09-27-2019, 11:42 AM
Ignoring easy jokes about the sex abuse scandal...
Like every Stanford fan who has lingering PTSD from the 1970s and 1980s, since the moment we won the Orange Bowl I've been wondering how long this ride will last. Shaw has kept the music playing longer than I would have dreamed that night in Miami 10 years ago.
Now, facing the strong potential of our first losing season with Shaw as a coach, and the underlying sense of dread and fear it engenders in Stanford fans, I decided to look at the record of someone I would love to see Shaw emulate in terms of success and longevity: Joe Paterno.
In the 18 seasons JoePa coached Penn State in the Big 10, they won the conference title 3 times with a 2-1 record in the New Years' Day bowls.
After winning his first conference championship, he had a stretch of 4 losing seasons in 5 years before he righted the ship and won two more.
I'm sure there were grumbles during that losing stretch that the game had passed by JoePa, and certainly I heard that sentiment towards the end of his career.
Granted JoePa had a longer leash, because in the 27 years he coached Penn State before they joined the Big10 he had only one losing season and two national championships.
But it does comfort me to look at the stats of a guy who is considered a legend in college football to see that he too had a downturn that likely lasted longer than fans were happy with, but he was able to turn it around and bring the school back to the top.
Like every Stanford fan who has lingering PTSD from the 1970s and 1980s, since the moment we won the Orange Bowl I've been wondering how long this ride will last. Shaw has kept the music playing longer than I would have dreamed that night in Miami 10 years ago.
Now, facing the strong potential of our first losing season with Shaw as a coach, and the underlying sense of dread and fear it engenders in Stanford fans, I decided to look at the record of someone I would love to see Shaw emulate in terms of success and longevity: Joe Paterno.
In the 18 seasons JoePa coached Penn State in the Big 10, they won the conference title 3 times with a 2-1 record in the New Years' Day bowls.
After winning his first conference championship, he had a stretch of 4 losing seasons in 5 years before he righted the ship and won two more.
I'm sure there were grumbles during that losing stretch that the game had passed by JoePa, and certainly I heard that sentiment towards the end of his career.
Granted JoePa had a longer leash, because in the 27 years he coached Penn State before they joined the Big10 he had only one losing season and two national championships.
But it does comfort me to look at the stats of a guy who is considered a legend in college football to see that he too had a downturn that likely lasted longer than fans were happy with, but he was able to turn it around and bring the school back to the top.