Would You Have An Problems Coaching Against A&T??

[aggierattler]

This was a sub-discussion on another thread on this board. I just thought that it was an interesting discussion, but I didn't want to chance getting off-topic.

IF YOU WERE A HEAD COACH, would you have any trouble coaching against A&T??

Lots of coaches have had to coach against their alma maters. Even in the MEAC, former Aggies' head football coach Bill Hayes (an NCCU grad and Hall of Famer), coached against the Eagles as the head coach at both Winston-Salem State and archrival North Carolina A&T. Former SC State head football coach Willie Jeffries (a Bulldog alum) coached against SCSU as an assistant at NCA&T and as the head football coach at Howard. Former Rattler Hall of Fame football coach Jake Gaither (Knoxville College grad) had to coach against his alma mater on occasion, who was in the same conference with FAMU for many years. Basketball coaching legend Clarence "Bighouse" Gaines (Morgan State grad) coached for decades against his alma mater as the head coach at Winston-Salem State, as did Aggies basketball coaching legend Cal Irvin (Morgan State). There are tons of others that I didn't mention.

On Monday, Clemson's Dabo Swinney (an Alabama grad and former player) will coach against his alma mater for the FBS national championship.

In that other thread, some said that they would have a hard time doing that, mainly because of loyalties.

How do you think that you would feel??

AGAIN, IF YOU WERE A HEAD COACH, would you have any trouble coaching against your alma mater??

[DOOMS]

Thanks for starting the thread AR.

Me, I don't think you could pay me enough to do it. Sometimes in life things work out in a manner you wouldn't expect and you have no choice. But taking a job at an in-state, ciaa, swac, or meac school would be out of the question for me. Not even in synchronized swimming or tiddlywinks.

I went to Howard for law school and I hated those bastards with every ounce of my being, even as I was getting free tickets to their games as a student. I'm talking almost kicked out of the Burr for having a laser pointer when they played us, even though I don't even like basketball.

But then again, when he who shall not be named was "coaching" the football team, I wouldn't have minded padding my record against his soft azz. I was so against his hiring from DAY ONE that anything I could do to have him and she who hired him and he who signed off on the whole fiasco removed from the premises by armed guards, I would have done. To me we weren't Ayantee during that time period.

I once tried to get a job as a junior compliance officer at Howard long ago. They knew. Lol.

[aggierattler]

Thanks again for your honest response, DOOMS.

As for me, I could do it.

However, being a student-athlete at SCSU first, I've had experience doing this. I had two seasons in Orangeburg and had some great times and made many friends. But both of my parents are Aggies and I grew up around Aggie Athletics from 4th thru 8th grades in Greensboro, so I am an Aggie 'Til I Die. Some of you knew that my old man was a former AD at Ayantee in the late '60s and early '70s. But the Bulldogs (and Pitt) gave me the best scholarship offers coming out of my Pittsburgh high school. I wanted to go to an HBCU, so I chose SCSU over DelState.

When I had the opportunity to transfer to A&T, there was no problems with allegiance whatsoever. Playing against my Bulldog friends was not a problem, either. In fact, I enjoyed beating them very much! And my friendships on both teams remain to this day.

FAMU gave me a chance to work in collegiate athletics right out of A&T...so that's where I went to work. My coaches/mentors (Don Corbett and Mel Groomes) and others in athletic administration always tell you that you "pull for your paycheck," and I found that to be true with me for those first 7 years in Tallahassee. I hated anytime that the Aggies lost...but I always pulled for my paycheck. Everyone knew that I supported FAMU 100%, but I loved Ayantee.

I also learned this growing up from two Rattlers who worked in A&T's ROTC program for many years...Col. Herbert Parker and Col. Robert C. Porter. They were friends of my old man when he was AD and were staunch supporters of Aggies Athletics while they were there.

When I left FAMU to work in the NBA (18 years in Charlotte), I could leave all of that behind and be an open Aggies Fan again...even when visiting in Bragg Stadium and Gaither Gym.

I came back to Tallahassee in 2006 and worked in Rattler Athletics until 2009 when their new administration came in and virtually destroyed the department and I washed out. So, I am now staunch Aggies supporter (financially and in-person, when I can) living in Tallahassee.

[neighborhoodsuperstar]

It would be difficult, but a job is a job. You prepare for them just like you would prepare for any other team. If anything, if you beat the hell out of an Aggie team, it may put you in line to be considered the next head coach at T. Truth be told, I've lost the "Maynor Itch" for him to be our next football coach because he hasn't been very successful vs us or the rest of the league to the same degree he was at Winston. Now granted, HU was a rebuilding job, but it wasn't worse off than what A&T was when Broadway got the job. If you are an Aggie graduate and have the desire to ever be an Aggie coach.....you should consider yourself auditioning for the job every single time you play us!!

[bigpeete1]

No Problem, Nothing Personal. GOD-Family and everything else

[oleschoolaggie]

i don’t think i could do it if i were coaching at nccu or wssu. maybe if my job and my salary to take care of my family depended on it, i might feel differently. i dunno. but it would really be even more difficult if i was an assistant coach because assistants aren’t necessarily the face of the team like the head coach is. when you’re a head coach, the team basically feels like its your immediate family and you are the head of the household, the dad of the family, the face of the team which makes it a little more personal. but assistants, not so much.

however, i’d have an easier time of it if i coached out of state like maynor does at hampton. plus, he’s the face of the team which means any loss by his team is closely associated with his name. so i might have an easier time of it if i were the head coach out of state or at a school who is not a rival of a&t.

i’m just glad that i don’t have to worry about that because it ain’t gonna happen to me. but i can’t lie, i’ve always wondered how central alums who are on our coaching staff felt about competing against nccu. i wonder if they “secretly” didn’t really feel too bad when we loss to central, even kinda felt good behind closed doors.

but in coach broadway’s case, i don’t think a&t playing against unc is quite the same as competing against your alma mater as an arch rival who’s on the same level. and, i don’t think he’s impacted as much when he plays against nccu because central is not his alma mater. also like coach broadway, if i coached at a d3 school in north carolina and had to play a&t, that wouldn’t bother me very much because the likelihood of beating an a&t fcs football team would be extremely remote, akin to coach broadway’s chances of beating unc this past season when we played the heels...

[aggierattler]

Jan 6, 2016 16:54:53 GMT -5 oleschoolaggie said:

i don’t think i could do it if i were coaching at nccu or wssu. maybe if my job and my salary to take care of my family depended on it, i might feel differently. i dunno. but it would really be even more difficult if i was an assistant coach because assistants aren’t necessarily the face of the team like the head coach is. when you’re a head coach, the teams basically feels like its your immediate family and you are the head of the household, the face of the team which makes it a little more personal. assistants, not so much.

however, i’d have an easier time of it if i coached out of state like maynor does at hampton. plus, he’s the face of the team which means any loss by his team is closely associated with his name. so i might have an easier time of it coaching out of state or at a school who is not a rival of a&t.

i’m just glad that i don’t have to worry about that because it ain’t gonna happen. but i can’t lie, i’ve always wondered how central alums who are on our coaching staff felt about competing against nccu. i wonder if they “secretly” didn’t really feel too bad when we loss to central.

in coach broadway’s case, i don’t think a&t playing against unc is quite the same as competing against your alma mater as an arch rival who’s on the same level. and, i don’t think he’s impacted as much when he plays against nccu because central is not his alma mater. also like coach broadway, if i coached at a d3 school in north carolina and had to play a&t, that wouldn’t bother me very much because the likelihood of beating an a&t fcs football team would be extremely remote, akin to coach broadway’s chances of beating unc this past season when we played them...

I definitely agree with you on the Broadway at UNC situation, OSA!

[The Professor]

Wouldn't bother me one bit. A&T will always be my heart , however love don't pay bills