Quick story about the type of guy SS is... at the time, I'm a HS OC. I meet him at the NYSHSCAA Convention at Turning Stone, literally within days of him being announced as the HC at Syracuse.
I sit next to him while Doug Marrone and Bill O'Brien are giving a presentation. He makes small talk with me as he furiously scribbles ultra-organized notes. I couldn't discern if they were in regards to his new position, the presentation or both. He takes time to take a picture with me, BS with me for about 5 min, and then sprints out of the casino.
Sunday morning he's back in the casino to give a presentation on different coverages I believe. He comes directly up to me and addresses me by first name. Laughs about how he's the HC at Syracuse and got the JV time slot at the convention to speak. Picks on everybody for being to hungover and lazy to make the presentation on time.
Over the next two years I see him at the same clinic, the SU Coaches Clinic and the SU Team Camp multiple times. He always remembered personal pieces of our conversations. He always addressed me.
Over that same timeframe, I got to know Tim Daoust pretty well too. By their final year here, they allowed me full access to practices and any film cut ups I wanted to use for studying. I simply had to call and ask.
They took this approach with any coach at any level that I ever saw them interact with. They were always willing to help anyway possible.
A lot of people may not have liked him as a coach, but, I will always defend him for many more reasons than listed here.
