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Coach Fedora

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Realfreedom

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Sep 7, 2004
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I hope this comes across in the right way. I do not know if Coach Fedora is a man of high integrity or not, but IMO he is. I do not think he is the Coach Dabo is, but who knows what the future holds. I remember when Dabo took over at Clemson everyone laughed especially Cock fans. Rightfully so, he could not beat them forever. Clemson gave him time and now they are the best in the land.

Back to Fedora, is he Saban or Dabo, no, but he has done a tremendous job with all the distractions around this program. I do not know if he is the coach to lead us to becoming a top ten program, but I hope he is.

I know we lose a lot of talent on the offensive side of the ball, but I am excited for next year. We have a good recruiting class and new guy's will get their chance. Go Heels.
 
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dabo didn't get respect because he was a real estate salesman.

took him awhile, but he did what you're supposed to do when you learn otj...he hired a great staff, promoted the in-state rivalry to excite the fan base, and became a walk-around coach.

imo, fedora has more experience as a coach, but that's where the comparison ends right now...it's important to note that dabo also knew he wouldn't get hired anywhere else, or away from clemson, because he still had a lot to prove in college football...i don't believe fedora feels he still needs to prove anything to anyone.
 
gteeitup said:
imo, fedora has more experience as a coach, but that's where the comparison ends right now...it's important to note that dabo also knew he wouldn't get hired anywhere else, or away from clemson, because he still had a lot to prove in college football...i don't believe fedora feels he still needs to prove anything to anyone.
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What are you suggesting? That Dabo's success is a result of him trying harder? Not sure I buy that.

I think you nailed the other stuff. Dabo understands the importance of relationships and has been a successful recruiter because he's genuine, recruits/parents trust him, and Clemson has a lot to offer. Always has. Dabo was also smart enough early in his career to surround himself with coaches "smarter" than him, and I don't mean that as an insult. He hires the best and then gets out of their way.
 
As far as Fedora, we have a pretty good idea by now what we've got.

First of all, I like that he doesn't make excuses and he never quits. That's exactly the mindset this football program has needed for years. And by all accounts, Fedora is also a decent and honorable man. That matters to me, although I appreciate that other UNC fans may not care about that.

On the other hand, it seems that coaches who turn programs around and achieve sustained success usually do it within the first few years of their tenure. I know we've been dealing with significant obstacles because of the NCAA mess, but in my heart of hearts I don't think we're going to string together 10-win seasons under Fedora.

To say it another way, I think our floor is very high with Fedora but our ceiling is also pretty low. He's the kind of coach who's going to get us to a bowl game every year, but will have one or two inexplicable losses every season and never get us into the top tier of college football. I hope I'm wrong. If not, the question is whether UNC fans are okay with that, and for how long.
 
Raising Heel said:
What are you suggesting? That Dabo's success is a result of him trying harder? Not sure I buy that.

I think you nailed the other stuff. Dabo understands the importance of relationships and has been a successful recruiter because he's genuine, recruits/parents trust him, and Clemson has a lot to offer. Always has. Dabo was also smart enough early in his career to surround himself with coaches "smarter" than him, and I don't mean that as an insult. He hires the best and then gets out of their way.
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Love Dabo. Admire the hell out of what he's built at Clemson and generally pull for him in every game (save for last night).

However, Dabo taps in to some aspects of Clemson University that Fedora simply cannot because said aspects don't exist at UNC and wouldn't be tolerated.

Clemson leads a prayer over the Death Valley P.A. before kickoff of every game. Can you imagine if Fedora tried to instill that? Not gonna get into a political discussion, but y'all know as well as I that that would NOT fly at Carolina.

Dabo also has an SEC stadium, SEC atmosphere, and SECish entrance requirements that he utilizes, which he's right to do. His slogan of "All In" isn't just lip service. Clemson really is all in. The football program, the university, and the fanbase all work in unison. Carolina doesn't have that luxury, for a myriad of reasons, including the fact that our fanbase whines and borderline wants Fedora to go away, even though he's one of the best 3-4 coaches in program history.

Fedora can still get us there. 2017 will be a rebuild and the fanbase needs to just accept that and get on board. I see A LOT of Dabo in Fedora and always have. Dabo made the same type of "questionable" (i.e. dumb) in-game decisions last night that Fedora gets bashed on here for making.

Anyway, I think it would be unwise, at this point, to give up on Fedora. Clemson didn't give up on Dabo when he lost 5 straight against SCar. You know how embarrassing and irritating that must have been for Clemson fans?? But they stayed the course and it eventually paid dividends.
 
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I like Clemson football a lot for the most part- minus a couple of idiots in their fan base- as I said in the Radar forum...but Dabo, great coach as he is, is getting incredibly old to me.

I know people love him, but I almost think he's playing a character to a degree. I think he wants people to love him, his image is super important to him, and he says whatever he has to say in interviews to make himself look like the good ol' southern boy who went from rags to riches. "Bring your own guts?" Give me a break, cornball.
 
Raising Heel said:
What are you suggesting? That Dabo's success is a result of him trying harder? Not sure I buy that.

I think you nailed the other stuff. Dabo understands the importance of relationships and has been a successful recruiter because he's genuine, recruits/parents trust him, and Clemson has a lot to offer. Always has. Dabo was also smart enough early in his career to surround himself with coaches "smarter" than him, and I don't mean that as an insult. He hires the best and then gets out of their way.
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not trying harder so much as adapting and adjusting...he fired three coordinators before scott/elliott on offense and venables on defense...and like you said, he got out of the way.

and again, he wasn't going anywhere so there was a comfortability for him to make mistakes.

if i'm comparing fedora to anyone, it's spurrier without the titles...and that's not a knock.
 
Raising Heel said:
And by all accounts, Fedora is also a decent and honorable man. That matters to me, although I appreciate that other UNC fans may not care about that.
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I prefer honorable/decent to dishonorable/indecent all else equal, but if given the choice of having Fedora be an upstanding individual in every way and continue at the same level of success as he has been, or having Bobby Petrino-like scandals but bringing home a national championship - I'm definitely taking the latter.

Raising Heel said:
To say it another way, I think our floor is very high with Fedora but our ceiling is also pretty low. He's the kind of coach who's going to get us to a bowl game every year, but will have one or two inexplicable losses every season and never get us into the top tier of college football. I hope I'm wrong. If not, the question is whether UNC fans are okay with that, and for how long.
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I'm ok with it now, because it at least seems we're on an upward trajectory overall, but it'll get old after awhile. If given the choice between having a winning season and making a bowl like the Belk, Sun, Music City, etc. 6 out of every 7 seasons, but never making the playoffs, compared to having a losing record 6 out of every 7 seasons but making the playoff and/or championship game in the 7th season - again, I'm taking the latter.
 
The same thing has been said of Ol' Roy. I think the people who say those things are wrong in both instances. I think Roy and Dabo are comfortable with who they are and don't feel the need to change or put on a "more polished" appearance. I love that about both of them.
 
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gteeitup said:
not trying harder so much as adapting and adjusting...he fired three coordinators before scott/elliott on offense and venables on defense...and like you said, he got out of the way.

and again, he wasn't going anywhere so there was a comfortability for him to make mistakes.

if i'm comparing fedora to anyone, it's spurrier without the titles...and that's not a knock.
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Where's Fedora going? I don't really grasp your "Dabo wasn't gonna go anywhere" argument.
 
gteeitup said:
i see that.

fedora's name every year is mentioned for other jobs, dabo not once...now when saban leaves, dabo will get his chance.
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We don't know if the media mentioning Fedora means it's legit or not. Like the one media member -- literally just the one -- who reported Fedora wanted the Houston job but didn't score an interview.

Not buying that one at all.
 
TarHeelNation11 said:
We don't know if the media mentioning Fedora means it's legit or not. Like the one media member -- literally just the one -- who reported Fedora wanted the Houston job but didn't score an interview.

Not buying that one at all.
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i'm not talking about houston...tennessee was legit as were others in the past.
 
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gteeitup said:
i see that.

fedora's name every year is mentioned for other jobs, dabo not once...now when saban leaves, dabo will get his chance.
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What's the consensus out there on whether Dabo will take the Alabama job (if offered) once available? I'd imagine it'd be incredibly tough for him to turn down.
 
GoToHeelDook said:
I like Clemson football a lot for the most part- minus a couple of idiots in their fan base- as I said in the Radar forum...but Dabo, great coach as he is, is getting incredibly old to me.

I know people love him, but I almost think he's playing a character to a degree. I think he wants people to love him, his image is super important to him, and he says whatever he has to say in interviews to make himself look like the good ol' southern boy who went from rags to riches. "Bring your own guts?" Give me a break, cornball.
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I was talking to my boss at work this morning, he has a son the same age as Dabo's son and they played against each other on the AAU circuit. Dabo was at the game and his son's team got killed. He still took the time to meet and take pictures with the team that had just spanked his son. My boss came away very impressed with the humble man he was that day.
 
TarHeelNation11 said:
We don't know if the media mentioning Fedora means it's legit or not. Like the one media member -- literally just the one -- who reported Fedora wanted the Houston job but didn't score an interview.

Not buying that one at all.
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Yeah...fake news is as bad in sports as anywhere. Part of UNC's problem is well over 50% of student body is female which is great if you are a "poon hound" but not so great for FB support and add in the fact that a lot of the guys aren't really into violent sports so much as they are into well , other things. Clemson is over 50% male. Clemson also gets a lot more of the smaller donations and many from non-alumni for IPTAY (which add up) and UNC uses the big donor's model.
 
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Hark_The_Sound_2010 said:
What's the consensus out there on whether Dabo will take the Alabama job (if offered) once available? I'd imagine it'd be incredibly tough for him to turn down.
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the consensus now seems it would be the logical next step...i don't know if there's a current open job in the nfl worth saban looking at...hell, he might not even want that gig now, he's basically doing the same thing in tuscaloosa.
 
gteeitup said:
the consensus now seems it would be the logical next step...i don't know if there's a current open job in the nfl worth saban looking at...hell, he might not even want that gig now, he's basically doing the same thing in tuscaloosa.
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Ya, I'd assume Saban is content with his current job, but you never know. He makes 7mil/year which is more than all but 4 NFL coaches, so I'm guessing at best he'd be looking at the same money, if not a paycut to go to some NFL team (which would most likely be a crappy NFL team if they have a head coach opening).

Plus - he now gets like 30 of the top 100 players coming into his league (HS recruits). Going to a place where he only gets 3 of the top 100 (through the first 3 rounds of the draft) wouldn't be all that appealing either.

I guess it just depends if deep down Dabo is happier in Clemson, or if he wants to take the reins at Alabama once available (5 years or so?). I'd be surprised if he wasn't offered the opportunity.
 
Dabo to Bama is a given after Sabam retires. By then, Dabo will have such a behemoth built at Clemson that he and the CU fanbase will be both be alright with him moving back to his alma mater.

Won't surprise me at all if Clemson adds another title to their collection by 2020.
 
GoToHeelDook said:
I like Clemson football a lot for the most part- minus a couple of idiots in their fan base- as I said in the Radar forum...but Dabo, great coach as he is, is getting incredibly old to me.

I know people love him, but I almost think he's playing a character to a degree. I think he wants people to love him, his image is super important to him, and he says whatever he has to say in interviews to make himself look like the good ol' southern boy who went from rags to riches. "Bring your own guts?" Give me a break, cornball.
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I don't think it's entirely disingenuous, but when you're a public figure like a coach, and a certain aspect of your personality becomes super popular, you're going to play that up as much as you can. It's like a class clown who finds out he can get laughs by being a little bit of a jerk. Then he just keeps going further and further out there because people are eating it up. Do I think the guy secretly reads Christopher Hitchens in his spare time? No. Do I think he realizes the value in playing up the whole religion thing? Absolutely. Imagine how useful that must be when you're sitting in some single mom's living room trying to convince her she should trust you with her son's life.... Especially in a country like this where the vast majority of people share his religion.

His corniness seems to be totally legit though lol.

HeelFan58 said:
Yeah...fake news is as bad in sports as anywhere. Part of UNC's problem is well over 50% of student body is female which is great if you are a "poon hound" but not so great for FB support and add in the fact that a lot of the guys aren't really into violent sports so much as they are into well , other things. Clemson is over 50% male. Clemson also gets a lot more of the smaller donations and many from non-alumni for IPTAY (which add up) and UNC uses the big donor's model.
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Eh. The girls in Clemson love getting drunk and going to games and I don't necesarrily think they know or care any more about college football than the girls in Chapel Hill. The difference is they know their team is good, and they know that the game is the place to be on a Saturday in the Fall. So they get drunk and they show up. It's a social thing more than anything. And they probably make more noise than the guys so tbh I don't even see the demographics as a problem.
 
TarHeelNation11 said:
Dabo to Bama is a given after Sabam retires. By then, Dabo will have such a behemoth built at Clemson that he and the CU fanbase will be both be alright with him moving back to his alma mater.

Won't surprise me at all if Clemson adds another title to their collection by 2020.
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My guess is that you are correct, that when, as Bear Bryant said it, Mama calls, Dabo will go home.

But maybe not. What he has done means he has already become the most legendary coach in Clemson history, lacking only time to have the all time Ws total. When you build something that big, sometimes even Mama calling cannot pull you away.
 
Saban would be a fool to leave Bama, unless it's to retire. And IMO, Dabo would be foolish to leave Clemson, even for Bama. He's building a legacy at Clemson that will be legendary if he stays. Not to mention the $55 million football facility they're building. He has Clemson firmly established as a Top 10 program. He's got them clicking on all cylinders and their facilities/fan base are top notch. No way I would leave if I were him, not even for my alma mater.
 
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if saban leaves this year dabo gets the call but if saban moves on in 5 years bama will want to know what has he done lately.
can dabo do this when he starts losing coordinators.
love and family works well when you're winning.
 
Archer2 said:
Saban would be a fool to leave Bama, unless it's to retire. And IMO, Dabo would be foolish to leave Clemson, even for Bama. He's building a legacy at Clemson that will be legendary if he stays. Not to mention the $55 million football facility they're building. He has Clemson firmly established as a Top 10 program. He's got them clicking on all cylinders and their facilities/fan base are top notch. No way I would leave if I were him, not even for my alma mater.
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NEVER underestimate the allure of the alma mater, when the alma mater is a blueblood. Look at Roy.
 
Archer2 said:
Saban would be a fool to leave Bama, unless it's to retire. And IMO, Dabo would be foolish to leave Clemson, even for Bama. He's building a legacy at Clemson that will be legendary if he stays. Not to mention the $55 million football facility they're building. He has Clemson firmly established as a Top 10 program. He's got them clicking on all cylinders and their facilities/fan base are top notch. No way I would leave if I were him, not even for my alma mater.
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If I had won a National title at, say, Arkansas, and UNC were to ask me to return home, I would take the job immediately, assuming they gave enough money for the staff I wanted.

That said, I fully understand why many would stay where they were. Frank Broyles did not return to GT, deciding to remain at Arkansas.
 
Raising Heel said:
As far as Fedora, we have a pretty good idea by now what we've got.

First of all, I like that he doesn't make excuses and he never quits. That's exactly the mindset this football program has needed for years. And by all accounts, Fedora is also a decent and honorable man. That matters to me, although I appreciate that other UNC fans may not care about that.

On the other hand, it seems that coaches who turn programs around and achieve sustained success usually do it within the first few years of their tenure. I know we've been dealing with significant obstacles because of the NCAA mess, but in my heart of hearts I don't think we're going to string together 10-win seasons under Fedora.

To say it another way, I think our floor is very high with Fedora but our ceiling is also pretty low. He's the kind of coach who's going to get us to a bowl game every year, but will have one or two inexplicable losses every season and never get us into the top tier of college football. I hope I'm wrong. If not, the question is whether UNC fans are okay with that, and for how long.
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I mostly agree with this. I think it's pretty unlikely Fedora is ever a "great" coach, but he is pretty good.

I also wonder if that's not exactly what we need right now. As in, if the next Saban were to be hired at UNC he would just get poached in 3 years anyway. What we need is a Frank Beamer (maybe even a light version of him) who is not a coaching savant but very solid, will stick around long enough that he's here to stay, and can slowly build the program and the fanbase up. Granted Beamer had 8 double-digit win seasons in a row and I don't think Fedora is likely to do that (which is why I said a light version), but if the football culture is ever going to be built up in Chapel Hill I don't think it will be on the backs of 3 year coaches.

We're not an Iowa State or Northwestern, where the program is essentially doomed to failure. We have relatively strong resources in a talent-rich state, at a great institution, with an incredible brand and loyal fans throughout the region. We can be good. I think it takes prolonged success and investment to do so, and an 8/10 coach rather than a homerun might be the best bet ironically.
 
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gauchoheel said:
I mostly agree with this. I think it's pretty unlikely Fedora is ever a "great" coach, but he is pretty good.

I also wonder if that's not exactly what we need right now. As in, if the next Saban were to be hired at UNC he would just get poached in 3 years anyway. What we need is a Frank Beamer (maybe even a light version of him) who is not a coaching savant but very solid, will stick around long enough that he's here to stay, and can slowly build the program and the fanbase up. Granted Beamer had 8 double-digit win seasons in a row and I don't think Fedora is likely to do that (which is why I said a light version), but if the football culture is ever going to be built up in Chapel Hill I don't think it will be on the backs of 3 year coaches.

We're not an Iowa State or Northwestern, where the program is essentially doomed to failure. We have relatively strong resources in a talent-rich state, at a great institution, with an incredible brand and loyal fans throughout the region. We can be good. I think it takes prolonged success and investment to do so, and an 8/10 coach rather than a homerun might be the best bet ironically.
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I agree with you but the only problem with this is unfortunately our whiny ass fanbase won't "get built up" with 8-win seasons every year. UNC fans find any excuse possible not to get their ass to games and will never, ever, ever, ever, ever consistently sell out Kenan for an 8-win program.

franklin street said:
bad example.
roy isn't here because of his love of carolina.
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Uhm, okay.
 
GoNtheDistance said:
Fedora is a lot of sizzle and no steak.
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Damn, I hadn't thought about having to write "I will not talk in class" a hundred times, in a long time. That would get a teacher suspended today.

I really hate to think our norm has to be 8 win seasons with the occasional double digit season sprinkled in. On this I agree wth THN, that won't fill Kenan. And I think we should aspire to more. That's settling for mediocrity. We're better than that and the right staff can do better than that. Don't know if Fed is that guy or not, but if not, we shouldn't stop looking.
 
I think most after the Bunting years would take 8 wins a year. A couple of things though
UNC had the talent to exceed that amount.
Can't lose to inferior teams like Duke and State
Can't lose because of really bad coaching decisions

Also, now a days bowl games mean nothing. I wasn't even upset UNC lost to Stanford. They are participation awards. Goal should be to go to ACC championship game. Not necessarily win, but go. Season is a failure if that is not done.

Fedora is an offensive guy, the offense flat out failed this year for the most part. The reason lost all the games UNC did. Defense was not great, but played well enough to that games could have been won.
 
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Archer2 said:
Damn, I hadn't thought about having to write "I will not talk in class" a hundred times, in a long time. That would get a teacher suspended today.

I really hate to think our norm has to be 8 win seasons with the occasional double digit season sprinkled in. On this I agree wth THN, that won't fill Kenan. And I think we should aspire to more. That's settling for mediocrity. We're better than that and the right staff can do better than that. Don't know if Fed is that guy or not, but if not, we shouldn't stop looking.
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In 5th grade I had to write 300 times: I will not play paper football in class.

At the least, Fedora is the kind of coach who can set us up for a successor to win the ACC championship.
 
When I started going to the games beginning in the late 60's the stadium was always close to full , but in those days there was 1 game a week on ABC on Saturday afternoon and it was rarely Carolina in it. It was always a huge treat to get to go to Kenan on a Saturday afternoon(no lights). People can now stay home and see most of the games on TV and also to see the big games on several channels all day and night. Things have really changed..
 
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I know this will send THN into a rant but I still say build it and they will come. If we could string together 3 double digit win seasons, I think the stadium would fill up. But one trip to the ACCCG followed by an 8-5 season isn't going to do it. Heck, we may not even win 8 games next year.
 
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