Friends aim to keep ISU out of deep end

**chadm** · 08-26-2007, 06:25 AM

Ames, Ia. - The seeds of Iowa State's football coaching staff were planted in the bottom of a South Carolina lake.

That's where Danny Ford's boat ended up in 1988, when one of his four young assistants - Gene Chizik, Robert McFarland, Wayne Bolt or Barney Farrar - failed to properly secure it.

Des Moines Register Link

**Flag Guy** · 08-26-2007, 09:02 AM

Good story

**brianhos** · 08-26-2007, 09:10 AM

Yeah, I was not aware that they were all together this early in their careers.

**Flag Guy** · 08-26-2007, 09:17 AM

I remember hearing a while back that they had worked together pretty early on, and they made a pact that whoever got the first shot as a head coach would bring the others in so they could be back together

**brianhos** · 08-26-2007, 09:19 AM

Originally Posted by Flag Guy

I remember hearing a while back that they had worked together pretty early on, and they made a pact that whoever got the first shot as a head coach would bring the others in so they could be back together

That does not excite me...I hope this is not true. I would hope these were the best guys for the job.

**clones_jer** · 08-26-2007, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Flag Guy

I remember hearing a while back that they had worked together pretty early on, and they made a pact that whoever got the first shot as a head coach would bring the others in so they could be back together

I hope not ... that sounds way to third-grade-girl to me.

I'd hope he hired them because they were good coaches and good friends - not because of some "blood-brothers" deal straight out of My Girl.

**Flag Guy** · 08-26-2007, 09:24 AM

I believe part of the idea is that they had a good working relationship and were in sync with each other and all that good stuff that usually takes time to deveolop with a new team but... belive me I do understand what you're saying, I found it a bit disturbing when I first heard it. But hey, if they do their job well... I think I'll manage to excuse it

**D UP Clones** · 08-26-2007, 10:22 AM

I can't imagine a better way to know the people applying for a job. If you have been in a certain profession long enough, you know who you would go after if you ever had the opportunity.

Chizik had no doubts. That sounds much better than trying to figure out if a guy's success is based on his knowledge of the game or the extremely talented players he had for a few years. References are nice, but you usually can only trust the references of people you know fairly well.

PS And I have heard nothing but positives from people about Bolt and McFarland. I also heard that Chizik gave no one on his staff a free pass on anything. Chizik expects a lot of his coaches.

**cyclonekj** · 08-26-2007, 11:04 AM

It's nice to see an article that doesn't take digs at ISU, make unfounded implications of impropriety, or look for ways to connect ISU to U of I's problems.

The Register needs more of these stories.

**AirWalke** · 08-26-2007, 11:48 AM

I wouldn't worry about the buddy-buddy thing too much. I thought about it, too, when I'd been reading that Chizik was hiring coaches he'd been friends with forever, almost like "You won't believe how much money they're giving me to hire assistant coaches!" However, these guys first started their coaching careers under a guy who played for Bear Bryant, and not to mention also learned from someone who had won a NC at Clemson. We're in good hands.

**wesley_w** · 08-26-2007, 01:54 PM

I hadn't even realized that Chizik coached under Danny Ford. I remember Clemson had been on probation after their national championship for several recruiting violations and I think they were serious infractions. After looking it up though, all those happened before our coaches were there, which I'm glad about.

**CyBandCG** · 08-26-2007, 01:57 PM

I like this story a lot, good personally side of all of the coaches and there relationship.

**darts180** · 08-26-2007, 02:14 PM

Originally Posted by brianhos

That does not excite me...I hope this is not true. I would hope these were the best guys for the job.

Wow, Brian, looking for anything, huh???

**ISUboi12** · 08-26-2007, 03:14 PM

Darts, do you pull grasshoppers heads off and put them on backwards. Then gleefully observe the results??

Crazy cakes..

**brianhos** · 08-26-2007, 03:41 PM

Originally Posted by darts180

Wow, Brian, looking for anything, huh???

No, I would have thought he was putting together a team of the best people, not a good ol boys gang. And I am not saying that is what happend, but it sounds like that is a possibility.