The Indiana Rule...
- Thread starter RBB89
- Start date
I take this to mean that every other college was wearing the simple, black helmets and IU opted to actually use school colors in the 1940s?
It’s interesting to note that while teams only played a 9 or 10 game schedule, we played 6 in conference and wound up with 2-4 conference wins for most years in that decade but had overall season records of 6-7 wins for several seasons. And, we weren’t playing puds. We had Notre Dame, Nebraska, Pitt OOC. Against teams like OSU or Michigan, we got throttled and were competitive, if not winning, the others.
So ....basically the post WW 2 era when young men weren’t being sent off to fight and recruiting was back in play and IU refocus on basketball?
Was that it? Bad coaching hires?
Anybody have theories on a cause?
I always contend that the 1987 -1994 period was one that our administration failed to capitalize on our success and did zippo for the program. Mellencamp stepped up but the administration? Nothing.
Yep, "87" was when the lightbulb should've turned on that they had themselves a Football coach and staff but the Athletic Department was so blinded by basketballs star that they just thought Football would take care of itself...
A string of bad luck and nonproductive hires. Horne, Sheldon and Navy Bill Ingram were good coaches in the early years. Ewald "Jumbo" Stiehm was a great hire in the mid teens (stole him from Nebraska), but as luck would have it, he got cancer and was gone after 5 or 6 years.
Par for the course was the begging of track coach Billy Hayes to take on football as well. The depression was a good excuse for that situation. Good ole IU going on the cheap or so it seems. Bo McMillan came in after him and gave us a heck of a run for around 14 years.
After Bo McMillan went to the NFL in 1948, we hired Clyde Smith then Bernie Crimmins. Neither one could gain traction although they had their moments. Crimmins was from Notre Dame iirc. Believe it or not, IU Football had a winning record up until the 1950 season.
Then came Phil Dickens, who got us into trouble with recruiting. The whole athletic dept. was put on probation from 1960-1964. Dickens actually had a couple of decent seasons in 58 and 59 before someone (Michigan and Ohio State..cough cough) decided he might be a threat to the rank and file. At least this is what was rumored to be an explanation for his demise.
Next up was Pont. He had a couple of good seasons then the player boycott and racist rumours stymied his tenure. Corso had his moments as well but his ooc schedules were brutal if not entertaining. Just think of what he might have accomplished if he was playing a bunch of patsies. Wyche left us at the alter.
Coach Mallory should have a shrine built for his accomplishments. Too bad the athletic dept. didn't help him near enough. Cam was not quite ready for prime time. Dinardo should have never happened. Lost Coach Hep before he could really get going, that blasted cancer monster got us again. The old Gumslinger was a good man but was not able to recruit. Wilson looked promising but then he got bent over by the BIG East allignment and more AD issues including his own bad habits.
That leads us to Coach Allen. I really want him to succeed, but as mentioned before, we got no favors from the BIG. Stay tuned for the latest saga of IU Football. Sorry for my ten page essay! VBG
82
Par for the course was the begging of track coach Billy Hayes to take on football as well. The depression was a good excuse for that situation. Good ole IU going on the cheap or so it seems. Bo McMillan came in after him and gave us a heck of a run for around 14 years.
After Bo McMillan went to the NFL in 1948, we hired Clyde Smith then Bernie Crimmins. Neither one could gain traction although they had their moments. Crimmins was from Notre Dame iirc. Believe it or not, IU Football had a winning record up until the 1950 season.
Then came Phil Dickens, who got us into trouble with recruiting. The whole athletic dept. was put on probation from 1960-1964. Dickens actually had a couple of decent seasons in 58 and 59 before someone (Michigan and Ohio State..cough cough) decided he might be a threat to the rank and file. At least this is what was rumored to be an explanation for his demise.
Next up was Pont. He had a couple of good seasons then the player boycott and racist rumours stymied his tenure. Corso had his moments as well but his ooc schedules were brutal if not entertaining. Just think of what he might have accomplished if he was playing a bunch of patsies. Wyche left us at the alter.
Coach Mallory should have a shrine built for his accomplishments. Too bad the athletic dept. didn't help him near enough. Cam was not quite ready for prime time. Dinardo should have never happened. Lost Coach Hep before he could really get going, that blasted cancer monster got us again. The old Gumslinger was a good man but was not able to recruit. Wilson looked promising but then he got bent over by the BIG East allignment and more AD issues including his own bad habits.
That leads us to Coach Allen. I really want him to succeed, but as mentioned before, we got no favors from the BIG. Stay tuned for the latest saga of IU Football. Sorry for my ten page essay! VBG
82
