There seems to be a recurring theme that IU hires and fires football coaches too often. Then ends up with a worse coach then the one they replaced. I have seen some postings that refer to Coach Wilson as a "three quarters" coach. Hoeppner and Lynch on one posting I saw were called a "two quarter" coach.
Others deride how the best coaches, Mallory and perhaps Corso (Pont for us old timers" were spit out after they had "lost a few games"-therefore a terrible IU decision. There is no question that Mallory was a great football coach. He had winning seasons, under challenging circumstances, at Colorado and was a winning coach at Northern Illinois. At IU he coached for thirteen years, took IU to multiple bowl games and won one, far better than any other IU football coach since BoMillin. That he remains a welcome and deservedly so respected part of the IU family is a testament to who he was as a coach and remains as a person.
But for those who saw IU football in that era, his winning program suddenly collapsed. From 1994 through his coach tenure end in 1996 IU over three seasons lost 19 out of its last 20 Big Ten games (he won his final game against Purdue) and his firing announcement was made before the season ended. He simply and overwhelmingly lost fan and administration support.
Corcso, I might add, coached IU for ten seasons-and he too retains close ties with IU-again says something about IU and Coach Corsco.
I cringe when I see Terry Hoeppner described as a" two quarter coach". This was a man born to coach IU, dreamed of coaching IU and by the end of two short years was on the cusp of fulfiling a mutual dream.
Hoepner came in with fire and passion. In his second year at IU he was 5 and 7, with three Big Ten wins. Those with long memories who may have watched or been at the IU at Illinois game on October 7, 1996 when Illinois jumped all over IU, seemingly scoring early almost at will. A vivid memorry of mine is Coach Hoeppner calling the team, during the first quarter on the side line and excoriating them on their terrible play. Almost by the presence of his will the team responded and IU came away with a 34-32 win. (some of that against Rutgers might have helped.
His last coaching win was the following week at home, when IU beat then ranked 13th Iowa 31-28.
Sadly, as we all know he soon left us. He also left Lynch with a team that went to IU's last bowl game. Amazing, in a very short period of time by what would have been his third year IU went to a bowl game. No new coach in IU history ever produced a bowl game team by its third year. He was the whole package-his energy created a supporting and vocal fan base and a team that played better than its components.
Lumping Coach Hoepner as a "two quarter" coach is shameful.
Not much to say about Lynch-was a hot prospect once, flamed out-had some really bad luck during his tenure at IU.
Like virtually all IU fans (sorry-I don't want to enter a contest of "true IU fans-the people who have watched and bought season tickets for 30-40-50 years know who they are) I want Wilson to succeed. For those who say IU can't get a coach-who would want to coach at IU-IU is Big Ten school-that's a pretty big attraction. For those who say pay more and you will get more-may or may not be true. I think Purdue football coach,per public record is paid about $2,500,000 compared to Wilson $1,500,000.
Has Wilson recruited better than previous coaches-pretty big yes on that. Have injuries, bad luck dogged the team-probably true. But winners win. IU beat highly ranked Missouri on the road. Years of bad tradition are not the mind set of todays players. My biggest rap against Wilson is not that IU loses to Ohio State or Iowa (actually to be a 7 point underdog to the 7th ranked team in the country is pretty good. Far and away, the biggest failing for IU is not winning the games they should or could win, the momentum changing game, an upset win now and then. Losing to Rutgers was damaging beyond belief. Navy too.
You just can't lose the games you are expected to win-Rutgers being just the most recent and one of the worst examples. While you don't fire a coach as the result of one game, one game can be the final tipping point.You have to upset a team at least once in a while (again Missouri-great). Even as bad as IU has been for decades in every season there comes a "momentum" game-rarely has IU won that game. IU, this is a very strong statement and something I have observed for many, many years-almost never comes from behind to win a game. Just doesn't happen.
I live in the business world-where the woods are filled with people of great talent, but fail at critical levels. For what it is worth, I am a sports historian, lecturer and on many sports, but asa born and bred Hoosier, Hoosier sports fill most of my brain. Over the years I spent thousands of dollars to buy Zenith transocean radios (get IU games on Armed Foreces radio startions, driven to the Chicago lake front struggling to tune in WOWO Fort Wayne which for many years was the most powerful radio station to carry IU games, install a huge satellite dish at my hom to pick up original transmission of games and so on.
I think IU has to win at least one more game this season and probably two or more for Wilson to survive. I hope Wilson can accomplish this. I fear next years team, at offense especially, may not be as good as recent years.
Is there a point in all of this-probably not-but I hate to see past coaches trivialized (Hoeppner) or IU as being careless or stupid in their firings of "successful " coaches. Corso and Mallory especially had some great winning seasons but at some point they ended and the losses became too many too long-they had run the course. Their termination was deserved-no coach for a major schools can survive forever on past success.
Wilson, with no past success, will be fortunate to remain as IU coach. Many fans though, to some degree me too, believer he may yet have the "promise" of being the right coach. For those of us who dream of one more Rose Bowl, as Terry Hoeppner did at his opening news conference-standing in front of a bowl with red roses in it, at 81 the vision of being in Pasadena under Wilson seems fleeting, unlikey.
Even though the coach is on the side line, the best coaches even with less talented teams, find ways to win. If IU has a winning football teams, the fans will come. They did under Pont, Corso and Mallory.
Coach-prove me wrong.
By the way in case it matters, I am a football season ticket holder (many, many years) and Varsity Club member for over 50 years. Go Hoosiers!
Others deride how the best coaches, Mallory and perhaps Corso (Pont for us old timers" were spit out after they had "lost a few games"-therefore a terrible IU decision. There is no question that Mallory was a great football coach. He had winning seasons, under challenging circumstances, at Colorado and was a winning coach at Northern Illinois. At IU he coached for thirteen years, took IU to multiple bowl games and won one, far better than any other IU football coach since BoMillin. That he remains a welcome and deservedly so respected part of the IU family is a testament to who he was as a coach and remains as a person.
But for those who saw IU football in that era, his winning program suddenly collapsed. From 1994 through his coach tenure end in 1996 IU over three seasons lost 19 out of its last 20 Big Ten games (he won his final game against Purdue) and his firing announcement was made before the season ended. He simply and overwhelmingly lost fan and administration support.
Corcso, I might add, coached IU for ten seasons-and he too retains close ties with IU-again says something about IU and Coach Corsco.
I cringe when I see Terry Hoeppner described as a" two quarter coach". This was a man born to coach IU, dreamed of coaching IU and by the end of two short years was on the cusp of fulfiling a mutual dream.
Hoepner came in with fire and passion. In his second year at IU he was 5 and 7, with three Big Ten wins. Those with long memories who may have watched or been at the IU at Illinois game on October 7, 1996 when Illinois jumped all over IU, seemingly scoring early almost at will. A vivid memorry of mine is Coach Hoeppner calling the team, during the first quarter on the side line and excoriating them on their terrible play. Almost by the presence of his will the team responded and IU came away with a 34-32 win. (some of that against Rutgers might have helped.
His last coaching win was the following week at home, when IU beat then ranked 13th Iowa 31-28.
Sadly, as we all know he soon left us. He also left Lynch with a team that went to IU's last bowl game. Amazing, in a very short period of time by what would have been his third year IU went to a bowl game. No new coach in IU history ever produced a bowl game team by its third year. He was the whole package-his energy created a supporting and vocal fan base and a team that played better than its components.
Lumping Coach Hoepner as a "two quarter" coach is shameful.
Not much to say about Lynch-was a hot prospect once, flamed out-had some really bad luck during his tenure at IU.
Like virtually all IU fans (sorry-I don't want to enter a contest of "true IU fans-the people who have watched and bought season tickets for 30-40-50 years know who they are) I want Wilson to succeed. For those who say IU can't get a coach-who would want to coach at IU-IU is Big Ten school-that's a pretty big attraction. For those who say pay more and you will get more-may or may not be true. I think Purdue football coach,per public record is paid about $2,500,000 compared to Wilson $1,500,000.
Has Wilson recruited better than previous coaches-pretty big yes on that. Have injuries, bad luck dogged the team-probably true. But winners win. IU beat highly ranked Missouri on the road. Years of bad tradition are not the mind set of todays players. My biggest rap against Wilson is not that IU loses to Ohio State or Iowa (actually to be a 7 point underdog to the 7th ranked team in the country is pretty good. Far and away, the biggest failing for IU is not winning the games they should or could win, the momentum changing game, an upset win now and then. Losing to Rutgers was damaging beyond belief. Navy too.
You just can't lose the games you are expected to win-Rutgers being just the most recent and one of the worst examples. While you don't fire a coach as the result of one game, one game can be the final tipping point.You have to upset a team at least once in a while (again Missouri-great). Even as bad as IU has been for decades in every season there comes a "momentum" game-rarely has IU won that game. IU, this is a very strong statement and something I have observed for many, many years-almost never comes from behind to win a game. Just doesn't happen.
I live in the business world-where the woods are filled with people of great talent, but fail at critical levels. For what it is worth, I am a sports historian, lecturer and on many sports, but asa born and bred Hoosier, Hoosier sports fill most of my brain. Over the years I spent thousands of dollars to buy Zenith transocean radios (get IU games on Armed Foreces radio startions, driven to the Chicago lake front struggling to tune in WOWO Fort Wayne which for many years was the most powerful radio station to carry IU games, install a huge satellite dish at my hom to pick up original transmission of games and so on.
I think IU has to win at least one more game this season and probably two or more for Wilson to survive. I hope Wilson can accomplish this. I fear next years team, at offense especially, may not be as good as recent years.
Is there a point in all of this-probably not-but I hate to see past coaches trivialized (Hoeppner) or IU as being careless or stupid in their firings of "successful " coaches. Corso and Mallory especially had some great winning seasons but at some point they ended and the losses became too many too long-they had run the course. Their termination was deserved-no coach for a major schools can survive forever on past success.
Wilson, with no past success, will be fortunate to remain as IU coach. Many fans though, to some degree me too, believer he may yet have the "promise" of being the right coach. For those of us who dream of one more Rose Bowl, as Terry Hoeppner did at his opening news conference-standing in front of a bowl with red roses in it, at 81 the vision of being in Pasadena under Wilson seems fleeting, unlikey.
Even though the coach is on the side line, the best coaches even with less talented teams, find ways to win. If IU has a winning football teams, the fans will come. They did under Pont, Corso and Mallory.
Coach-prove me wrong.
By the way in case it matters, I am a football season ticket holder (many, many years) and Varsity Club member for over 50 years. Go Hoosiers!
Last edited:
