“Poach” of the Year

Not to be cliche, but the definition of a coach is “someone in charge of training an athlete or a team.” Sure that’s what it’s defined as, but anyone who has ever played sports will tell you that there’s more to it than that.

The true goal of a coach is, in the case of football, better his team as athletes, but also better them as men; teach them respect, courage, faith, and work ethic. In a way, a football coach is meant to be, and usually is, like a second father (or to some a first).

Tonight, in downtown New York City, the NCAA awarded Brian Kelly the Home Depot National Coach of the Year Award, after finishing a perfect 12-0 season with the #3 Cincinatti Bearcats and earning them a trip to the Sugar Bowl. But Kelly won’t be coaching his team, his surrogate sons in the most important game in their University’s history.

On this same night, it was announced that Brian Kelly has taken the job as Head Football Coach at Notre Dame. On the same night!

It wasn’t a complete surprise though. Sports news outlets, such as ESPN, have been talking about the possibility of him leaving for South Bend for some time, Kelly denied it and denied it, claiming he wasn’t interested in leaving Cincinatti. In fact, even though sources at Notre Dame say Kelly accepted the job weeks ago, Kelly is still, at this time, denying the move.

Call me old fashioned. Call me a overexpectant. But that doesn’t sound like the best coach in America to me. I can’t speak personally for anyone on the Bearcats roster, but I would feel deserted. What is Kelly telling his players with these actions? “Hey guys, even if you have hopes, dreams, and futures riding on you, it’s ok to turn your back on them…well, that is if the price is right.”

Let me tell you about another coach who was sitting at a table in New York tonight, up for the same award.

I briefly played for Chip Kelly at the University of Oregon. This year, Chip led the Ducks to their first Rose Bowl appearance in 15 years, after overcoming one of the greatest hurdles imaginable.

I don’t think I have to remind anyone of the events that occured on the night of September 3rd, but a season opening loss and “The Punch Heard ‘Round the World” left first-year coach Chip Kelly with one of the worst scenarios imaginable and a VERY vocal fan base, which for the most part wanted him gone.

After the loss in Boise, Coach Chip sat the team down and did something very unexpected: He read them “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.” A childrens book. The message was that just because you had a bad day, you can’t let it effect you. The team shook off the heartbreaking loss and came back to win 10 of their 11 final games of the season.

Now don’t get me wrong, it didn’t hurt that LeGarrette Blount’s backup, LaMichael James, ended up being one of the most prolific running backs in the nation, finishing with a Pac-10 freshman season rushing record, but there’s more to it than that.

Oregon hasn’t had a 5-star recruit since Jonathan Stewart in 2005. Alabama’s Nick Saban, another coach up for tonight’s award, has had 11 since then. Oregon makes best with the players they have. All-Pac-10 quarterback Jeremiah Masoli came out of high school without a single D-1 offer. Starting Offensive linemen Jordan Holmes, Mark Asper, and CE Kaiser were all 2-star recruits. Current NFL and former Duck standouts Patrick Chung and Jairus Byrd were also just evaluated as 2-star guys coming out of high school.

This past summer, my roommate and fellow walk-on, Nick Musgrove (DE #62), and I were late to an all-athlete BBQ at Jim Radcliffe, the Head Strength and Conditioning coach’s house. We walked up from the street, and the only people left were Coach Rad and Coach Kelly. Nick and I grabbed a plate and sat down to eat at a table. Coach Kelly came and sat with us, and for the next hour asked us everything about ourselves. “Where did you grow up?” “What was that like?” “Do you have brothers and sisters?” “Was your family pretty excited that you made the team?” In that hour, he showed a side to himself that only a few have seen, but it was fatherly. It was relaxed and it was insightful. He was waiting for every word to be said, and then, with the obvious desire to better us, he would offer advice or ask another question.

As I said before, I cannot speak for the 120 players on the Bearcat roster, or anyone in the Bearcat community, but I can say this: I know Chip Kelly. And I know that he would never EVER leave his team with such indecency and with such a lack of regard for their hopes, dreams, and futures.

There’s more to being a football coach than X’s and O’s, or halftime peptalks, or wins and losses. If you had given Brian Kelly the keys to that Oregon team on the bus ride to the airport after the Boise State loss, I doubt that the Ducks would be playing for the Roses in a couple of weeks. Chip Kelly is the best college football coach in the nation for what he does on and off the field with, and for, his players. I really don’t care who more people voted for. I really don’t. And knowing Coach Chip, I’m sure he doesn’t either.

Russell Smith

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