We all know about the legendary Montana coaching tree in basketball: Heathcote, Brandenberg, Montgomery, Morrill, Taylor, Krysko, Tinks. And well we should. Even USA Today has taken note, and it's a point of pride with all of us Griz basketball fans. And why? All of them have gone on predominantly to great success.
But less well known is our football coaching tree: Mick Dennehy (Utah State); Joe Glenn (Wyoming); Bobby Hauck (UNLV.) And why? All failed. You might say, our football tree never bore fruit.
Which leaves me wondering: Could Tinks fall vitctim to the football jinx? Here's why.
All three football coaches left for programs that I consider "underdog" programs. Dennehy went to a school that was number three (behind Utah and BYU) in a small state, where the school then had no conference affiliation and basketball was the more popular program. Glenn went to Laramie, Wyoming, a tough place to recruit to, for sure. And Hauck went to a basketball school with poor football facilities, and little football tradition. All got the money they couldn't get at Montana, but all took on challenges and handicaps that eventually doomed them.
Has Tinks done that at Oregon State? Boy, I hope not; Tinks will always bleed maroon and silver, with a little copper mixed in. But I am concerned for him, for a couple of reasons.
First, his best recruit so far has been his son; second best, the son of assistant coach Stephebn Thompson, Stephen Thompson Jr. That Tres broke his wrist and has missed several games likely accounts for a 3-6 record so far this season, with two of those losses being at home (Lamar and Fresno State) and one of the wins coming against Southern Oregon, the kind of cupcake DeCuire has avoided with his scheduling.
But, second, as with the schools that our football coaches moved on to, the Oregon State is definitely a bridesmaid in its own conference, especially with the resurgence of UCLA. Mix in Arizona, with its national profile; Oregon, with the Phil Knight money and the Nike imprimatur; Washington, with one of the most high-profile freshmen in the country and its inherent recruiting advantages in the talent-rich Seattle area; and even USC, with its incredible facilities (which I just witnessed first hand) and its location in the talent-rich So Cal market, and I begin to wonder: Can Tinks can overcome the incredible advantages all those schools have over Corvallis Oregon? Is Oregon State doomed to a middle-of-the-conference status forever and ever.
Three and six, and not even into conference yet. Just sayin'. Hope I'm wrong.
But less well known is our football coaching tree: Mick Dennehy (Utah State); Joe Glenn (Wyoming); Bobby Hauck (UNLV.) And why? All failed. You might say, our football tree never bore fruit.
Which leaves me wondering: Could Tinks fall vitctim to the football jinx? Here's why.
All three football coaches left for programs that I consider "underdog" programs. Dennehy went to a school that was number three (behind Utah and BYU) in a small state, where the school then had no conference affiliation and basketball was the more popular program. Glenn went to Laramie, Wyoming, a tough place to recruit to, for sure. And Hauck went to a basketball school with poor football facilities, and little football tradition. All got the money they couldn't get at Montana, but all took on challenges and handicaps that eventually doomed them.
Has Tinks done that at Oregon State? Boy, I hope not; Tinks will always bleed maroon and silver, with a little copper mixed in. But I am concerned for him, for a couple of reasons.
First, his best recruit so far has been his son; second best, the son of assistant coach Stephebn Thompson, Stephen Thompson Jr. That Tres broke his wrist and has missed several games likely accounts for a 3-6 record so far this season, with two of those losses being at home (Lamar and Fresno State) and one of the wins coming against Southern Oregon, the kind of cupcake DeCuire has avoided with his scheduling.
But, second, as with the schools that our football coaches moved on to, the Oregon State is definitely a bridesmaid in its own conference, especially with the resurgence of UCLA. Mix in Arizona, with its national profile; Oregon, with the Phil Knight money and the Nike imprimatur; Washington, with one of the most high-profile freshmen in the country and its inherent recruiting advantages in the talent-rich Seattle area; and even USC, with its incredible facilities (which I just witnessed first hand) and its location in the talent-rich So Cal market, and I begin to wonder: Can Tinks can overcome the incredible advantages all those schools have over Corvallis Oregon? Is Oregon State doomed to a middle-of-the-conference status forever and ever.
Three and six, and not even into conference yet. Just sayin'. Hope I'm wrong.