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RIP Chuck Noll

Discussion in 'Sports and News' started by Inky_Wretch, Jun 13, 2014.

  1. 3_Octave_Fart

    3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

    The Glanville-Pardee era Oilers had three Hall of Famers and nobody expected much out of them.
    Scott Ferrall was complaining last night that Chuck Noll's death did not exact the same outpouring of affection as Gwynn's.
    Aside from its inappropriateness, I don't agree with this- Noll died on a Friday at the end of the news cycle. But he was also not a cuddly laughing bear of a man.
    His legacy is more complicated than it needs to be.
     
  2. BitterYoungMatador2

    BitterYoungMatador2 Well-Known Member

    You're supposed to die when you're Chuck Noll's age. You're not supposed to die when you're Tony Gwynn's.
     
  3. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    As BYM put it, the age is a big part of the difference between the two, but not the only one that might have created a stronger response to Gwynn's death.

    Noll retired after the 1991 season and he has been out of the public eye for a long time. Most people who cared had heard that he was in poor health for years.

    Gwynn had not retreated from public life and he retired 10 years after Noll, so there are more people around who remember when he was active.

    I can't remember if it was Gene Collier or Ed Bouchette, but one of them made the point that Noll wouldn't have wanted much fuss at all. I think that was correct. Maybe Gwynn's passing did draw a stronger response for a number of reasons, but I doubt Noll would have cared.
     
  4. 3_Octave_Fart

    3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

    Ferrall trotted out the well-worn SportsJournalists.com trope that Gwynn didn't win championships; Noll did.
    Then proceeded to talk about soccer for the next 20 minutes, which is an insult to both of them.
     
  5. BitterYoungMatador2

    BitterYoungMatador2 Well-Known Member

    There's a reason Scott Ferrall is on when most people are asleep.
     
  6. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    Good point. Noll's death --- and life --- have gotten plenty of fanfare.
     
  7. BenPoquette

    BenPoquette Active Member

    What I always found amazing about how Noll coached was that he made damn sure his team leaders held the rest of the team accountable. He wasn't really a screamer because he didn't have to be one.
     
  8. Sea Bass

    Sea Bass Well-Known Member

    Another stat I like about the Steelers...from the year Noll was hired to the year Cowher retired, the Steelers had more stadiums than coaches.
     
  9. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    Good call. I had forgotten that Noll was hired before they moved into Three Rivers Stadium.
     
  10. Bradshaw has some apologies to make.


    I think this will hinder a lot of the goodwill he had rebuilt in Pittsburgh.
     
  11. 3_Octave_Fart

    3_Octave_Fart Well-Known Member

    I don't know why this burns people up.
    Viewings are not everybody's thing. They're quite macabre, frankly.
    And maybe Bradshaw was waiting until this hectic period had passed before reaching out.
     
  12. outofplace

    outofplace Well-Known Member

    Or maybe he just didn't like Noll. He said nice things when he was asked, but why does he have to do more? Strained is a good description of their relationship during Bradshaw's career. From everything I've heard and read, Noll did not handle Bradshaw well during his first few seasons. He didn't really commit to Bradshaw until later in the 1974 season.

    I get the point Gordon is making and I can certainly understand somebody saying Bradshaw is full of shit, but what is the point of calling him insincere in this instance? What was Bradshaw supposed to do? Refuse to comment on Noll's passing? Say bad things about him?
     
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