Why is Schembechler considered a "great coach"?

In my lifetime.....

Bear Bryant
Joe Paterno
Bobby Bowden
Steve Spurrier

Perhaps I'm missing one....

 

Can't argue with the first three, but I think Bo has as good a case as Spurrier (national title and ACC title at Duke vs. prolonged excellence)

 

Much as it pains me to say it, Tom Osborne is the fifth member of that list.

Bo is on the next tier down -- Schembechler and Hayes, Switzer and Royal, McKay (who could replace Spurrier on the A-1 list there), Dooley, Broyles ... he's with them.

 

I have no problem with that if you indeed switch Spurrier and McKay

 

Spurrier created an offense.

 

Osborne.... of course.

Just for going for 2 in the OB, he gets there on pure sportsmanship alone.

 

Spurrier did not create the offense. He named it, yes.

What he also did, more importantly, is he took his version of it -- the Fun-and-Gun, of course -- to the SEC and exploited what had previously been a league dominated by the (albeit, very successful) cloud-of-dust philosophy used by Bear Bryant, Vince Dooley and other legendary coaches.

It took the league an entire decade to catch up. In which time, Spurrier won about a half-dozen conference titles and a national championship. He's up high on the list, and he's got an argument for being in the discussion of the best ever. But not because he created an offense.

 

His version=creation

 

But I think we may be elevating the word "great" a little here. The coaches you rattled off are the top tier, and Bo falls in line behind them, but I think most if not all of your second tier coaches could be called great as well. Giving that title to Bo or Osbourne or Switzer or Hayes is appropriate, again acknowledging that they don't get the top plane that a Bryant or Pattern get.

 

are you frigging kidding me? the ALL-TIME NCAA COACHING WINS LEADER (honestly, bowden has about 4 more wins, a lot of bowdens wins came at a div 1 aa school, and when all is said and done i believe joepa will outlast bowden) is not a great coach? honestly, i was going with you about schembechler, but paterno???? what drugs are you on?

 

Yes, he origniated an offense... he was the first person to throw the football on a regular basis... what a novel approach...

 

I believe it's because he said, "A Michigan Man is going to coach Michigan."
Nah, that was mean.
He was a great coach. All coaches have failures on their resumes. Not all have great successes.
Chuck Noll once went 1-13. Post '79, he makes one AFC title game. Does that mean he wasn't great? How about Paterno? Yeah, he went unbeaten 5 times, but what about his record in the 00s?
It's always something.