While we like to vilify our toughest competitors (and some make it easy, see: Kiffin, Lane; Kelly, Chip) who are the coaches in the Pac -12 (and nationally) who seem most admirable? I remember when Gene Stallings was at Alabama and he seemed like such a remarkable man/father.

Joe Paterno

I lie Beamer

Walt Harris. He was a swell guy.

Jeff Tedford. Mike Riley. Chris Peterson.

...I really like Mike Riley for a lot of reasons. He seems like a good guy, who has turned down bigger programs after his San Diego fiasco, and does a fabulous job with limited talent. He never seems to do or say nasty things and just seems like an all around fine coach.

Beyond the Pac-12, the guy I really admire most is about to come to town: Chris Ault. In the Hall of Fame and came back to rescue his alma mater from mediocrity and in the middle of all of that developed an entirely new offense, or a least a variation, in the pistol. His players love him and he is soooo even tempered on the field it is unreal. Look what he did for Collin K...everyone else wanted him to play baseball and what, he is now the 2nd string QB for the Niners, not to mention lighting us up.

At Cal we should have such a guy...played QB, coaching on his 3rd go round and was also AD. That my friends is devotion. Sort of like Joe Kapp, except he is a far better coach.

:cheer

BearsLair72;841923473 said:

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...I really like Mike Riley for a lot of reasons. He seems like a good guy, who has turned down bigger programs after his San Diego fiasco, and does a fabulous job with limited talent. He never seems to do or say nasty things and just seems like an all around fine coach.

Beyond the Pac-12, the guy I really admire most is about to come to town: Chris Ault. In the Hall of Fame and came back to rescue his alma mater from mediocrity and in the middle of all of that developed an entirely new offense, or a least a variation, in the pistol. His players love him and he is soooo even tempered on the field it is unreal. Look what he did for Collin K...everyone else wanted him to play baseball and what, he is now the 2nd string QB for the Niners, not to mention lighting us up.

At Cal we should have such a guy...played QB, coaching on his 3rd go round and was also AD. That my friends is devotion. Sort of like Joe Kapp, except he is a far better coach.

:cheer

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my initial impression of the Michigan coach is he is a "good guy."

I like Ault a lot (great innovator, classy guy, etc.), though his tenure as Nevada's AD and his replacement of the existing coach with himself, was not without internal divisiveness. There still are various Nevada alums that hold a grudge, and don't consider him a good guy.

SoCalBear323;841923466 said:

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Jeff Tedford. Mike Riley. Chris Peterson.

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I'd add:

Kyle Whittingham. Kirk Ferentz. Paul Johnson. Frank Beamer. Charlie Strong. Pat Fitzgerald. Bret Bielema. June Jones. Bronco Mendenhall.

A lot of these are based off very little but initial impressions. If we played them every year (and recruited against them), I might feel differently.

I think ACC and Big 10 folks would disagree with Johnson and Bielema being listed as good guys FWIW. Of course, the caveat on your post covers that too.

Fewer fans are idolizing coaches in 2012.

One shudders to think what goes on at football factory schools. Most fans will still defend the coach at their school. After major issues led to the downfall of cleaner-than-clean Paterno and Tressel, however, fans are not willing to give anyone the benefit of the doubt.

Bielema is notorious for running up the score. Is that enough to take him out of "good guy" status? I am inclined to think so.

John ralston,he's a good guy and he's still out there,somewhere.

James Franklin from Vandy.. Did anybody else see the clip of him giving a walk on a scholarship during a team meeting? He seems like an aggressive, passionate guy

There is a certain Cal Bear rugby coach that should be mentioned.

He's doing a great job at Vandy, too.

Dick Tomey

Just thinking... we've had some pretty "good guys" as Head Football Coach: Roger Theder, Joe Kapp (unless he hits you), Bruce Snyder, Steve Mariucci, Tom Holmoe, now JT...

Most of them had at least some success, but I can see where some people could think that nice guys finish last.

For a different sport, Mike Montgomery is a true "good guy", but with a rather gruff (sometimes) exterior.

Not so sure anymore about Mike Riley. The headhunting tendencies of his D give me pause. Jahvid, Kevin Riley, Keenan. 3 substantial injuries in 3 consecutive years to the most important offensive players of the same opposing team. Coincidence? It'll happen again this year. Mark my words.

JT, on the other hand, might be too much of a "good guy" for a football coach. I wouldn't mind seeing and hearing some swagger, a display of confidence and killer instinct out there. I'd like to see him running up the score in the 4th quarter come Nov. 2 when Tra$h rolls into town and then look $ark in the eye during the end of game handshake and say clint-eastwood style, "What of it, chump?"... but that will never happen.

With the type of money being thrown out there in today's college football, nice guys finish last. The saying is true with chicks and it's true in sports, especially high profile and rich sports.

I personally don't want to sell our soul for wins by destroying academic standards or recruiting kids with really shady backgrounds ala Chip Kelly, but wins DO count. Look at the hundreds of millions Chip is bringing into Oregon. Even if the NCAA finally grow a pair and nails Oregon, the damage is already done. Oregon made tons of cash and there are thousands of kids who grow up rooting for Nike U. They won't care if Oregon is on probation.

Let's use U$C as another example. They won for over 8 years under Pete Carroll and he was pretty dirty, not SEC or Whoregon dirty, but dirty nonetheless. Though they were hit hard by the NCAA, they are now enjoying the fruits of those years by strong recruiting classes with kids who "grew up" remembering the National Championships and Rose Bowl games.