Tuesday, January 11, 2011

A coach with loyalty?

In this day and age of coaching weasels, the tendency is to move on to bigger and better things at the first opportunity. Regardless of the contract, any commitments given to recruits, or any promises made, these individuals scatter as soon as more money and a bigger name comes calling. Loyalty is as foreign a concept in this world as the automobile would be to someone in feudal Europe.

As such, it is refreshing when a coach actually keeps his commitments and displays loyalty to a school and a program that he helped build. Thus, when someone such as Boise State coach Chris Petersen rejected the overtures of Stanford to remain at the mid-major school he has helped to build. "I'm really happy to be in the position I've been the last five years," said Petersen. "I think [Stanford] is a very special place. I just thought it was worth having a conversation about, but that's about as far as it went."

No one is completely certain as to whether or not Petersen actually spoke to Stanford about their position, but that is irrelevant. In an industry where coaches routinely sign multi-year extensions only to leave weeks later or bounce from job to job at the drop of a hat, it is refreshing to find someone that might just be the anti Nick Saban.

Hopefully this signifies a change in the mindset within the coaching ranks. However, in all likelihood, this is simply an aberration. Weasel coaches will continue to make up the majority of the coaching ranks, and will continue to get the major positions at the big name schools. Loyalty exists in the mind of one coach, and it will be to his detriment.

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