European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 25, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Pags32 the stars and stripes sports thursday August 25,1994 Southeast Chews up coaches 4 w by Paul Newberry Montgomery Ala. A warn ing coaching in the Southeastern conference can be hazardous to Job Security. Just ask Billy Brewer fired after 11years at Mississippi. Or Sparky Woods shown the door after five years at sout Carolina. I be been at one school longer than anyone else in our conference six years said Georgia s Ray Goff nervously when reminded he s the mean of Sec coaches. I think that s a sad commentary on our conference to have the amount of turnover we be of course there Are some exceptions. Alabama s Gene Stallings won a National championship in 1992 and figures to finish out his career in Tuscaloosa. To Florida s Steve Spurrier has built the to program in the conference and can stay. In Gainesville As Long As he wants. A Burn s Terry Bowden stamped himself As a rising Young coaching Star by going 11-0in his first year As a division i a coach. But there s a real suspicion that some thing has changed. The demands Are greater Goff be got to keep your nose clean. You be got agents to worry s so Many More things expected of you. In 1970, they were Happy if you went 8-3 or 9-2. They re not Happy with they re certainly not Happy with 5-6,the record posted last year by both Goff and leu s Curley Hallman. Both Are fac ing make or break seasons with impatient alumni. The expectations Aren t As High at Van " Debilt but Gerry Dinardo is beginning to feel the heat As he Heads into his fourth season still looking for his first winning record. Joe Lee Dunn took Over College football 94 flit photo Georgia s Ray Goff. Dean after 6 years As the interim coach at pie miss Las month after Brewer was implicated in Mcaa rules violations there s no guar Antee Dunn will be around for More than one season. In the Atlantic coast Confer ence where National Champion Florida state is expected to win its third straight league title the coaching landscape is just As Rocky. Ken Hatfield went 32-13-1 in four sea sons at Clemson but it was t Good enough. He left before the peach bowl last year and was replaced by division i a coach Tommy West. Duke also has anew coach Fred Goldsmith and four other acc mentors have been at the cur rent address for two years or less. There s nothing to indicate that de fending National Champion Florida state won t continue its two year reign in the acc. The seminoles have won 16 straight league games outscoring their opponents 679-173. We Are not talking about humans Here North Carolina coach Mack Brown said. It s not an act problem it s a National problem. Those Guys Are. Really coach Bobby Bowden s team is not without its own problems. There was a illegal shopping spree that led Spurrier to quip that flu stands for free shoes the seminoles championship was tarnished and four players including acc defensive player of the year Derrick Brooks were suspended. I m so anxious to get this other thing behind us where i can get into football said Bowden who also has to replace Heisman trophy quarterback Charli Eward. North Carolina Virginia and Clemson figure to remain in the first division with the tar heels Given the Best Chance of chasing Down Florida state. North Caro Lina has Only 10 returning starters but they include the league s Best offensive Backfield quarterback Jason Stanicek and 1,000-Yard rushers Curtis Johnson and Leon Johnson. North May join the Lea group or fall Back into the pack of have not that include Georgia tech Duke Maryland and Wake Forest. The Sec race is expected to be much tighter especially in the Eastern Divi Sion. Florida has been the top team in the conference three of the last four years with a fun a gun offence that accounted for 39 touchdown passes last season we just have a feeling we re supposed to go up and Down the Field said Spur Rier who has a 39-10 record in four sea sons at Gainesville. Hopefully it will the gators have seven Home games but must travel to Tennessee and Florida state. That s two places where we be been clobbered Spurrier said. I think about half the games we be lost since i got Here have been at those two Georgia has the Sec s top quarterback Eric Zeier South Carolina has a new coach former. Florida state assistant Brad Scott Kentucky has in state rival Louisville Back on the schedule after a 70-year absence and Vanderbilt has Little Hope of improving in this monster Divi Sion. Over in the West Alabama is expected to cruise to its third straight divisional title largely because Auburn is Fin Ishing out its second year of Mcaa pro Bation and is ineligible for the Sec championship game. Leu upset Alabama in Tuscaloosa and had a Chance to Post its first winning sea son since 1988 before a dismal loss to a Kansas in the final game. Mississippi state never recovered from a slow Start and everyone wonders How Ole miss will Deal with a new coach and the almost certain Mcaa sanctions. Among the independents Louis Ville May be in for the kind of fall that followed its last big season. After winning 10 games for the first time in school his tory in 1990, the cardinals tumbled to 2 9. This season they must replace 18 Start ers from last year s 9-3 team including record setting quarterback Jeff Brohm while playing a. Schedule that includes Kentucky Texas Arizona state North , Boston College and Texas a. Florida s poll climbing coaches say jabs Don t sour relationship n we vow we a we fac photo Florida s Steve Spurrier to photo Florida St s Bobby Bowden by Bob Harig St. Petersburg times Daytona Beach Fla. They smiled they Shook hands they spoke. There were no evil stares be tween Bobby Bowden and Steve Spurrier. No naughty words. No animosity. Everything was As you would expect Between the head foot Ball coaches of hated rivals Flor Ida state and Florida. On a re cent summer Day they were still several Days away from the Start of practice More than a Mont from the first game and an Eter nity from their annual Battle on nov. 26 in Tallahassee. Anybody looking for Bow Denand Spurrier to line up across from each other in a three Point stance at the Florida sports writers association gathering of the state s head football coaches was disappointed. Bowden s bad Back would tallow it anyway. Very Good very cordial. Like Steve said Bowden with out a Trace of sarcasm about his Exchange with Spurrier. I think he likes me. We get along of. I guess we be got As Good a relationship right now with Steve and Miami coach Dennis Erickson All three of us As anybody could have. Maybe we say things on Tele vision or in the press that might sound Bowden knew exactly where the discussion was leading and he was t about to bite on the bait. This summer after flu s trouble with sports agents sur faced in sports illustrated Spurrier joked at a Gator boost or gathering that flu stood for free shoes he later told reporters he Al ways figured rules violations helped the seminoles get their excellent recruiting classes in re cent years and that the scandal was proof. He also said some coaches Don t want to know everything concerning their pro Grams referring to Bowden. Spurrier defended his re Marks at the Southeastern con Ference Media gathering in Bir Mingham Ala., saying coaches should not be held accountable for their comments made at Booster functions. Bowden concurred. It does t bother me. We be got a Bunch of seminoles who Are bothered that i m going to go to Gainesville to get my Back Cut on said Bowden referring Toback surgery slated to be per formed monday morning in enemy territory i kid All the time. I m never going to go to a Seminole meet ing where i Don t have at Lea Stone Good Gator joke. My folks love when Bowden was told that Many of Spurrier s remarks were made in an interview and not at Booster meeting Bowden jokingly responded where is he at then Bowden added i really Don t care. Y All can t get me going on that Spurrier was in no mood for trouble either. We got along Fine As Al ways Spurrier said. I Don t know How some of my remark were interpreted. But i never said anybody broke any rules or anything. I just gave an interpretation my opinion of a couple of things i did t Point any Fin Gers at Erickson could probably Finda lot of humor in All of this if he. Did t have so Many troubles of his own. The hurricanes Are coming off a 9-3 season their worst in 10 years. The year also ended poorly with a 29-0 loss to Arizona m the fiesta bowl. And then came the May re port in the Miami Herald that former hurricanes allegedly paid players for Good performances among other things. Miami already faces scrutiny for improprieties in its athletic department regarding distribution of Pell Grant Money. There is no Mcaa investigation right now Erickson said. But it seems like something every summer. We can t worry about things we have no control Over. We just have to continue on and if there is a theme to this sea son it s that the Road to the National championship will Likely wind through the state of Flor Ida. Two of the big three might be having off Field woes but on the Field they re loaded. And it could be the gators they Are chasing. Spurrier relishes his preseason no. 1 rating. Hopefully we could hold i for As Long As we can. I Don t think the University of Florida has Ever been ranked no. 1 for Home game he said. But Spurrier acknowledge that his state rivals Are Likely to have something to say about the National championship race. I m sure Miami has another Fine team and so does flu he said. I think a lot of teams havea script Howard news service f i
