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"Experts" grading the Colorado hire

Dark Bohner

Dark Bohner

Cooler than a Popsicle Stand.
Club Member
There have been multiple sources like ESPN, Rivals, CFN, etc. I don't have a major problem with some of the analysis and that Jon Embree is a bit of an unknown, but I laugh at them saying it is a major risk. Soooo say we went with a big name like...Dan Hawkins?

Every coaching hire is a crapshoot. Great HC's and coordinators have bombed at other gigs. Unknowns have had great success. Jon Embree may be inexperienced, but to say he is a big risk, considering the red hot last hire we made with Hawk and the corresponding worst in program history stretch, is laughable.
 
Embree was a pretty safe hire, imo.

We knew that he understands CU culture and what works here.

We knew that he was well-connected with alumni, boosters and the in-state high school coaches.

We knew that he could bring a great staff with him.

We knew that he was a great recruiter.

We knew that he was a great "on the grass" coach.

In general, we knew Jon Embree.

Guys like Mike Bellotti, Jim McElwain and Troy Calhoun that the national media would have liked better would have been much higher risks for CU.
 
He has been fairly successful (as a player and assistant) in the unique environment of Boulder. Dan's mojo didn't work in the bubble, obviously. He was highly regarded by Mike Shanahan. He has Pac-10 experience. I agree that it's a fairly safe hire. However, he is not a proven winner as an HC, and that is a big question mark for any rational person. There are parallels with Randy Shannon in Miami, and that didn't work.
 
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Questionable hire? Certainly.

Risky hire? Not really.


He's not being paid much. Certainly hiring Jon Embree will help the bottom line because of increased donations. If the team doesn't improve in the next few years - fire him.
 
Spanky said:
He has been fairly successful (as a player and assistant) in the unique environment of Boulder. Dan's mojo didn't work in the bubble, obviously. He was highly regarded by Mike Shanahan. He has Pac-10 experience. I agree that it's a fairly safe hire. However, he is not a proven winner as an HC, and that is a big question mark for any rational person. There are parallels with Randy Shannon in Miami, and that didn't work.
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That is my point. How is that a bigger question mark than Embree's his current credentials? We got a red hot proven HC with Hawk and he crashed and burned. ND has burned through "proven" coaches at about a 5 year clip. How has Rich Rod worked out at UM? Weasel at UCLA? A rational person sees that every hire consists of many more important factors than "did he win at his last job?".
 
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OK, that's a good point.

buffedup said:
That is my point. How is that a bigger question mark than Embree's his current credentials? We got a red hot proven HC with Hawk and he crashed and burned. ND has burned through "proven" coaches at about a 5 year clip. How has Rich Rod worked out at UM? Weasel at UCLA? A rational person sees that every hire consists of many more important factors than "did he win at his last job?".
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rodrigo said:
Chuck Fairbanks was proven winner with a MNC under his belt when he was hired by CU.
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not at OU, their 70's MNC's are 74 and 75. Both Switzer.

I'd say Jon Embree was a stabilizing hire since Hawk inherited a program that was shaky in some ways (esp national perception) and then put it on shakier ground by not winning. not even being .500 and putting some forgettable, lamentable years even further between the present and the proud past.
 
It remains to be seen if Embo can bring us back to the top, but even if he doesn't work out I think we'll be better off than we are right now. Pretty safe hire, imo.
 
Mick Ronson said:
not at OU, their 70's MNC's are 74 and 75. Both Switzer.

I'd say Embree was a stabilizing hire since Hawk inherited a program that was shaky in some ways (esp national perception) and then put it on shakier ground by not winning. not even being .500 and putting some forgettable, lamentable years even further between the present and the proud past.
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Agree with you...recent history of hires.

1994 - Mac Unexpectedly left the program. CU failed to do a nationwide search even though the job was one of the top ones in the nation at the time.
1998/99 - RN bolts after the 98 season and only a few weeks before NOI day. Not many viable candidates available at that point in the season. Search botched with the failed Kubiak attempt. Barnett was a name coach who wanted to come to CU got the job...the job was still good but had lost its luster...luster further lost when 53 NCAA violations were uncovered - 51 of them under RN putting the program on 2 years of probation.
2005 - Barnett was fired for not winning the more and getting blown out by UT in the Big 12 championship game. Barnett's tenure had seen the program go thru a lot of hick-ups due to the "scandal". Bohn targets a single candidate and gets the "sexy" hire. In retrospect, focusing more on what the candidate could accomplish might of prevented the hire.

2010 - Hawkins fired a year too late. CU football program has lost luster and support. A true search committee is formed, develops criteria and interviews several candidates. Selects John Embree. IMO, this is the best process that CU has used in a long time. How will it turn out...no one will know.
 
BlackNGold said:
1994 - Mac Unexpectedly left the program. CU failed to do a nationwide search even though the job was one of the top ones in the nation at the time.
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Was this really uncommon?? Seems like most of the time when a prominent head coach retires (i.e. NOT FIRED) the first choice is a coach already on staff.

1989 - Bo Schembechler retires. Michigan promotes Gary Moeller to be head coach.
1989 - Barry Switzer "retires". OU promotes defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs to be head coach.
1997 - Tom Osborne retires. Nebraska promotes Frank Solich to be head coach.
2005 - Barry Alvarez retires. Wisconsin promotes Bret Bielema to be head coach.
 
Lt.Col.FrankSlade said:
Was this really uncommon?? Seems like most of the time when a prominent head coach retires (i.e. NOT FIRED) the first choice is a coach already on staff.

1989 - Bo Schembechler retires. Michigan promotes Gary Moeller to be head coach.
1989 - Barry Switzer "retires". OU promotes defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs to be head coach.
1997 - Tom Osborne retires. Nebraska promotes Frank Solich to be head coach.
2005 - Barry Alvarez retires. Wisconsin promotes Bret Bielema to be head coach.
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2006 - Dan Hawkins leaves Boise St for Colorado. Boise promotes Peterson to head coach.
2009 - Mike Belloti retires. Oregon promotes Kelly to head coach.
2011 - Jim Harbaugh retires. Stanford promotes Shaw to head coach.


You are very much correct. When a team is successful and loses a coach, the natural reaction is to promote from within.
 
66BUFF said:
but not with a qb coach thats been there 2 years
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You can thank Judy Albino for that one. The finalists were Simmons, Hankwitz and Neuhisel. Last I checked, neither Simmons nor Hankwitz has been setting the world on fire as a head coach.

If we had been smart, we would have hired Charlie McBride. He was the fusker DC and a CU alumnus. Hiring him would have probably kept us going in the right direction while simultaneously damaging the fuskers. Problem was that McBride was well into his 50's at that point, and might not have been viewed as a very sexy hire.
 
sackman said:
You can thank Judy Albino for that one. The finalists were Simmons, Hankwitz and Neuhisel. Last I checked, neither Simmons nor Hankwitz has been setting the world on fire as a head coach.

If we had been smart, we would have hired Charlie McBride. He was the fusker DC and a CU alumnus. Hiring him would have probably kept us going in the right direction while simultaneously damaging the fuskers. Problem was that McBride was well into his 50's at that point, and might not have been viewed as a very sexy hire.
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Always wished mac had stayed a few more years and mentored a replacement. :sad2:
 
Lt.Col.FrankSlade said:
Questionable hire? Certainly.

Risky hire? Not really.


He's not being paid much. Certainly hiring Embree will help the bottom line because of increased donations. If the team doesn't improve in the next few years - fire him.
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I understand this is statement is contingent on some future circumstances...but mark down 1/24/11 as the first "Fire Embree" reference.:smile2:
 
66BUFF said:
Always wished mac had stayed a few more years and mentored a replacement. :sad2:
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I wish Mac had stayed - period. I don't think he would have allowed the program to fall into such disrepair. He would have demanded, and received, the admin support that they needed to stay successful.
 
Even if Embree doesn't get it done on the field, he's going to recruit up a storm with this staff. So if, in 5 years, we still suck, the next guy will at least have big time talent to work with.
 
leftybuff said:
I understand this is statement is contingent on some future circumstances...but mark down 1/24/11 as the first "Fire Embree" reference.:smile2:
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Huh? I thought BCS called for his firing right after he was announced.
 
I understand that criticism. I have my concerns as well. So far however, I like what I see.
 
sackman said:
2006 - Dan Hawkins leaves Boise St for Colorado. Boise promotes Peterson to head coach.
2009 - Mike Belloti retires. Oregon promotes Kelly to head coach.
2011 - Jim Harbaugh resigned. Stanford promotes Shaw to head coach.


You are very much correct. When a team is successful and loses a coach, the natural reaction is to promote from within.
Click to expand...

fify :thumbsup:
 
Lt.Col.FrankSlade said:
Was this really uncommon?? Seems like most of the time when a prominent head coach retires (i.e. NOT FIRED) the first choice is a coach already on staff.

1989 - Bo Schembechler retires. Michigan promotes Gary Moeller to be head coach.
1989 - Barry Switzer "retires". OU promotes defensive coordinator Gary Gibbs to be head coach.
1997 - Tom Osborne retires. Nebraska promotes Frank Solich to be head coach.
2005 - Barry Alvarez retires. Wisconsin promotes Bret Bielema to be head coach.
Click to expand...

Except you are missing an important point. In the cases of Moeller, Solich and Bielema were all being groomed to be the next head coach. Gibbs had been on the OU staff for 13 years including several as DC. Neuheisel had never been a coordinator - had only been on the staff ONE year (not 2). Bob Simmons had been groomed as the HC in waiting...so yes what happened at CU was unusual.
 
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