“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayana
Prophetic words which time and again, through the course of history, have proven correct on countless occasions. Simply put, if you can’t correct your mistakes you will continue to make them. For the majority of Longhorn fans, their memories of recent history are a fog of painful meltdowns and embarrassing losses in Football, Basketball, and Baseball.
No one will forget the “Chaminade Shame†where Rick Barnes was taken to the shed by a Division II program, then had the majority of his team quit or transfer. The basketball team has normally been competitive, but it’s become clear the last couple seasons kids can’t stand playing for Rick Barnes, almost as much as it’s clear Rick Barnes loathes the fan base. Have the fans ever really shown up for basketball? Not really, but it’s been worse lately, and that’s an issue.
A once proud baseball program, which was supposed to be much more competitive last year, sunk to dead last the Big 12 and could not even qualify for its conference tournament. The greatest college baseball program in history couldn’t even make it through its own conference. The team did, however, have players who botched fixing a drug test. Omaha to “D’Oh-maha……
Painful times indeed, but with that said, the only thing anyone really cares about at the end of the day is Texas Football, itself a mere shell of it’s former glory. Gone are the days of 10-11 win seasons, BCS bowls, and national respect, buried under an avalanche of failed recruiting opportunities, mismanagement, beatings from Oklahoma, and bad losses to teams the Longhorns should never lose to.
The debate right now is focused on embattled Texas Head Coach Mack Brown, who told us after a disastrous 5-7 finish in 2010 he’d “get it fixedâ€. Brown has “gotten it fixed†to the tune of an 18-10 record the last two plus seasons, 23-17 since the 2009 National Championship game. He’s “gotten it fixed†with two consecutive crushing losses to Oklahoma, and a historic defeat at the hands of BYU where the defense gave up 550 yards rushing. He has “gotten it fixed†by holding on to a defensive coordinator who led Texas to its worst season ever and demonstrated a clear inability to teach fundamental football. He then “fixed†it more by firing this coach two weeks into the year, implying to everyone that he had wasted an entire off season because his ego told him he was right and clear facts were wrong.
Brown, as he always has, regaled us this week with commentary about how the offensive line which was destroyed in Provo will be the “best we’ve had in a while†by years end. That’s not saying much, but it’s a classic example of the “Mack Speak†we’ve been getting for years. Winning on the field doesn’t matter as long as you win the press conference. The difference this time is hardly anyone is listening. Not even the “sunshine pumpers†are standing with Brown at this point in the game. Obviously, this means Brown has to be feeling the pressure and cognizant of the fact he is coaching for his career this Saturday, and probably every other game day this year?
Absolutely not, because of the Chief enabler of this sad little charade, 73 year old Athletic Director DeLoss Dodds.
Read this first quote, think about how it pertains to the Texas Football program, and then read the second quote. Let them sink in a bit, and keep on reading.
“They say a drowning thing will go down and rise up again twice before going down forever. Moby Dick has already been down twice.†– Captain Ahab
“I don’t tell coaches what they have to do,†Dodds said. “Mack Brown knows what he has to do. Rick Barnes knows what he has to do.†(via Mike Finger, MySA.com)
You got it folks. We can debate hiring Nick Saban and how this program is a sleeping monster until the cows come home, but as long as the chief enabler of Texas athletic failure holds his post, things aren’t going to change at all.
This isn’t to say Dodds is horrible, because you can’t say that about a man who has made the Texas Athletic Department so rich it can almost print it’s own money. When Dodds was at the top of his game, when he had control of the coaches, and when he fostered an aura of accountability on the field, Conference and National Championships were rolling in from all over the place.
He was the guy who got rid of John Mackovic and brought in Mack Brown. He replaced Cliff Gustafson with Augie Garrido. He send Tom Penders packing and brought in Rick Barnes. He did the things he needed to do to elevate his program back to prominence.
The problem is, as Dodds age has advanced, those days have passed. I’ve always said no matter how great a leader is, if they can not 100% commit to constant evaluation and growth, the game will inevitably pass them by. The game has passed Augie Garrido, Rick Barnes, and Mack Brown by, and it’s definitely passed DeLoss Dodds by. Mack Brown is Captain Ahab, hunting his own personal Moby Dick of “fixing it†and passing Darrell Royal. Dodds is Scrooge McDuck ignoring his three nephews buffoonery and swimming in his money bin. The Titanic is on auto pilot and no one is looking for the iceberg.
Dodds only apparent concern is the continued success of Texas the business, not on the field/court issues, a fact one can conclude from his quote to Finger and his attitude in general. How can one have winning programs when the Athletic Director refuses to direct? At what point will he realize you won’t keep swimming in money if no one wants to buy the product you’re selling?
How much longer will the sub par seasons continue? How much longer will Brown be given to wreck the once great legacy he himself created? Is Brown passing Darrell Royal worth the damage to the program?
Those are questions I unfortunately can’t answer, but for the sake of Texas long term, I hope someone out there, Joe Jamail, Red McCombs, someone…stops Captain Ahab from hunting his whale, and stops Scrooge McDuck from putting the money bin ahead of the program. I’ll never quit supporting the kids or the school, but until the leadership changes…well…. it is what it is…..