Okay, I get it. Everybody has an opinion. But really. Dino Babers is one of the best football coaches in the country, the whole package. He has a brilliant football mind (spend even a few minutes with him watching him break down tape and you will be amazed). He is a charismatic leader. And he is a damn good man who is a great moral influence on his players. He really works to ensure his players become better men, not just better football players. He checks all the other boxes, too. His assistant coaches would run through a wall for him. But, understandably, most fans just want a winning team, and last season was a big disappointment, to Babers as much as anyone. But look how he responded. He adjusted. Made some excellent coaching hires and system changes. This program is on track to reach his goal of being consistently good, not occasionally great.
I recently finished Seth Davis’ tremendous biography of John Wooden. It’s largely forgotten that it took Wooden several years just to get UCLA into the NCAA tourney, let alone win big. In today’s win-now culture, Wooden might not have survived long enough to build the dynasty.
Syracuse has one of the proudest histories in college football. I can’t think of a program that has produced more outstanding players, including the greatest of all time. That glorious history has made these years in the wilderness so hard to accept. I can relate. My alma mater, Indiana, hasn’t won an NCAA basketball title in 33 years.
But better, far better, days are coming. The dome will be spectacular. Recruiting, no matter what the scouting services say, is really picking up. I pray Coach Babers stays at Syracuse, because, if he does, the next five years or more are going to be memorable.
