groundgame

Shula Sr.'s also probably ticked off that Saban takes over the Bama job his son was just fired from.


Updated:2007-01-05 10:55:11
As Saban Leaves, Don Shula Talks of ‘Lies’
The New York Times
As Nick Saban was introduced as football coach at Alabama yesterday, Don Shula, who coached the Miami Dolphins to two Super Bowl titles, criticized Saban, saying he had “run away from the challenge” in leaving Miami with three years left on his contract.

“There were four or five direct statements that were blatant lies,” Shula told The Miami Herald, referring to denials from Saban that he had an interest in the Alabama job. “That tells you a bit about the guy.”

Shula added, “The guy likes to hear himself talk and then doesn’t follow up on what he says.”

Shula’s son Mike was fired as Alabama’s coach on Nov. 27. The Tide went 6-7 this season.

At his introduction in Tuscaloosa, Saban spoke of his championship aspirations and cited his love of college football as a reason for taking a pay cut to leave the Dolphins after 9-7 and 6-10 seasons, The Associated Press reported.

“My heart’s here; I love it here,” said Saban, who was making $4.5 million a year with Miami and reportedly has agreed to an eight-year, $30 million deal. “I like to affect people, and that’s why I’m here. This is obviously one of the best places in the country to have an opportunity to do that.”


Fanhouse Bloggers React

AP
Get in the NCAA Fanhouse for up-close coverage of your team.

Pete Holiday Says: "The bottom line is that it means more wins immediately. ... But the whole process has shown us something else, too. The national media has made it a point to say as often as possible that the Tide was washed up. ... Instead, national sports media basically stopped in their tracks this morning waiting for the announcement." -- Alabama Blogger Reacts Taking over a program that won five national titles under Bear Bryant, Saban refused to dwell in the past.

“It’s what you do now,” he said.

His résumé features the one thing Alabama fans hunger for: a national title.

“I know there’s tremendous expectations here,” Saban said. “I can tell you that, however you feel about it, I have even higher expectations for what we want to accomplish. I want to win every game we play.”

Saban led Alabama’s divisional rival Louisiana State to a national title in 2003 and two Southeastern Conference championships before joining Miami in late 2004.

Alabama has not won the conference or even the Western Division since 1999 under Mike DuBose. The Crimson Tide’s latest national title — its sixth — came in 1992 under Gene Stallings. Alabama has had four losing seasons since 1997.

“His teams always play with confidence and pride and I know that in order to win a national championship, a team has to be mentally as well as physically tough,” said Alabama’s athletic director, Mel Moore, who played and coached under Bryant.

As for the salary, Moore said, “I just think it was a very crucial hire for us in this time in our history.”

Tunescribe

Obviously. For Don Shula it was a double whammy: Not only was his son canned for the sake of luring Saban, but Saban also leaves the team that Don made his legacy with in shambles. No doubt he hates the guy.

FreeTedWilliams

Leave it to the New York Times to find absolutely the most bias person (about this particular subject) on the face of the planet to talk.

Gee Shula isn't happy that the Head Coach of the team that he is employed by, is leaving to take the job that his son was just fired from.

WOW who would have thunk it!

__________________
The Jets look like a Super Bowl contender right now about as much as Rosie O’Donnell looks like a threat for the Miss America crown. -NY Post 12/19/2011


To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

BelichickFan

Shula is just an overated bittter old man. He stakes his glory on a different league from decades ago. He coached his last 22 years without winning a Super Bowl. Maybe he can get the Dolphins to hire Mike

pats60

Yea name me one coach who said during the season, Im leaving after the season to go back to college.

Fumblerooski

Maybe even get Nick Bonticonti and Larry Czonka involved as coaches. Are those guys still alive? 35 years ago and still counting.

Fogbuster

Bada-BINGO!! If you hit the nail on the head any cleaner you'd have to hire a secretary to keep track of all your job offers.

As to the facts themselves, Don Shula has enough integrity to probably say only what he knows is true. But no doubt this subject couldn't be more personally painful for a man in his position to discuss, twice whacked.


//

PatsWickedPissah

Mora in Atlanta

__________________
Throughout history, poverty is the normal condition of man. Advances which permit this norm to be exceeded — here and there, now and then — are the work of an extremely small minority, frequently despised, often condemned, and almost always opposed by all right-thinking people. Whenever this tiny minority is kept from creating, or (as sometimes happens) is driven out of a society, the people then slip back into abject poverty.
This is known as "bad luck." RAH

BelichickFan

Additionally, Saban wasn't actually lying he was just wrong. As I have outlined on the other thread, his friend Chris Landry talked to him the night before the announcement and he was undecided. When he denied it before HE DIDN'T KNOW. And Landry went on to rip his decision on the radio, he wasn't just protecting his friend. Saban was wrong when he said he wasn't leaving but it's not lying if you think it's the truth.

belichickaholic

He did lie. I think he even implied that he wasn't sure he really wanted the job two years ago. Does he actually expect anyone to believe that? I feel badly for those fans and especially those players. They had a good team before he got there and he just tore it apart and made them less than what they were. Jason Taylor, Zack Thomas, Sammy Knight, Sam Madison, they were the one team that I feared playing in 03. Then Williams bailed on them in 04, and they went down the tubes because of that, but IMO, they were still a good team before Saban got there.

Supposedly, he told the owner "I really don't want this job, but if you want me to, I'll take it". Say what??? Right, he didn't want to be the coach of the Dolphins. Give me a break.

IMO, he lied all along. He knew he wanted out in mid-season, and he should have just left the team as soon as he knew. As it is, he stayed and they went 6 - 10 anyway.