Tom O'Brien took Boston College to new heights of sustained excellence. So why was he unceremoniously booted (via a Gene D's refusal to renew his contract) after ten years at BC?
Guest Blogger, and BC Guy, Ahhhhhhbuckles weighs in with his thoughts:
A WA WA WEIGHS IN: WHY TOB HAD TO GO
You would think that the passage of nearly 24 months since the end of the O’Brien era – months which included some memorable wins - would have dulled the passions a bit. You’d be wrong. Nothing gets BC football fans riled up more than Thomas P. O’Brien.
His departure split the fan base into two parts: the "ra ra's" (pro-TOB) and the "wa wa's" (anti-TOB). There was no middle ground. Here’s why I was, and remain, firmly in the wa wa camp.
YOU GOTTA KNOW WHEN TO HOLD 'EM, KNOW WHEN TO FOLD 'EM
Tom O’Brien came to BC following the 1996 season. A season marked by the GAMBLING SCANDAL (cue the sinister music). No one can dispute that this was a black mark which set the program back. Nor can anyone dispute that O’Brien put the program back on track. But TOB rode the “scandal” for all it was worth and then some.
For ten years, he wielded the “gambling scandal” as a shield against criticism or as an artificial gloss upon his accomplish (e.g., noting in the Blue Turf/Walnut/Tire bowl press conference that not so long ago BC was mired in the “gambling scandal”). Fans became tired to the constant harping and began to see TOB’s repeated references for what they were: an excuse. And the scandal and the resulting punishment didn’t exactly reach SMU-like levels. BC didn’t lose any scholarships or TV appearances. The scandal got Henning out the door before he could do any further damage. And TOB was left with a pretty impressive roster, which included Woody, Cloud, Hovan and (Auto) Matich. In fact, the scandal and the subsequent confusion that ultimately culminated in AD Chet Gladchuck’s departure probably helped TOB land the job in the first place. He wasn’t on the top of any coaching search lists and – as I can tell you from first hand experience – folks in Charlottesville didn’t shed any tears when it was announced that TOB was moving up north.
LIES, DAMNED LIES, AND STATISTICS
Ra Ra’s point to TOB’s 75 wins and contend that O’Brien took BC to unprecedented heights. In fact, BC’s historical winning percentage is .586. This is slightly below our more “storied” ACC brethren, Georgia Tech (.594) and Clemson (.591), and well-above conference mates, North Carolina (.565), Virginia (.533), Maryland (.532), NC State (.504), and Duke (.496). So it’s not like we were Wake Forest (.408) before O’Brien arrived.
In addition, TOB’s numbers were goosed upwards by the expanded schedules and the explosion in bowls. He also had the good fortune to take the job when conference powerhouse Miami was being placed on probation and wound down his tenure in the heavily diluted Big East. That said, he did win his share of games.
But his .625 winning percentage was not unprecedented when compared to other long-tenured BC coaches such as Frank Cavanaugh (1919-26) (.754), Joe McKenney (1928-34) (.700), Mike Holovak (1951-59) (.623), Joe Yukica (1968-77) (.641). He did outperform Jack Bicknell (1981-90) (.517) and Denny Myers (1941-42, 46-50) – both of whom happened to be at the helm during two of the bigger years in BC football history (1942: ranked 8th in the final AP poll; 1984: ranked 4/5 in final AP/UPI polls). So they have that going for them, which is nice…
WTFAnyone who followed BC football during the TOB era has stared blankly at the field and uttered that phrase after one soul crushing defeat or another.
Perhaps we should have seen his career opening loss to Temple as an omen. Two years later, a second loss to Temple was relegated to a blip on the WTF-screen when BC somehow managed to blow 28-0 halftime lead to a depleted Miami team. I had the pleasure of being in the stands on that day. The only thing more frustrating than watching Miami creep closer was the utter lack of emotion shown by TOB. As things fell apart on the field, TOB aimlessly strolled the sidelines and continued on his ten-year effort to inspect and catalogue, on a strand-by-strand basis, the turf at Alumni – sans headset, of course.
The pain of these losses pales in comparison to the true gems of the TOB era. The losses noted below were excruciating because they ruined what could have been truly special seasons. Any fair-minded fan would acknowledge that BC is not going to field a top ten team or go to a BCS game on an annual basis. But during the later part of TOB’s reign, things broke right for BC on a number of occasions, either because of conference defections (2004), down years for traditional conference powers or unexpected losses by teams we were chasing (2005/2006). Yet somehow, BC managed to blow these golden opportunities with WTF losses:
• Syracuse 2004: I think Diamond Ferri just scored another touchdown….
• North Carolina 2005: A loss to a bad North Carolina team ultimately keeps BC out of the ACC title game. Jim Bunting openly questions TOB’s personnel moves (sticking with Porter over Ryan), while jogging off the field victorious.
• NC State 2006: BC rolls into Raleigh at 3-0 (including a big 2OT win over Clemson) and proceeds to lay an egg against a floundering NC State team starting an inexperienced QB.
• Miami 2006: Amazingly, after the NC State loss and loss to Wake, things break right for BC and they can reach the ACC title game with a win over a bad Miami team with a lame duck head coach. TOB seemingly eschews any halftime adjustments – “We’re up, aren’t we?” – and watches Miami pull out the victory.
In college football, no one is immune from a WTF loss (see, e.g., BC v. Northwestern (1993); BC v. Maryland (2007)). But TOB brought the WTF loss to an art form.
YOU HAD ME AT HELLO
TOB lacked that certain “something.” From the fan’s perspective, there was nothing in his demeanor that would inspire the team to great heights, which perhaps explains the abysmal (2-16 (?)) record versus Miami, V-Tech and FSU. But it wasn’t just a lack of charisma. O’Brien never seemed to embrace BC. He constantly lamented what he didn’t have and put a cap on expectations. Coach Jagodzinski’s attitude stands in sharp contrast.
From the very first press conference, Jags made clear that he wanted to be at BC and that the school, and the kids it attracts, are assets. That was such a breath of fresh air. Whether Jags can get BC to the promised land is unknown at this point. But signals indicate he’s going to work hard on the recruiting trail and the practice field and have a good time doing it. That’s all we can ask for.
As for TOB, thanks for a good ten years, but I won’t shed a tear if we run it up on NC State on Saturday.
7 comments:
Your guest blogger sounds like he quarantined himself in a janitor's closet in Gasson Hall to belt that one out. A+ for preparedness.
Fandom in the TOB years was kind of like getting braces on my teeth. I knew it had to be done and I'm probably better off for it. Still, I wish they could've come off sooner and the passage of time since they did does nothing to make me fonder of the days when I had them on. Coach Jags has great teeth. The sky's the limit!
You've got to win really big games to sell TOB's coaching style to the school, the fans and most importantly the players. TOB didn't achieve that. He was a bit of a trailblazer in that he exercised the "no fun" approach but eschewed the "no excuses" mantra every chance he had...and I think that's why our eyes remain dry, steely even, when waxing nostalgic about the TOB years.
Go Eagles!
Great blog, needs more exposure. Arbuckles, you said it all very well. My only comments include an anecdote and an observation...
Anecdote: I have a friend who works at BC. He would take noon time jogs around the Res every day. Often, he would pass by TOB. Every time he would say "hi coach, how's it going?" It was usually met with nary a reply, or at most a grunt. And this was a high-ranking BC administrator, not some lowly peasant. One year, the guy's jogging partner sent him an Xmas card. It read, "Fxck you, Signed Tom O'Brien." TOB went through BC giving everyone the finger. Just ask a number of BC admins, Gene D, fans, or Ryan Glasper...
Observation/question:
Where do TOB's assistants figure in the conversation. In my opinion, his assistants were inept. Dana Bible's playbook? Tim Rice's yoga classes? Don Horton's O-line coaching? Ugghh. How much of an upgrade are Logan, Loco, and Bicknell? (Ironically, Rice's perceived strengths were his regimen's ability to prevent injury. At NCSU, the injuries have turned into TOB's current excuse. Perhaps yoga is more difficult in the humidity of Raleigh...)
CJack: Assistants certainly have to figure into the conversation. In my view, one of the head coach's most important jobs is to hire a good staff, and also recognize when changes need to made.
With respect to Bible, our assessments are the same. If the past is prologue, we can expect zero trickeration on Saturday. I've certainly cursed Spaz through the years, but his bend-but-not-break system were probably what we needed when our defensive personnel was noticably slower than the top tier teams on our schedule. He's had good talent (but for a dominating pass rusher post-Kiwi) and he's put up good numbers with them.
The stature of O-line U certainly seemed to lessen over the last few years, and I'm happy with Jags renewed emphasis.
As for S&C coaching, I've heard the complaints abour Rice's style, but I'm not sure you can lay all the injury blame at his feet. Stuff happens in football and people get hurt. On the other hand, I love what I hear of Loco. And anytime we can poach from SEC programs, I'm onboard.
Great read, nice guest job.
Good point about causal effect and Rice/injuries. I still think it is ironic that Rice lauded yoga and stretching as a way to decrease injury risk, yet we haven't had a spike in injuries in his absence (and NC St seems to have...). How about this gripe instead:
e.g., Naval Officer = disciplinarian.
Did TOB's teams play with more discipline than Jags'? If we use penalties per game as a measurement, Jags' teams have been penalized 4.95 times per game. TOB's teams were penalized an average of 6.16 times per game. (Source = http://www.ncaa.org/stats/football/footballMenu.html)
Go BC!
Nice piece. I especially love this; I can picture it in my head as if it happened yesterday: "As things fell apart on the field, TOB aimlessly strolled the sidelines and continued on his ten-year effort to inspect and catalogue, on a strand-by-strand basis, the turf at Alumni. . . ."
I am not sure how I feel about the WTF complaint. Can't you describe any loss to a lower ranked opponent as a WTF? In that case, Jags had 2 last year with Maryland and Florida State. Both losses were just as devastating as TOB's WTF's.
I think it was the right time for TOB to move on, but the hatred for him mystifies me. I love Jags and his approach, but let's be honest, if he loses tomorrow, the honeymoon is over (even though I don't think he should be judged until Davis and Costanzo are seniors).
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