’d put their foot up his ass if they passed the ball. It’s funny, but as a fans of football we nitpick blitz pickup and shit like that. Shit

  • Trips Right commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 49 minutes ago

    Pat, you know I don’t, but I’ve had coaches draw up plays to free up the best foul shooter and then tell that guy they’d put their foot up his ass if they passed the ball. It’s funny, but as fans of football we nitpick blitz pickup and shit like that. Shit that’s

  • Patrick Bateman commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 51 minutes ago

    Shitty season…..Rick needs to hire some offensive help and someone needs to say it to him. Deloss?

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    Trips,

    Do you know that he didn’t? JCB has made bad decision all season, why would this be any different. Barnes coached a shitastic game, but on the teams I was the best FT shooter, I never game up the ball unless it was an uncontested layup…..It’s not hard and it doesn’t take a

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    mcpayne, yes, you don’t leave that shit to chance. You don’t let your guys break the huddle or dead ball not knowing precisely what’s expected from them. Barnes doesn’t get 2 mil for coaching PE where he’s hoping the right guy gets fouled.

  • uthookem commented on the blog post Texas Hoops vs. Wake Forest Open thread   4 hours, 55 minutes ago

    mpayne, I’d agree with you if J’Covan had been playing all season and had been in situations to make that decision. Like, you know, against Baylor, when he played all of 3 fucking minutes thanks to rick.

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    With 15 seconds left, out of a dead ball, most coaches would make it perfectly clear who they wanted to be fouled.

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    Stupid decisions by Brown are one of the reasons he sat on the bench for most of the season…lack of coaching maybe, or just a lack of basketball IQ?

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    Pat, if you were making 2 million a year, would you leave that up to chance?

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    Be nice if we’d coached our 90 percent foul shooter not to give the ball up.

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    The line kills us, as it should have.

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