John L. Smith fired?

Story from a buddy of mine (a MSU grad). Apparently Smith's wife was given a few months to live, only for the Smiths to go to another doctor and receive a little-known treatment. Apparently she's doing much, much better, now.
Can't imagine being told you are going to die and then finding out you're going to recover. I'm sure after something like that, I'd be a little kooky, too.
JLS will land on his feet, somewhere. He didn't win at MSU, but the people up there loved him. A good reputation will usually make up (somewhat) for a poor record.

 

About 15 minutes ago, my wife and I learned that a small tumor behind her breast is benign. This hits pretty close to home right now.

ALL thoughts and prayers go out to Mrs. Smith.

 

That's great news, Shottie.

 

Fabulous news, shottie. My thoughts are with you guys.

 

If George Perles wins election to the Board of Trustees, he will join forces with Joel Ferguson, a longtime meddler and string-puller on the board who, you may remember (or probably not, if you don't give a shit like 97 percent of the nation), was instrumental in Perles being handed the Athletic Director position (in addition to coaching football) in 1990, a demand Perles made during one of his several threats to jump to the NFL, all over the vehement objections of the university presdident at the time, John DiBiaggio.

After taking the reins as Athletic Director, Perles' record as Football Coach was 14-31-1. Strangely enough, the threats to jump to the NFL seemed to taper off near the end of his tenure.

Ferguson repeatedly intervened to help Perles extort bigger contracts out of the university, despite his overall record of 68-67-1, and THEN worked to install Perles proteges Nick Saban, and then Bobby Williams, as coach after Perles was fired (and subsequently sued the university.)

When Williams' program melted down in a mushroom cloud of disastrous losses and players' off-field legal and drug problems, Ferguson immediately leaped to play the race card to save Williams' job.

When that attempt went down in flames, Ferguson immediately threw up the name of Pat Shurmur, a former Perles player and assistant coach, as his preferred replacement for Williams -- never mind that Shurmur has been stuck as a low-level position coach in the NFL for the last 8 years.

At the time, Ferguson didn't have the votes on the board to put pressure on the administration. John L. Smith was hired by athletic director Ron Mason in an attempt to break out of the incestuous vicious circle of hiring only old Sparties and perpetuating the endless cycle of mediocrity.

Now, quite obviously, the agenda will be to reinstall SOME kind of protege/puppet of Perles into the head coaching job. Regardless of qualifications or lack thereof. With the intent, of course, of bringing back the glory days when the went 68-67-4.

 

Hey Idaho, how about John L. heading back to Logan? He did an OK job there.

Seems like more of a West Coast guy than a midwest guy. He also had success at Idaho, which will be looking in a year or two when Dennis Erickson blows town.

 

Micro,

I'd love him back at USU. But that'd mean the current coach would have to get canned. That's not out of the realgm of possibilities, but he's only in Year 2 at USU now and will probably get a couple of more years to hang himself.

Weber State, though, will need a new coach in 2008 -- IMHO.

 

What about Perles' kid taking the reigns in East Lansing. Isn't he an NFL assistant somewhere right now?

 

Pat Perles is offensive coordinator at North Dakota State, and will probably join Shurmur's staff in a similar capacity, with the eye to eventually grooming him for the HC job when Shurmur takes off for the NFL in 5 years or so.

It's just an endless incest-fest up there. Anybody who ever fetched George Perles a beer or handed Nick Saban a roll of toilet paper immediately becomes a hot prospect for a coaching position.

Guess it must be the tradition of all those Top 10 finishes and BCS bowl appearances they want to recreate under the new (oops, old) regime.

 

O, why all the high expectations for Michigan State? They're the No. 2 state school, by a mile, to Michigan. Far too middle of the road to have too much angst about who their coach is. John L. Smith will rebound from that rathole and do a good job somewhere. Unlike an overrated Ron Zook, whose true colors have been revealed.

 

Shot, let me echo the other thoughts and prayers.

 

Kirk Herbstreit hit the nail on the head in the closing seconds of the Notre Dame loss.

In general, Michigan State is all too willing to settle for mediocrity -- in all phases of the university, save hockey and hoops. Also includes academics. The communications program there may be the best facet of the school, and that's saying something.