The Foley Legacy, v. 4.2

[78]

For all the lacrosse, softball and badminton success, he is what he is: The worst thing that ever happened to Florida football.

• He hired Ron Zook after a whirlwind flight across the country that included failed attempts in Norman and Denver. Instead of returning home to regroup, he continued on to New Orleans. Nothing good comes out of New Orleans, hangovers included.
• He hired Will Muschamp after a six-hour interview in Austin. We are left to wonder if he allowed Muschamp to seal the deal by fellating him.
• He hired Jim McElwain, whose claim to fame was riding Saban's coattails and then amassing a so-so product at Colorado State. Yes, this was the guy who would fix the offense and restore Florida to prominence. Yeah, we're prominent alright, prominently embarrassing.

We consistently grabbed the All-Sports trophy under Foley, but look where we are now, relegated to also-ran status in the most important arena of all, football, and left with a pair of goals, erasing his last two mistakes.

That includes the hand-picked successor, Casper Milktoast.

 

[GatorArts]

Those other sports will suffer without the income of the football team.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

For all the lacrosse, softball and badminton success, he is what he is: The worst thing that ever happened to Florida football.

Yes. Because it was all about HIM. And he was damn tired of hiring (or inheriting) coaches that overshadowed him.

He got what he wanted.

 

[Gatorraid81]

For all the lacrosse, softball and badminton success, he is what he is: The worst thing that ever happened to Florida football.

• He hired Ron Zook after a whirlwind flight across the country that included failed attempts in Norman and Denver. Instead of returning home to regroup, he continued on to New Orleans. Nothing good comes out of New Orleans, hangovers included.
• He hired Will Muschamp after a six-hour interview in Austin. We are left to wonder if he allowed Muschamp to seal the deal by fellating him.
• He hired Jim McElwain, whose claim to fame was riding Saban's coattails and then amassing a so-so product at Colorado State. Yes, this was the guy who would fix the offense and restore Florida to prominence. Yeah, we're prominent alright, prominently embarrassing.

We consistently grabbed the All-Sports trophy under Foley, but look where we are now, relegated to also-ran status in the most important arena of all, football, and left with a pair of goals, erasing his last two mistakes.

That includes the hand-picked successor, Casper Milktoast.

In addition, he lost 2 hall of fame Football coaches under his reign. Ever notice how good coaches don't leave places like Bama and some of these other schools. Cause they give the coach everything he could ever want. Not Fooley, his ego it too big and can't have a coach that wields that much power.

 

[78]

Yes. Because it was all about HIM. And he was damn tired of hiring (or inheriting) coaches that overshadowed him.

He got what he wanted.

A similar thing happened to the Chicago Bulls in the '90s. The general manager, Jerry Krause, a former baseball scout who took on the nickname "Sleuth," convinced owner Jerry Reinsdorf that it was he who was the architect of the team's six NBA titles and not Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman or Phil Jackson.

That left the ego-maniacal Krause free to prove to the world that it was his brilliance that made it all possible. Over a period of years, he succeeded in alienating the core of that team to the point where, in a series of dominoes, Jackson resigned, Jordan and Rodman retired and Pippen signed with the Rockets. All because of Krause being an a**hole.

Krause was free to hire his pet project, Tim Floyd from Iowa State, to succeed Jackson and build his own roster from scratch. Yes, you heard it right, Tim Floyd to succeed Phil Jackson, who nicknamed him Pink on the way out.

The Bulls, who could have probably added two more titles to the trophy case if not for the boneheadedness that was Jerry Krause, were never the same.

 

[gator1946]

In addition, he lost 2 hall of fame Football coaches under his reign. Ever notice how good coaches don't leave places like Bama and some of these other schools. Cause they give the coach everything he could ever want. Not Fooley, his ego it too big and can't have a coach that wields that much power.

That ain't just a footnote to this debacle. Hell of a good point.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

My friend who used to work fornthe athletic department, a fair and very measured dude, actually sometimes painfully so, the kind of dude who ALWAYS tried to see the other side, used to say that the building wasnt big enough fornthe egos of Fooley and Sourrier.... or just Fooley.

He woke up on third base, bouyed by the state's incredible growth in the 70s and 80s and interpreted that to mean he was responsible for the Athletic Department growth

 

[FireFoley]

My screen name, Circa 2002, on another board that met its demise, one minute after Zook was hired. I was subsequently banned immediately after the first time I typed Fooley. Never went back!!!!!

 

[FireFoley]

A similar thing happened to the Chicago Bulls in the '90s. The general manager, Jerry Krause, a former baseball scout who took on the nickname "Sleuth," convinced owner Jerry Reinsdorf that it was he who was the architect of the team's six NBA titles and not Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Horace Grant, Dennis Rodman or Phil Jackson.

That left the ego-maniacal Krause free to prove to the world that it was his brilliance that made it all possible. Over a period of years, he succeeded in alienating the core of that team to the point where, in a series of dominoes, Jackson resigned, Jordan and Rodman retired and Pippen signed with the Rockets. All because of Krause being an a**hole.

Krause was free to hire his pet project, Tim Floyd from Iowa State, to succeed Jackson and build his own roster from scratch. Yes, you heard it right, Tim Floyd to succeed Phil Jackson, who nicknamed him Pink on the way out.

The Bulls, who could have probably added two more titles to the trophy case if not for the boneheadedness that was Jerry Krause, were never the same.

Well told, as I lived in Chicago for all those years the Bulls had their run and went to lots of games. Though I was not a fan, they were a great team. But I always referred to Krause as "Crumbs" and never heard the "Sleuth" nickname, but I like it.

 

[Acecustis]

I think Mac did a good job at Colorado St but we jumped the gun. Urban dominated at the mid major level. Mac didn't show that yet.

 

[ufgator812]

I think Mac did a good job at Colorado St but we jumped the gun. Urban dominated at the mid major level. Mac didn't show that yet.

Go back and look at what McElstain did at CSU. He's doing the same thing here. That's what sh!tty coaches do. CSU is gonna get "CSU" grade players just as Florida is gonna get Florida grade players, by default! A good coach gets a couple/few extra blue chip difference makers and coaches them up. We have McElstain.

 

[Chomper]

Not to mention allowing Meyer to hang around an extra season and collect his millions when he had already lost all interest in coaching the Gators. As AD, Foley should have been more aware of the situation and taken a stronger stance instead of taking the easy way out and allowing Meyer to "mail it in" that final year. Sadly, I have not seen anything from Stricklin that indicates he will be any different.

 

[LagoonGator68]

Stricklin is a pipsqueak front man for Foley who is still calling the shots

 

[soflagator]

Not to mention allowing Meyer to hang around an extra season and collect his millions when he had already lost all interest in coaching the Gators. As AD, Foley should have been more aware of the situation and taken a stronger stance instead of taking the easy way out and allowing Meyer to "mail it in" that final year. Sadly, I have not seen anything from Stricklin that indicates he will be any different.

Meyer did us a favor by sticking around. I'm not sure we win a single game in '11 or '12 without some if that 2010 class.

He also gave Foley the gift of a lifetime. A true 1 years notice. Unfortunately Fole spent it at Starbucks and patting his own back before ultimately hiring a complete monkey of a coach. Plenty of things to blame Meyer about but his staying isn't one of them.

 

[Chomper]

Meyer did us a favor by sticking around. I'm not sure we win a single game in '11 or '12 without some if that 2010 class.

He also gave Foley the gift of a lifetime. A true 1 years notice. Unfortunately Fole spent it at Starbucks and patting his own back before ultimately hiring a complete monkey of a coach. Plenty of things to blame Meyer about but his staying isn't one of them.

Read my post again - I was not blaming Meyer. At the time, and I still am, very surprised that Foley was not more aware of the situation with Meyer. While Meyer may have given Foley a year to find a replacement, the result of that full year was Will Muschamp.

 

[FireFoley]

Read my post again - I was not blaming Meyer. At the time, and I still am, very surprised that Foley was not more aware of the situation with Meyer. While Meyer may have given Foley a year to find a replacement, the result of that full year was Will Muschamp.

I am a bit surprised that you were surprised that Fooley was not more aware of the Meyer situation. Exhibit A would have been 2002 when Fooley used to brag that he kept a list in his desk just in case. Well that list included 2 names that both had better jobs at the time and were making much more money than we could offer, thus Fooley "landed" Zook. Exhibit B should have been what more would you expect from a glorified ticket stub tearer?

 

[78]

Well told, as I lived in Chicago for all those years the Bulls had their run and went to lots of games. Though I was not a fan, they were a great team. But I always referred to Krause as "Crumbs" and never heard the "Sleuth" nickname, but I like it.

Yeah, the players did derogatorily refer to him as Crumbs. Somewhere along the way, he also got the nickname Sleuth. I think it was sarcasm for his self-proclaimed ability to sleuth talent.

 

[OcalaGator83]

It is unbelievable to me that some people still defend Foley as the "Greatest AD of all time." He systematically dismantled the football program with three disastrous hires, running off possibly the greatest Gator there has ever been, and we all know Meyer didn't land here because of anything he did. And still people defend this guy. I will never get it.

 

[Chomper]

I am a bit surprised that you were surprised that Fooley was not more aware of the Meyer situation. Exhibit A would have been 2002 when Fooley used to brag that he kept a list in his desk just in case.

If he indeed did have a list, it was apparently a very short one. And yes I was a bit surprised that the manager of a multi-million dollar company did not have a better read on his highest paid (by far) employee's personal issues that would end up having such a profound and long-lasting effect on the program. Their regular meetings should have told Foley that something was amiss.

 

[CGgater]

It is unbelievable to me that some people still defend Foley as the "Greatest AD of all time." He systematically dismantled the football program with three disastrous hires, running off possibly the greatest Gator there has ever been, and we all know Meyer didn't land here because of anything he did. And still people defend this guy. I will never get it.

Good points.

I appreciate the otherwise amazing job foley did to bring in national championships in a ton of UF sports. Unfortunately, his ton of mistakes with the football program is understandably overshadowing those other accomplishments.

How could foley go from making SOS the highest paid CFB coach to becoming Ebenezer Scrooge?

My best guess? He caught lightning in a bottle with Billy and thought he could do it with every hire. When it came to football, he was wrong. A lot.