I played football with Willie in HS at SMNW and he and I have been friends since then. Last time I spoke to Willie was just before Miles was fired so I have no knowledge of where he stands on coming to KU or any of that. I want to make it clear I’m a Jayhawk through and through and I intend to fully support whoever is chosen as our next HFC, Willie Fritz or not. And, as a long suffering KU football fan like the rest of you, I’m excited that it appears we’re finally going to get off the mat and make a good decision about our new coach regardless of which of the people mentioned gets the job; they all appear eminently well qualified. So, anything I say here is not intended to demean any of the other apparent candidates, at all, so no reason to attack my comments, this is just info from a first-hand perspective. Here are a few things that bear repeating:
So, to be objective, let’s talk about the negatives that could legitimately be offered to not hire Willie:
He’s 60 years old. Trust me, he could outrun and out lift most 40 yr olds, and he is a high energy guy. So, maybe after 6-7 yrs he has had enough; the program will be in great shape and then a Kevin Kane will be a perfect choice. Right now we need someone proven who can turn around a program.
He goes 6-6 a lot. Remember, we’re talking about Tulane, so this is still pretty good, but Willie would be the first to tell you that they literally blew two games this year or his record would be much better. So, maybe this is a flaw, or maybe he is just that close to breaking things open (at Tulane!). I think he can get it done and he has been very, very close. I would ask you to be objective and ask how good would it feel for KU to be even close to 6-6? He can get us to that point quickly, and then I think it will be a different world in terms of recruiting.
I’m not saying that the other coaches mentioned wouldn’t be a good hire, I’m just saying we have the opportunity to hire a local guy with a PROVEN track record of turning programs around. So, obviously, I hope KU hires Willie and I know he’d do a great job, but if not, I‘ll be pulling for whoever they do hire. And if it is Willie, trust me it will go well and I expect each of you to support him just like I’ll support any of the other candidates... Rock Chalk.
- Willie coached Blinn Juco to two undefeated national championships, with Michael Bishop as his QB
- He played in two NC games as the HC @ Sam Houston St. against ND State
- He has sent a bunch of guys to the NFL, including from his time at Cent. MO.....Delaney Walker comes to mind
- There has never been even a whiff of scandal at any of the programs he has lead and he has gotten along great with his administration in all the places he has been
- He has deep recruiting ties to great HS and JUCO programs across the SE, including GA, LA, FL & MS, not to mention TX, which is going to be key as the KU program rebuilds
- He has turned around every program he has coached, and it didn’t take long. I’ve been watching a lot of Tulane football (for obvious reasons) in recent years and every year they have gotten better and more disciplined
- Willie is a tough guy; trust me I know. And his teams are tough; nobody looks forward to playing Tulane anymore
- He is a disciplinarian. I know of at least two situations where he kicked one of his better players off the team because they were hurting the team.
- He is a local guy married to a KU girl..... I actually knew Susan before he did....
So, to be objective, let’s talk about the negatives that could legitimately be offered to not hire Willie:
He’s 60 years old. Trust me, he could outrun and out lift most 40 yr olds, and he is a high energy guy. So, maybe after 6-7 yrs he has had enough; the program will be in great shape and then a Kevin Kane will be a perfect choice. Right now we need someone proven who can turn around a program.
He goes 6-6 a lot. Remember, we’re talking about Tulane, so this is still pretty good, but Willie would be the first to tell you that they literally blew two games this year or his record would be much better. So, maybe this is a flaw, or maybe he is just that close to breaking things open (at Tulane!). I think he can get it done and he has been very, very close. I would ask you to be objective and ask how good would it feel for KU to be even close to 6-6? He can get us to that point quickly, and then I think it will be a different world in terms of recruiting.
I’m not saying that the other coaches mentioned wouldn’t be a good hire, I’m just saying we have the opportunity to hire a local guy with a PROVEN track record of turning programs around. So, obviously, I hope KU hires Willie and I know he’d do a great job, but if not, I‘ll be pulling for whoever they do hire. And if it is Willie, trust me it will go well and I expect each of you to support him just like I’ll support any of the other candidates... Rock Chalk.
