Outlining the next Auburn Head Coach

So we’re back in the hunt for a new head football coach. Based upon the common complaints I’ve heard from the Auburn fan base over the years, I thought I’d list the criteria for a successful Auburn coach here so we could identify the best choice out of the considerable number of candidates out there.

What I believe the next Auburn coach should be:

• An innovative offensive-minded coach with a new scheme who can take a poorly recruited Auburn team and immediately compete for a Southeastern Conference or National Championship in his first year
• A winner. Someone who has a history of winning seasons for their entire time as a collegiate head coach.
•  Someone with at least a decade history of coaching at the collegiate level competitively, preferably in the Southeastern Conference
• Someone who has a history of at least one win over a Nick Saban-coached Alabama team as a coordinator. Even better if he’s got at least two in the same situation as a head coach.
• An honorable scandal-free team administrator who can develop student athletes not only as players but at individuals in their student and future careers. Someone who the players all seem to admire, work hard for and emulate in work ethic, social acumen and support for Auburn
• A no-nonsense discipline-minded coach who doesn’t tolerate bad behavior, quickly acts in instances of on or off-field shenanigans and isn’t afraid to dismiss a bad egg no matter what his contribution to the team
• Someone who values input from former Auburn players and readily involves them on his staff as both assistants and position coaches.
• Someone who unquestionably supports other sports programs of the University, the teams, athletes and coaches with his time, effort and attendance
• An individual with class, who never seems to make foolish or crass statements publicly, never denigrates efforts of opposing players, teams, coaches or is ever found losing his temper anywhere near a media microphone. A fair and stoic professional both in public and in his personal life.

Know anyone who fits that description?

I do. He was just fired as the coach of a major Southeastern Conference team and is now on the market for a head coaching position.

The lesson here is you normally don’t truly value what you have until you’re forced to immediately try to find something better. For all the complaints I’ve heard about Gus Malzahn over the years, I’ve haven’t found many other active coaches in the entire NCAA who meet the criteria listed above.

In fact, most candidates I’ve heard mentioned in the whirlwind of media attention since last Sunday aren’t even close. This entire episode in our history seems to be nothing more than a money-making scheme for Jimmy Sexton, either directly for the new coach hired or indirectly for the candidates identified who stay with their existing teams under newly negotiated contracts.

So as I started writing for this blog so long ago in 2012 at the last coaching change (http://trackemtigers.com/for-love-of-the-game/), I feel this is the best time for me to close my time writing for this terrific website of Track-Em-Tigers. My commitments to other facets of my life have impacted my time to write and I feel this is the proper time for me to gracefully bow out.

Over the last eight years, I have valued each and every opportunity to write for the team we all love, especially in the company of such talented and like minded writers who both cheer and support Auburn, it’s athletes and teams throughout the years with deep and heartfelt devotion. I wish them and the readers of this site all the best the future has to offer. Thank you for your support for this site and of course, Auburn University,

War Eagle my friends and farewell,

Pat Sullivan (Sullivan013)

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