RIP Larry Smith

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/222568.php

 

RIP. Seemed like a nice enough guy in the very short time I covered him.

 

As the link was connecting, I was 50-50 on whether this was Mr. Mean, or the college football coach.

 

Me, too.
Mr. Mean was a pillar on Davey Whitney's 1979 Alcorn State team which won on the road at Mississippi State to open the NIT, then lost by 4 at Bloomington versus Knight's boys. I'm very familiar with him.
Hollandale Simmons High grad.
I was concerned, too, that it was him. He was solid in the pros with the Rockets.

Condolences to the former Arizona coach's family. I never remember much negative press about the guy.

 

I remember he was one of the most highly respected coaches around while at Arizona, but I believe his rep took a bit of a hit with his the end of his USC tenure, mainly the Fiesta Bowl loss to Fresno State and his breaking down in tears at the presser announcing his resignation.

RIP

 

That wasn't the Fiesta Bowl with Fresno State - it might have been the Freedom Bowl or some other similar shit bowl.

 

Covered his final season at Mizzou... and honestly, that semester was such a blur, I can't recall that much. His biggest mistake whilst there was failing to capitalize on the momentum created by the back-to-back bowl seasons in 97 and 98. He also brought in some top-tier talent, including Justin Smith and Justin Gage. RIP.

 

It was the 1992 Freedom Bowl... and Smith took a blizzard of flak for the Spoiled Children spitting the bit in that game.

We had 3-4 Fresno State grads working at the paper I worked at -- and two 'SC grads, who never heard the end of that one for months.

RIP

 

Yes it was the Freedom Bowl. Meant to write that and had a brain fart.

 

Yeah, my college roommate at the time was originally from the Central Valley and a big Fresno State fan. That game was during Christmas break and he was back home, but was able to leave me a message razzing me for that.

I've always been a USC fan, but a big part of me was kind of happy to see them get their clock cleaned because they were so damn arrogant before that game. I remember Rob Johnson, who I never liked much quite frankly, saying USC wouldn't even have the Bulldogs on their regular schedule, to which a co-worker of mine replied "I guess not, Rob -- you'd probably want to face a team you could beat."

 

He cleaned up a Cassandra Crossing-type wreck scene left by Bob Stull, maybe the worst coach in Division I history.

 

Smith made Tulane into a winner, went to a bowl game, and beat LSU for the first time in decades. After he left, his core of recruits went on to another bowl, and beat LSU two out the next three years, a miracle by any measure.