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Who is/was the most likable successful coach? Any sport. (1 Viewer)

illiterate

Footballguy
Some discussion in the NCAA basketball tournament thread got me thinking about this.  I theorize that in general most coaches that are successful are also kind of #######s (jerks).  Not talking about how the home fans feel about them.

Al McGuire was the first one that came to mind.  .787 Winning percentage at Marquette.  I liked him as an announcer, but not sure if people thought he was a jerk when coaching.  Maybe Jimmy V?

Nebraska recently had probably one of the most likable tandem of football and basketball coaches in Mike Riley and Tim Miles, but they couldn't be defined as successful at Nebraska.  Super nice guys though, which is kind of my point.

Is being kind of a jerk a trait of most highly successful people in general?

Whatcha got?

 
Oh yeah Bobby Bowden was likable as well.
See, I will give you Bowden especially later in his career, but not sure about Bill Self and Roy Williams.  It's all perception obviously, but they seem like a couple that put on a good face.

ETA:  And Bill Self made a snarky comment about the Big 12 getting better in basketball when Nebraska and Colorado left.  He was right, but still.  :)  

 
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I had the excellent fortune to be friendly with one of the UNM Lobos basketball team when the Final Four was in Albuquerque. Therefore, i knew that the NCSt Wolfpack was going to be partying at a disco called the Hungry Tiger one of the nights before the semis. What surprised me was that Coach V was among the entourage. What astounded me is that he was wearing a white Travolta suit and spent as much time on the dance floor as anyone on the team. Burnt into my memory is the image of Valvano with his cigarette poised between his chin and his puckered lower lip so he wouldnt smokechoke as he YMCA'd. With his peeps anyway, not a disingenuous bone in that man's body.

 
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Tom Landry / John Madden

I know Duke sucks but Coach K is always great in any interview I have ever heard.

I love Steve Spurrier. That guy kills me in interviews.

Terry Francona

 
Brad Stevens didn't win a championship with a Butler, but to get that close with that team was incredible.

He has a long career in the NBA ahead of him - will be shocked if he doesn't come away with multiple rings

He's the first one I thought of 

 
Bob Huggins.

I'd rather be circumcised as an adult than spend 5 minutes with Dabo or Tony Dungy or half the other non-shtick answers.

 
Some could argue that zero rings means he’s not truly successful, but I’d definitely have a couple drinks with Andy Reid.

 
I loved me some Spurrier. The ol ball coach was fantastic. I also think John Beilein is a fantastic guy. I saw an interview with Nick Stauskas where they asked him why he chose UM. He said of all the schools recruiting him, Beilein was the only coach that ever asked him how school was going, how his grades were, what he wanted to study, etc.

 
Pete Carroll? The guy skipped town before he had to face the lack of institutional control sanctions he contributed to. He seems like an affable enough guy but he operated shady as heck and I know lots of folks who dislike him.

Gibbs is a really good suggestion. I’d offer up Eddie Robinson and Jerry Sloan for consideration. 

 
Pete Carroll? The guy skipped town before he had to face the lack of institutional control sanctions he contributed to. He seems like an affable enough guy but he operated shady as heck and I know lots of folks who dislike him.

Gibbs is a really good suggestion. I’d offer up Eddie Robinson and Jerry Sloan for consideration. 
Is it likable or squeaky clean?

Wooden who everyone idolizes had everyone getting paid on his team, looked the other way. College sports is dirty.

 
Is it likable or squeaky clean?

Wooden who everyone idolizes had everyone getting paid on his team, looked the other way. College sports is dirty.
Fair. I know players like him but I always thought he presented himself as a #####.  

His nickname among ND fans was Poodle Pete because he was such a preening whiner every time we played them. Then he got caught cheating and only ratcheted up the smugness when he smirked it off and skipped town. 

 
Fair. I know players like him but I always thought he presented himself as a #####.  

His nickname among ND fans was Poodle Pete because he was such a preening whiner every time we played them. Then he got caught cheating and only ratcheted up the smugness when he smirked it off and skipped town. 
Poodle Pete is pretty good :lol:

I don't know all the stuff that happened at SC but I think college football is dirty as hell. It's a gross business.

For him leaving to Seattle he got offered an amazing deal by the best owner in sports and a ton of cash. I think he may have left regardless. But yeah it's not a good look.

 
Current Coaches

NBA - Brad Stevens/Steve Kerr

NFL - McVay

MLB - Francona/Counsell

NCAAB - Izzo

NCAAF - Dabo

 
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Brad Stevens didn't win a championship with a Butler, but to get that close with that team was incredible.

He has a long career in the NBA ahead of him - will be shocked if he doesn't come away with multiple rings

He's the first one I thought of 
:wub:

 
Fair. I know players like him but I always thought he presented himself as a #####.  

His nickname among ND fans was Poodle Pete because he was such a preening whiner every time we played them. Then he got caught cheating and only ratcheted up the smugness when he smirked it off and skipped town. 
Wait, wait.

Slow down.

So you are saying there used to be C-H-E-A-T-I-N-G in college football? 

 
Pete Carroll? The guy skipped town before he had to face the lack of institutional control sanctions he contributed to. He seems like an affable enough guy but he operated shady as heck and I know lots of folks who dislike him.
I'm not sure if banging a grad student and cheating on your wife, likely many times, qualifies as Mr Nice Guy, either.  At least his kids might not think so.

 
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