AJC > Sports > Blog > Archives > 2008 > December > 16
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Did race play a factor in the Auburn decision?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
A few final thoughts/questions about Auburn’s hiring of Gene Chizik as its head football coach:
1. Did race play a factor in the decision? Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs talked about Chizik being the best “fit” for the program. Jacobs was clearly talking about the fact that Chizik had worked at Auburn before and understood the expectations and the unique culture of the place. But you can’t ignore the fact that to others the word “fit” has an entirely different meaning. It is code for doing the thing that is comfortable instead of doing the thing that is right.
Turner Gill of Buffalo, an African-American, had a great interview with Auburn officials. It is my understanding that President Jay Gouge really liked Gill and understood that it would be a significant hire in Auburn’s history. Gill’s wife is white.
There is no way to know what factor race played, if any, in this decision. You can’t look inside people’s hearts. I hope that it didn’t because Gill, aside from being a good coach, is a fine man.
But it can’t help Auburn when Charles Barkley, one of the most famous athletes in school history, trashes his alma mater on national television and claims that race was THE factor in the decision. Charles has been known to go over the top from time to time but if you’re an Auburn fan it would not be wise to simply dismiss what he said. Barkley’s words did some damage yesterday. And understand that in this part of the world recruiting is a contact sport. Fair or not, Barkley’s words will be used Auburn on the recruiting trail.
And also understand this. You can’t just dismiss the race issue out of hand and pretend it’s not there. Not when there are only four African-American head coaches out of 119 schools. Not when a man like Gill, who is infinitely qualified, gets passed over at Syracuse and Auburn because other coaches were a better “fit.” Not when a man like Charlie Strong, the Florida defensive coordinator, is still waiting for his opportunity with one of the most impressive resumes in the sport.
This is a serious issue for college football and those who don’t think it is a serious issue are simply putting their heads in the sand. It is not going away.
2. Members of the Auburn family have a big decision to make: There is no question that a lot of Auburn fans are not happy with the hire. Some wanted Gill. Others wanted a big name coach (which Auburn was not going to get). Still others wanted somebody with a proven track record on offense. But Chizik is now Auburn’s head coach. One of the constant threads than ran through Alabama’s struggles was that the fan base was divided and never could get on the same page behind any coach. Auburn fans can get on board and back this guy or they can sit on the sidelines and complain. The longer the fan base is fractured the longer it will take for Auburn to be relevant again in the SEC. Divide and conquer. It works in war and it works in the world of college football. Just remember how Auburn fans reveled in the misery that was going on in Tuscaloosa before Nick Saban came.
3. What if Chizik was still at Texas? Chizik was the defensive coordinator on a 13-0 team at Auburn and a year later was DC on a national championship team at Texas. Chizik went to Texas because he thought it would be a better springboard to a head coaching job. He was right. After the 2006 season he became head coach at Iowa State. Much is being made of the fact that Chizik was 5-19 in two seasons in Ames. But what if Chizik were still the defensive coordinator at Texas, the No. 3 team in the nation? Would this hire be viewed differently by the critics? Iowa State was prepared to give Chizik a two-year extension so he must have been doing something right.
4. Georgia had better keep an eye on Garner, Searels: One of the ways that Chizik could heal his fractured fan base, I’m told, is to get some big-time assistant coaches to come home to Auburn. Two of the very best Auburn grads working today are Rodney Garner and Stacy Searels at Georgia. Auburn needs somebody to ratchet up the recruiting operation and convince the school’s verbal commitments not to jump ship. What better way to take on Nick Saban’s recruiting machine in the state than to bring Garner back to Auburn? What better way to solidify the offensive line than to bring back Searels, who is one of the best in the country? And if Chizik makes that move it serves two purposes: It helps Auburn and it hurts Georgia. Hey, it’s a tough game.
5. Where is Auburn President Jay Gouge? Auburn athletics director Jay Jacobs is getting beat up pretty good in this process. He was heckled the other day at the airport. That’s kind of silly but, as Jacobs said, that’s the passion of the fans. At least the guy didn’t throw a shoe at him.
This process, as difficult as it has been for Auburn, would have been helped yesterday if the president of the university had stepped to the podium before Jacobs and said: “This hire was the recommendation of my athletics director and I signed off on it. I support it 100 percent. The buck stops with me. I’m Jay Jacobs’ boss. I am the CEO at Auburn University. If you want to complain to somebody, complain to me.” Jacobs sent a letter to Auburn fans yesterday asking that they rally behind the coach. It would have been helpful if the president had weighed in on this one as well.
