Rawkhawk73
Banned
The man is a great football coach and garners a lot of acolades for that, both locally and nationally, but I've never thought he has gotten near as much credit as he deserves for being a helluva leader.
Obviously, as everyone knows, he took over the program as it was hitting rock bottom and brought it back to national prominence. But let's be honest here, there were a lot of guys who could probably have done that.
What I think separates Ferentz from just about all but a handful of individuals is what he's done (and should continue to do this year) since the end of 2006. To take the steaming pile of dung that existed at the end of the 2006 regular season and bring it all the way back again is a real testament to his leadership abilities and the type of man he is. A good football coach can take over a program and turn it around pretty quickly......only a great leader can do it again when the inevitable downturn happens. The landscape is littered with "takeover artists" that quickly flameout (yes, Zooker, this includes you). But the list is pretty short of guys that were able to do it again with the same program.....partly because athletic directors don't hand out 2nd chances.....but mainly because most coaches aren't capable of doing it again. If they are given 2nd chances, most of them clean house and bring in all new coaches and inevitably fail anyway. Ferentz didn't and he's reaping the rewards of his leadership and his loyalty.
I will enjoy every game and every year he continues to coach here and will rue the day when he decides to retire or give the League a shot before he's done. Leaders of all type: business, politics, husbands, and fathers could learn a lot by studying how he leads, how he treats people and how he conducts himself. The man is truly one-of-a-kind.
Obviously, as everyone knows, he took over the program as it was hitting rock bottom and brought it back to national prominence. But let's be honest here, there were a lot of guys who could probably have done that.
What I think separates Ferentz from just about all but a handful of individuals is what he's done (and should continue to do this year) since the end of 2006. To take the steaming pile of dung that existed at the end of the 2006 regular season and bring it all the way back again is a real testament to his leadership abilities and the type of man he is. A good football coach can take over a program and turn it around pretty quickly......only a great leader can do it again when the inevitable downturn happens. The landscape is littered with "takeover artists" that quickly flameout (yes, Zooker, this includes you). But the list is pretty short of guys that were able to do it again with the same program.....partly because athletic directors don't hand out 2nd chances.....but mainly because most coaches aren't capable of doing it again. If they are given 2nd chances, most of them clean house and bring in all new coaches and inevitably fail anyway. Ferentz didn't and he's reaping the rewards of his leadership and his loyalty.
I will enjoy every game and every year he continues to coach here and will rue the day when he decides to retire or give the League a shot before he's done. Leaders of all type: business, politics, husbands, and fathers could learn a lot by studying how he leads, how he treats people and how he conducts himself. The man is truly one-of-a-kind.
