goatcreekgriz said:
You bet. Dennis Washington did not receive a degree from UM (though I believe his wife Phyllis did), but I am grateful for his generosity to the university and its athletic programs. But regardless of his attitude toward coaches (i.e., Bob Stitt), it should not change the support of alums for the Grizzlies. That is my simple point. I just care a lot more about what alums think.
This ridiculous story, which has been erroneously repeated on this site for years, that Denny was somehow fed up with Stitt and led the charge to bring Hauck back is lacking in any reality whatsoever. Denny doesn't care to that extent, I assure you. As gracious as the Washington family has been to the UM and football program in particular, they are not that invested on a personal level as fans. They come to maybe one game a year MAX and don't watch the games on TV.
The reality is there was a small group of Bobby super groupies in town that saw blood in the water with Stitt and led the charge, including facilitating this rumor. Bobby's sister did work for Phyllis for years, so it's natural that people would believe it. The athletic department was already apprehensive, so the timing was ripe for a change. I'm sure they had some level of influence in getting Bobby hired once the decision to move on from Stitt was made, but they were not at all the catalyst for the coaching change. It's a nice story, but simply not true.