Coaching is a Tough Profession

BY Jimmie McDowell
Bowl Invitations follow this weekend. Ole Miss and Southern Mississippi will go bowling this year, getting additional practice time, a second spring training no less, in preparation for tough opponents. Mississippi State, fresh from a Liberty Bowl triumph last year, expected an even larger bowl this time around.
Sylvester Croom, the SEC Coach of the Year last year, is looking for a new job now after resigning following a dismal year, taking home three million dollars in the process. I expect Sly to land on his feet.
Other jobs are available, assuring the lobby of the American Football Coaches Convention being packed as out-of-work coaches look for another assignment. I appreciated the invitation from the AFCA to attend the annual Coach of the Year Dinner. I started going to this convention in 1952 while beating the drums for Mississippi Southern College and have attended most of the Conventions since. I appreciated being named an Honorary Life Member of the AFCA over 15 years ago.
When the All-America Football Foundation was launched in 1994 Coach Bob Devaney of Nebraska who was the Cornhuskers' Athletic Director was the first coach to respond and wish us well with a substantial check.
Boston College was next, thanks to the legendary Athletic Director Bill Flynn.
Awards presentations will be announced prior to the Heisman Trophy Dinner in New York Dec.13 on a ESPN TV Special from Florida. Maxwell Club voters had to vote before some of the season ending important games. The Heisman deadline is after the Conference Championship games and other traditional finales, including the UCLA-Southern California showdown. If the Tronans win they will play Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl.
In Clarksdale this week the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame announced that Juan Joseph of Millsaps' small college powerhouse was chosen the Charlie Conerly Awardee, edging two Ole Miss All-Americans OffensiveTackle Michael Oher and Defensive lineman Peria Jerry, who both should be in the Senior Bowl and be high NFL draft choices.
Mike Dubose did an outstanding job guiding Millsaps to a magnificent season and is deserving of being considered for a Division One coaching job. The one-time Alabama head coach is much appreciated on Methodist Hill.
Southern and Ole Miss both finished strong with the Golden Eagles under their new coach Larry Fedora remaining in the bowl family after a sluggish start after it appeared that their consecutive post season play come to a screeching stop.
The All-America Football foundation, after dinners in Newton, Ma. Dec. ll and Las Vegas Dec. l8 will return to Princeton, New Jersey for its 199th Dinner March 9 after its 99th Banaquet in Jackson Feb. 16 at the Jackson Hilton. The Quarterbacks of Johnny Vaught's championship Glory Years will be honored and remembered: Charlie Conerly, Farley Salmon, Jimmy Lear, Eagle Day, Raymond Brown, Bobby Franklin, Jake Gibbs, Doug Elmore, and Glynn Griffing.
When the Ole Miss Centennial team was announced Eagle Day commented that how do you select the top Quarterback and suggested that quarterbacks who led teams to a conference title certainly should be considered. Eagle Day led Ole Miss to TWO SEC championships.
I will attend the Army-Navy game one again in Philadelphia with President George W. Bush also on hand. I have missed one Army-Navy game since I saw my first one in 1962, missing only the game played in theRose Bowl in Pasadena, This will be my 45th Army-Navy game.
I will also attend my 46th Heisman Trophy Dinner at the New York Hilton Dec. 15. I will miss my first National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Dinner this year since my first one in 1962. Appreciated the Invitation but with Dinners in New England and the West I simply could not stay that long in New York this time around.
My pick for the Heisman: Colt McCoy of the University of Texas.
His Longhorn backup of two years ago,Jevan Snead of Ole Miss, will be a Heisman candidate the next two years if he continues to improve like he did since his redshirt season in Johnny Rebtown
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