Written by
Tom Groeschen
http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20130...ment-coach
There definitely are two sides to Tommy Tuberville, which helps explain why Tuberville has won at the highest levels of college football.
The new University of Cincinnati coach has charmed the city since taking the job Dec.8, with a folksy persona that plays well both in person and on TV. Behind the scenes, Tuberville is whipping the Bearcats into shape this spring with a detailed, no-nonsense approach.
The Enquirer recently interviewed several of Tuberville’s current and former players, fellow coaches and national media familiar with the 58-year-old coach, seeking what drives him and where his reputation now stands.
“I’ve had three head coaches since I’ve been here,” said Jordan Stepp, a UC senior-to-be and returning starter at nose guard. “Just the pace that we’re working and how good of a shape we were in coming into spring ball, it stands out from the other times.”
• UC blog
• More UC coverage
Stepp’s comments ring familiar to former Tuberville players. They remember the wide variety of weightlifting exercises, the position-specific conditioning drills, the extensive film study.
Cole Cubelic, a former Auburn center (1997-2000), saw his final two college seasons coincide with Tuberville’s first two years at Auburn.
“It started off pretty tough,” Cubelic said. “There was a lot more discipline than we were used to. The first winter workouts and the first two-a-days were absolutely brutal. We had some guys shut it down, didn’t want to do it.
“He’ll give you (media) guys that laissez faire attitude, but that’s not way he runs his program. He’s very hands-on.”
Travis Williams, a former Atlanta Falcons linebacker who played for Tuberville at Auburn in the early 2000s:
“The good thing about Coach (Tuberville) was that he let his coaches coach. When Coach said something you knew it was bad, because he never said much. But he was definitely a players’ coach. He did what was right for the players.”
Tuberville first gained national notice as an assistant coach at the University of Miami (Fla.) from 1986-93, under Jimmy Johnson and Dennis Erickson. Miami won three national titles in that span, as Tuberville worked his way up to defensive coordinator.
After spending 1994 as Texas A&M defensive coordinator under R.C. Slocum, Tuberville became head coach at Mississippi (1995-98). Then came Auburn (1999-2008) and Texas Tech (2010-12), with a 130-77 overall record.
Johnson, who later coached two Super Bowl champions with the Dallas Cowboys, now is an analyst for Fox NFL Sunday. Johnson could not be reached for comment, but he once spoke of Tuberville to Auburntigers.com:
“Tommy showed early on that he was going to be an outstanding coach. He’s a class individual who understands the game and understands how to win.”
Barry Switzer, the former University of Oklahoma and Dallas Cowboys coach, is a fellow Arkansas native who has known Tuberville for decades. (Switzer and Johnson are the only two head coaches to win both a national collegiate football championship and a Super Bowl).
“Tommy has won wherever he’s been, and that speaks for itself,” said Switzer, retired and living in Norman, Okla. “I don’t know what his motivation was for going to Cincinnati, but that’s an upcoming program and you can win there. I think you’ve got a winner there with Tommy.”
Yet, there are cautionary notes. Tuberville has acquired a reputation for having his teams fade in the second half of seasons, such as last year when Texas Tech started 6-1 but finished the regular season 7-5. The year before, Tech started 4-0 but finished 5-7.
Tuberville once was dubbed “The Riverboat Gambler” for his willingness to take chances during games, but one school of thought says he may have lost some of his nerve. Certainly, he never truly won over a Texas Tech fan base that missed popular predecessor Mike Leach. And while he won (20-17 overall record), he didn’t win big.
Paul Finebaum, a major voice in college football as a writer, TV and radio personality, has witnessed many of the highs and lows of Tuberville’s career. Earlier this month, Finebaum rated No. 17 on a Sports Illustrated list of the 20 most powerful people in sports media.
“I saw Tommy three or four days before he took the Cincinnati job,” Finebaum said. “I sensed that he was restless, that he was frustrated. When I heard he was going to Cincinnati I was not surprised. You get to the point in life where you know it’s time to go.”
No one, perhaps especially Tuberville, knows if UC will be the last stop. A year ago, who would have forecast Tuberville to be the next Bearcats coach?
“I think Tommy is still capable of big things,” Finebaum said. “(Alabama coach) Nick Saban is 61. For that matter, look at (Kansas State coach) Bill Snyder (age 73). I think Tommy is energized. I think he wants to prove to people that he can still coach.”
Dennis Dodd, senior college football columnist for CBSSports.com, said Tuberville is in a good spot.
“It’s a win-win for Cincinnati,” Dodd said. “He’s still a great recruiter. If somehow Cincinnati winds up in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference), then they’re ahead of the game. In the short shelf life of what that means, it helps to have a Tommy Tuberville as coach.”
UC and the league formerly known as the Big East cannot compare to the meat grinder Tuberville once lived in the mighty Southeastern Conference. But if Tuberville wins and draws crowds to Nippert Stadium, it won’t take much for him to become a local legend.
They said it
“He’s been a great coach, a successful coach. It’s a great hire for Cincinnati, and they’ll keep winning.”
- Rick Minter, former UC head coach (1994-2003), current Philadelphia Eagles inside linebackers coach, longtime friend of Tuberville
“We both played small college ball in Arkansas. Years later, I’m defensive coordinator at Notre Dame and he’s at Miami (Fla.) as defensive coordinator and we said, ‘For two old boys from Arkansas, we’re doing pretty good.’ ”
- Minter
“The big thing is he hires you to do a job, expects you to do it and lets you do it. Nobody’s looking over your shoulder, and that’s good. You’re expected to produce.”
- Art Kaufman, UC's new defensive coordinator who came with Tuberville from Texas Tech
“We have a great father-son relationship. He’s laid-back. He taught me at a young age that things I do are going to be magnified and under a spotlight. He doesn’t really coach me specifically since he’s not the quarterbacks coach, so he’s not really too hard on me when it comes to the father-coach thing.”
- Tucker Tuberville, Son of Tommy and a QB on the UC football team (transferred from Texas Tech)
“He made my job extremely easy from the moment he stepped on campus. He understood not just the X’s and O’s but the total package, selling the program 365 days a year.”
- Blayne Beal, Texas Tech associate athletic director/communications for 13 years
/
UC Bearcats' Tuberville in his element as coach
