AJC > Sports > Tech > Blog > Archives > 2006 > October > 10
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Who are the best Tech coaches ever?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I got some excellent reader response to last week’s story about my Dream Team staff of former Georgia Tech assistant football coaches. A couple of readers — and Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen — asked why Bobby Ross wasn’t on the list. Well, that’s because my list was restricted to former Tech assistants, and Ross never was an assistant at Tech. But there’s no reason not to consider the staff you could get if you included head coaches, too. Bobby Dodd, Bobby Ross, Pepper Rodgers and Chan Gailey all would have plenty to offer, and John Heisman probably knew a little something about football, too.
My knowledge of Tech history can’t match the knowledge of many of the readers who lived it. Dick Bestwick, a member of the 1967-75 staffs and later a longtime administrator at Georgia, sent this in response to my story:
“It made me think of all the people who coached there during my nine year tenure as an assistant coach.
“Turns out there were 42 of them on the coaching staff during that time frame, including three head coaches, and there were also five of my former players or assistant coaches at UVA who made the list of All Time Assistant coaches.
“Frankly, I would build a staff from the guys who coached there who either were or became head coaches in college. They include George Barclay, Marvin Bass, Richard Bell, Jim Carlen, Gary Crowton, Rex Dockery, Randy Edsall, Ray Graves, Bill Lewis, John McKenna, Bill Pace, Ted Roof, Rip Scherer, Steve Sloan, Charlie Tate and Bob Thalman. Since I coached with eight of those guys, I would probably choose them, but that would leave out eight really good coaches from which you would have to choose the ninth member of the staff.
“Or, you could go to the pro ranks and pick guys who coached in the pros after leaving Tech. That would include such luminaries as Bob Bossons, Bobby Franklin, Marty Galbraith, Al Lavan, Mark Leachman, Doug Marrone, Tom Moore, Steve Ortmayer, Dwain Painter, Chuck Priefer, Floyd Reese, Jimmy Robinson and Pepper Rogers. There may be more that I don’t personally know, but that gives you an idea of the kind of talent a school like Tech is able to attract as assistants, particularly since they’ve had so many coaches since Coach Dodd left.
“I’m most proud that Jon Tenuta, one of my former players and two-year GA at UVA, is doing such a great job as defensive coordinator at Tech. Tech ties are deep and I root for them every game but one.”
So, who would you put on your all-time Tech staff?
