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Leaving the current admin out of a topic for once.

Since most of us (at best) don't go back much farther than Doolittle with our true understanding of Bronco football, I though I'd ask the panel to rank the last 6 head coaches.

Doo
Uzelack
Harbaugh
Molde
Darnell
Cubit

Feel free to elaborate on method.

1.) Cubit
2.) Darnell
3.) Doolittle
4.) Harbaugh
5.) Molde
6.) Uzelac

Method: Alphabetical

Unfortunately for Darnell, there weren't 35 bowl games back when he was coaching at WMU. I believe his teams would have played in 3 or 4.

I really liked Darnell's early teams... Its like he sleep walked through the last season and a half...

I think it comes down to the fact that Darnell at one point had some really really really good coordinators. So did Cubit for a stint... Can't hold the down years by these guys against them when they couldn't hold together their staffs for long enough to keep momentum.

(07-29-2014 10:13 AM)Liam9903 Wrote:  1.) Cubit
2.) Darnell
3.) Doolittle
4.) Harbaugh
5.) Molde
6.) Uzelac

Method: Alphabetical

Molde
Darnell
Cubit
Doo
Harbaugh
Uzelac
PJ

1. Molde
2. Doo
3. Cubit
4. Darnell
5. Uzelac
6. Harbaugh

Doo - delivered a co champion.
Molde - 1988
Cubit - BCS victories alone ranks him high in my book.
Darnell - Had some success early with Al's guys, went JUCO and the way he crashed.
Elliot Useless - turned it around but blah.
Harbaugh - "what's the score of the scUM game?"

(07-29-2014 10:46 AM)Nacho Wrote:  PJ is gonna leave here number 1 after that national title he promised.

He sure would.

(07-29-2014 10:36 AM)BCBronco Wrote:  

(07-29-2014 10:13 AM)Liam9903 Wrote:  1.) Cubit
2.) Darnell
3.) Doolittle
4.) Harbaugh
5.) Molde
6.) Uzelac

Method: Alphabetical

Molde
Darnell
Cubit
Doo
Harbaugh
Uzelac
PJ

I agree with BCs list.

I can't figure why Harbaugh sucked here, but had so much success later.

Molde just always won with the exception of his final years. Darnell put us in two MAC Championship games at a time when the MAC was as strong as it had ever been.

Darnell was just a decade early. It seemed to me when he didn't get the Mizzou and UNC jobs, many of his assistants left for BCS jobs rather than wait with him. He never seemed to replace with the same quality, recruiting fizzled, JUCOs came probably too high numbers, and the last year I'm not sure he really wanted it here anymore.

I was shocked he didn't get a better job but as it was previously mentioned with the bowls today we certainly would've gone to several. He might still have a BCS job today.

For the sake of accuracy, here is the group listed by MAC winning pct only.

1. Molde .599
2. Cubit . 571
3. Darnell . 547
4. Uzelac .500
5. Harbaugh .466
6. Doo .415

(07-29-2014 10:25 AM)ChuckNorris Wrote:  Unfortunately for Darnell, there weren't 35 bowl games back when he was coaching at WMU. I believe his teams would have played in 3 or 4.

No doubt. I can remember those 1999 and 2000 teams, when there was so much talk about whether or not the Broncos would get one of the last at large bowl bids. It was a big deal back then. And we were SO CLOSE.

Now with 35 games and sub .500 teams getting bids, its still cool for our MAC schools to get to go to a bowl game, but it really just doesn't have quite the same juice as it would have back then.

(07-29-2014 01:00 PM)Doo Wrote:  Darnell was just a decade early. It seemed to me when he didn't get the Mizzou and UNC jobs, many of his assistants left for BCS jobs rather than wait with him. He never seemed to replace with the same quality, recruiting fizzled, JUCOs came probably too high numbers, and the last year I'm not sure he really wanted it here anymore.

I was shocked he didn't get a better job but as it was previously mentioned with the bowls today we certainly would've gone to several. He might still have a BCS job today.

I really think that the way he handled the entire situation with campaigning and interviewing for those bigger jobs the week of the MAC Title game, left a bad taste in the mouth of the administration, assistant coaches and players. I don't know that he ever really had the same support and trust after that.

Another interesting study, if you take out each coaches best season and worst season, and look at the "meat" of their time here, this is what you get (MAC games only)

1. Cubit .596
2. Darnell .583
3. Molde .581
4. Uzelac .545
5. Harbaugh .426
6. Doo . 406

I will go with.

1. Molde maybe simply because he won a MAC title and his players seemed to love him
2. Darnell the middle of his tenure, especially 99 and 2000, were the most exciting and fun times I ever remember as a Bronco fan
3. Cubit while his teams never got over the hump and won a MAC title, they were usually in the hunt. The players he sent to the NFL and the brand of football (especially on offense) that his teams played were fun to watch.
4. & 5. Doolittle and Uzelac. I'm too young to remember either of them. So I will lump them together as one.
6. Harbaugh The comment that someone made above about him asking what the UofM score was makes me want to puke. Because its true. And I have several friends who played for both Harbaugh and then Molde. None of them have a kind word to say about Harbaugh and absolutely loved Molde.

(07-29-2014 01:16 PM)WheresWaldo42 Wrote:  

(07-29-2014 01:00 PM)Doo Wrote:  Darnell was just a decade early. It seemed to me when he didn't get the Mizzou and UNC jobs, many of his assistants left for BCS jobs rather than wait with him. He never seemed to replace with the same quality, recruiting fizzled, JUCOs came probably too high numbers, and the last year I'm not sure he really wanted it here anymore.

I was shocked he didn't get a better job but as it was previously mentioned with the bowls today we certainly would've gone to several. He might still have a BCS job today.

I really think that the way he handled the entire situation with campaigning and interviewing for those bigger jobs the week of the MAC Title game, left a bad taste in the mouth of the administration, assistant coaches and players. I don't know that he ever really had the same support and trust after that.

He was all in for those jobs.

(07-29-2014 10:46 AM)Hoekjeness Wrote:  1. Molde
2. Doo
3. Cubit
4. Darnell
5. Uzelac
6. Harbaugh

I agree with HJ on this ranking. Darnell got us to 2 title games but the way he crashed & burned from that point to 2004 still has left a bad taste. Others hit the nail on the head with Gary. Lost his good assistants and started looking for a road out of Kalamazoo too quickly (for his own good as well as the U).

(07-29-2014 01:15 PM)WheresWaldo42 Wrote:  

(07-29-2014 10:25 AM)ChuckNorris Wrote:  Unfortunately for Darnell, there weren't 35 bowl games back when he was coaching at WMU. I believe his teams would have played in 3 or 4.

No doubt. I can remember those 1999 and 2000 teams, when there was so much talk about whether or not the Broncos would get one of the last at large bowl bids. It was a big deal back then. And we were SO CLOSE.

Now with 35 games and sub .500 teams getting bids, its still cool for our MAC schools to get to go to a bowl game, but it really just doesn't have quite the same juice as it would have back then.

Remember just before we lost to CMU in 2000, we were on the cusp of the top 25? I think we were 3rd in the "others receiving votes" category after the top 25. We would have been a lock for a bowl game for at least three years and quite possibly 4. It was so disappointing in 1999 and 2000. We so deserved a bowl game. Marshall rolled BYU in the MCB after they beat us at the last second in the MAC title game. It should have been us!

Was Darnell ever offered the job at UNC? I remember after the loss to CMU, that was used as an excuse by fans........that Darnell's status as coach was on the teams mind. Supposedly he was considering the job but I'm not sure if it was formerly offered to him. Maybe nobody knows.

In today's climate I would have played in 4 bowl games under Molde. To Al's credit he let his staff coach and he was an administrator. If he had the facilities we have now, I can't even imagine.

I can't accurately rate all those coaches because I start with Al. Man did so much for me, no way I can even express it in words.

My favorite Al story was him using a roster spot to take me to Auburn my senior year after I was injured and done for the season. We could only travel 65? to non conference games and I was given one of those spots. Great man.

If I was going to rate anything I would say that Larry Edlund is the best coordinator WMU has ever had. Tireless worker.

(07-29-2014 01:21 PM)ChuckNorris Wrote:  

(07-29-2014 01:15 PM)WheresWaldo42 Wrote:  

(07-29-2014 10:25 AM)ChuckNorris Wrote:  Unfortunately for Darnell, there weren't 35 bowl games back when he was coaching at WMU. I believe his teams would have played in 3 or 4.

No doubt. I can remember those 1999 and 2000 teams, when there was so much talk about whether or not the Broncos would get one of the last at large bowl bids. It was a big deal back then. And we were SO CLOSE.

Now with 35 games and sub .500 teams getting bids, its still cool for our MAC schools to get to go to a bowl game, but it really just doesn't have quite the same juice as it would have back then.

Remember just before we lost to CMU in 2000, we were on the cusp of the top 25? I think we were 3rd in the "others receiving votes" category after the top 25. We would have been a lock for a bowl game for at least three years and quite possibly 4. It was so disappointing in 1999 and 2000. We so deserved a bowl game. Marshall rolled BYU in the MCB after they beat us at the last second in the MAC title game. It should have been us!

Was Darnell ever offered the job at UNC? I remember after the loss to CMU, that was used as an excuse by fans........that Darnell's status as coach was on the teams mind. Supposedly he was considering the job but I'm not sure if it was formerly offered to him. Maybe nobody knows.

I don't believe that it was ever offered. I can remember being at the MAC Title game that year and staying in the team hotel. All the buzz was whether or not Darnell would take the NC job after the game. And then when they got beat and I cant recall all of the circumstances, but as we were leaving a can remember hearing some of the people in the know basically talking about how he had just blown his chance.

The CMU game was a debacle. 35 point favorite getting beat by a TERRIBLE CMU team. That should have done it right then and there.

However, from that point on, things were never the same.