Coaches Week

This week I am doing a tribute to coaches all week long, maybe two weeks, in honor of my father who, last Friday, coached his final game in Meriden on the basketball court at Maloney High School. I am going to make up posts as I go, whether it is my favorite coaches of all time, the best coaches, worst coaches, etc. This will be the final two posts for Coaches Week on The Nutz. Part 1 today will consist of my Mt. Rushmore of favorite coaches of all-time, college ranks or professionally. In part 2 tomorrow I will give you my personal Mt. Rushmore coaches that influenced me during my days as an athlete. But first on to my favorite coaches of all-time. Enjoy!

Lou Holtz - Holtz is the only coach in NCAA history to lead six different programs to bowl games and the only coach to guide four different programs to the final top 20 rankings. Specifically I am talking about the guy that spent 10 years with the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Though, I didn't really become a Michigan fan until the late 80s early 90s, I was somewhat forced to watch Notre Dame on Saturday afternoons. I loved watching this scrawny coach grab the face masks of players three times his size.Between 1988 and 1993, Holtz's teams posted an overall 64–9–1 record. He also took the Irish to bowl games for nine consecutive seasons, still a Notre Dame record, and has referred to Notre Dame football as the "Michelangelo" of the NCAA. He was definitely an original on the sidelines during his coaching days.

Bobby Knight - Putting all of his antics aside, the man always got the most out of his players. "The General" on the court has always been someone I looked up to as a coach in basketball. This 3-time National Champion coach is currently the all-time leader in wins at the Division I level. Knight has been praised for running clean programs (none of his teams have ever been sanctioned by the NCAA for recruiting violations) and graduating most of his players throughout his coaching career, which for the most part has gone unnoticed. No Division I men's team has had an undefeated season including a championship since coach Knight's 1976 team that went 32-0. Knight is one of only three coaches to win NCAA, NIT, and Olympic championships.

Lou Piniella - If your a player on a baseball team, in my opinion there is no coach that you want in your corner more than "Sweet Lou". Piniella has coached 5 ball clubs during his Major League career and presently ranks 14th all-time on the Coaching wins list. He also has won a World Series title with the Reds back in 1990 and has brought home 3 Manager of the Year Awards (2 in the AL). His passion for the game goes without saying. What stands out to me with Piniella is his non-patience for pitchers that don't throw strikes. Something that we as coaches can all relate to. Lou is from the old school and if he ever felt that his team is getting jobbed, he would back them no matter what. Even if that meant him acting like a fool on the field. My first time being tossed out of the game resulted me in kicking dirt on the home plate. My grandfather found out and continued to call me "Lou" from that point on during my coaching career.

Joe Gibbs - Did you think I would leave him off my list? This humble coach had a work ethic that every coach at the professional level should have. Joe Gibbs has put together championship teams with many players who have had mediocre to average careers while playing for other NFL teams. He also had a knack for finding the right guys in the late rounds that would be instrumental in the success of the Redskins. 3-1 in 4 Super Bowl appearances, Gibbs is the ultimate winner even though his coaching legacy took a big hit upon his return to the nation's capitol after a twelve year layoff. Overall, during his 16 years with the team, Gibbs had only three losing seasons and led the team to 10 playoff appearances. He finished his career with a 17-7 playoff record all while head coach of the 'skins.