The biggest offseason development of 2006
For a moment, forget the scandals of USC.Forget the coaching carousel at Boise State, Colorado, and Wisconsin.
Forget the hype, forget the predictions, forget the recruiting.
The biggest development of this offseason happened on Thursday night with the death of Northwestern coach Randy Walker.
Walker's high-flying, high-scoring shootout style was unique in college football. And it was exciting. Walker wasn't the best coach, but he certainly had his moments.
Last season, Northwestern surprised a few teams, getting to a bowl for a third time under Walker, a record for a coach at NU. The offense put a scare into a few more. They beat Big Ten teams Wisconsin, Purdue, Michigan State, and Iowa, none of whom are a pushover. Their only losses were to perennial powers Ohio State and Michigan, and came within a touchdown of beating resurgent and nationally-ranked #3 Penn State.
This is Northwestern. Northwestern, who gets the recruits the rest of the Big Ten forgot about, or didn't have room for. The best returning player, RB Tyrell Sutton, was ignored in Ohio State's backyard.
No, recruiting was never Walker's strength. Neither was defense for that matter. But Walker could coach. The players he did have, he made an impact with. Nothing speaks louder than the Big Ten title he shared in 2000, a year after going 3-8. His career record of 96-81-5 is a testament to his coaching. Not stupendous, but certainly not horrendous. He had an impact.
Somewhere, the Big Ten is missing a thorn in its side.
posted by xcdannon @ 8:31 PM
0 comments
