Who was the Best and Worst Head Coach you have ever spoken with

For big time coaches, none are even close to Bowden. You could ask a reporter to list the 10 things they would want from a coach they cover and Bowden would still be better. Hell, the guy used to answer his office phone. He would give reporters he barely knew his home phone number, which doesn't really matter because he is listed (or at least was a decade ago) in the Tallahassee phone book.

 

Always liked Gerry DiNardo. When I was in school at LSU, he didn't really have a Sunday press conference. It was just more of an informal interview session in his office at 4 p.m. Half the time, he showed up in sweats and sandals. Maybe a half-dozen reporters showed up and a few times he stuck around for 30 or 40 minutes just shooting the shit.

He also has a special place in my heart for something he did the year before I worked for the student paper.
I had a video project due for a journalism class and, totally ignorant of protocol, just went to his office and asked the football secretary if I could arrange an interview. She called back later that day and said I could come by the next morning. I spent 30 minutes in his office -- and this is while spring practice is going on, mind you -- asking all sorts of inane questions that had nothing to do with current events. Looking back, I came across as a total fanboy and feel shame over it now. But DiNardo rolled with it, was gracious and answered every question I asked, no matter how stupid and lacking in basic research or relevance they were.
He might not have been the best coach on the field, but he sure was great to deal with. I was gone by the time he flamed out and Saban rolled into town, but there must have been some culture shock on the beat for a while. Like how the French felt when they saw the Nazi tanks rolling through the Ardennes.

 

As far as playing and understanding the media game, Bobby Bowden "got it."
And he was treated well for it.
Something shitbags like Saban will never understand.

 

For my money, there is nobody better than Wake Forest's Jim Grobe.

 

Best: John Calipari (ducking). I know there many Cal haters around these parts, but I spent an afternoon with the guy during a Memphis practice once and he couldn't have been any better as an interview subject. And, of course, Dale Brown was/is one of my all-time favorite guys to talk to.

Worst: Jeffrey Leonard when he was a Double-A manager. Yikes.

 

This would be the place to find out.

http://theoldcoach.rivals.com/forum.asp?sid=984&fid=421&style=2

 

Geez, forgot about Dale Brown. He was an awesome quote, though I once got into it with him when he basically called me a liar for reading quotes from his players back to him.

 

Best: Pat Jones, Dick Fick (RIP).
Worst: John Brady, and it's not even close.

 

I had a phoner with Dale Brown once. After about 10 minutes, I asked him how he handled the criticism he got for the lack of postseason success when he had Shaq, Robert and Jackson. His "answer" was to hang up.

Paul Westhead and Wooden are at the top of my good list.

 

Best- Bobby Bowden. You get the feeling that guy would love nothing more than to sit around and talk about football for hours on end. I was at the press avail a couple days before the 2010 Gator Bowl- his last game as a head coach- and he went on for about a half hour about his days at West Virginia and FSU and everything else. All around class guy.
Worst- Other than a bunch of pissy high school coaches over the years, I'd have to say Bobby Ross. Never much to say, but he managed to sound like Foghorn Leghorn while he said it.

 

Dale Brown got all bent out of shape once over an advance I'd written when Auburn, my beat, played LSU. I'd done the unthinkable/unforgiveable and quoted him accurately, but my story was the first he'd seen the morning after the teleconference. He had the Auburn SID staff bring me over to the sidelines for a stern talking to. Will never forget looking over his shoulder at the rest of the Auburn media contingent cheering me on while he ranted. He smiled and shook my hand when he was finished, though, and then was very nice a week or so later at the SEC tournament.

Even that weirdness didn't come close to the disaster of a year that was for me, because I got to deal with Pat Dye on an almost daily basis.

 

I was actually fully entertained by my limited interaction with John Brady. Granted, I never covered the guy.

People will laugh, but Jim Harrick was amazing to deal with.

Bowden is the best and nobody else is even close.