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(07-17-2020 09:54 AM)Bearhawkeye Wrote:  

(07-17-2020 08:55 AM)bearcatmark Wrote:  

(07-17-2020 08:39 AM)OKIcat Wrote:  

(07-17-2020 07:30 AM)Z-Fly Wrote:  

(07-16-2020 04:48 PM)QSECOFR Wrote:  I’ve never had the opportunity to meet Coach Fickell or Cocach Freeman. I would like to do that someday. They both seem like great guys and I imagine they would interesting to have a conversation with them.

I've met Fickell twice, and met might not be the correct word. I've talked to him very briefly twice. He's pretty much the same guy you see on those YouTube videos. I believe he genuinely means what he says. To me, that is one of the biggest complements I can give.

Awesome post. I never stepped back to look at it that way.
While I've never spoken with Fickell, my impression is the same. He did a great turn for UC in declining MSU--something that we could argue has never happened before with our head coach in football. If we keep him another season, it's truly a high water mark. If we keep him a decade, we'll realize a lot of dreams for both our football program and our conference affiliation.

If he left after this year, we'd be crying in our beers. But, he would have advanced the program considerably and with Freeman as a potential successor, one could envision a seamless transition and continued forward progress.

BK spurred some jobs after 2008 before ND came a calling in 2009, but the MSU situation for Fickell was so specific in the ways it drew national attention. MSU was the only major job open due to how it occurred, it was perceived as a perfect fit for Fickell, he was very clearly and openly MSU's main target and there was a ton of chatter that he had indeed taken the job (this board was a hilarious mess). Him turning MSU down was such a huge story for those reasons. It was great.

I agree that OKI's post is mostly on point but needs its brakes pumped just a bit. Beyond the jobs BK spurred, Fickell himself had already spurred several jobs like WVU in the B12. But yeah, MSU was the one that got the nation's attention for several reasons including those mark mentioned.

The other part that needs a tiny addendum in my opinion is the comment that Fickell did a great turn for UC by declining MSU. While that is no doubt true, that wasn't charity or even a favor, it was earned. It was a (family) business decision. We (the school, the AD, the team, the fans and the city/community) gave Coach Fickell what he judged to be a superior opportunity for himself and his family than the one he saw at MSU. It's OK to chest-pound some here. If we keep doing what we are doing and moving in the right direction, it's going to take a heck of an opportunity to lure him away any time soon imo. And it's not just because he's a nice guy (although he is that too by all accounts).