(07-08-2014 01:22 PM)I45owl Wrote:  I guess I can understand that. I don't recall seeing the comment at the time, but I'm certain I'd have received it differently from him than if it had come from Jerry Berndt, or someone that hadn't won national championships. I always objected to comments that Rice was a backwater prior to his arrival. Yes, Rice hadn't made it to the post-season before, but they could compete toe to toe with some pretty good UT, Arkansas, and TAMU baseball teams along with others. They may not have won enough to make a national name for themselves, but I didn't think it was a monumental leap to get to where they could. win those games, and Graham certainly had the winning history to make all of that happen. I can't recall another coach that had a comparable resume hired for any major sport at Rice at or before that time.

IIRC 69/70/75 has also posted that the choice of Graham was not unanimous. I think there has long been a segment of Rice fans who view coaching Rice as uniquely extremely difficult. I doubt that contingent had any trouble, in 1991, formulating a list of reasons why Graham's success wouldn't translate from San Jac to Rice.

Now, they view coaching Rice as uniquely difficult, except in baseball.

Hopefully football and basketball get added as exceptions to their theory. :)