When Mel Tucker greeted his team on the opening day of fall camp, he said (in so many words), an 11-2 record is nice but it’s not good enough…we got to do better.
After all, an 11-2 record last season commanded a meager 3rd Place finish in the Big Ten East.
Specifically, Mel Tucker said to his team “…we didn’t do anything last year”, yet MT stopped short of saying there is no niche in the trophy case for “Participation Trophies”, but he didn’t need to, that much is self-evident.
In fact, Mel Tucker seemed to be echoing what Ryan Day, Ohio State Coach said at Big Ten Media Days. Ryan Day said:
“Some places, going 11-2 and winning the Rose Bowl is a great year. At Ohio State it’s not. Our goal is to win a National Championship. The expectations haven’t changed.”
After all, those aren’t idle words. At Ohio State administrators, coaches, faculty and fans live by those words. The goal at Ohio State each and every year is to win Big Ten and National titles, and last season was the first time since 2016 that Ohio State missed the Big Ten Championship Game.
So, MT is taking a page from the Ohio State playbook and warning his team against complacency…and his warning should be heard loud and clear because there has been a painful history of complacency within Spartan Football.
When I started writing my blog, I was numbed/shocked to discover that from 1976 until Mark Dantonio was hired in December 2006, (6 coaches incl Rogers, Waters, Perles, Saban, Williams and Smith) compiled a dismal cumulative record of 174-177-7…that’s a miserable 49% winning percentage compiled over 31 years.
During those 31 seasons, Spartan Football posted just 13 winning seasons…offset by 14 losing seasons…and there were 4, break-even .500 seasons.
Meanwhile, during that same era, Spartan Football posted just two (2) Top 10 finishes in 1987 and 1999 respectively, but no Top 5 finishes and no National Championships.
Of course, the pronouncement heard after almost every season was underscored by this declaration…”wait until next year!”
But let’s break it down by coaches: Rogers posted 2 losing seasons out of 4; Waters posted 3 consecutive losing seasons; Perles posted 4 losing seasons out of 12 with a record of 14-31 in his final 4 seasons; Williams posted 2 losing seasons out of 4; and Smith posted 3 losing seasons out of 4. There were all sorts of extenuating circumstances over those 31 years, but the bottom line was 174-177-7.
To his credit, Nick Saban never posted a losing record during his tenure, he simply departed for LSU!
But let’s make this clear, the record posted over 31 years would never be acceptable at Alabama, Ohio State or Oklahoma, and those records should never be acceptable at Michigan State either.
In context, Alabama hasn’t posted a losing season since 2007 but during that time they won 6 National titles.
Oklahoma hasn’t posted a losing season since 1998 but during that time they posted a National title in 2000.
Meanwhile Ohio State hasn’t posted a losing season since 1988 with the notable exception of Lou Fickell’s interim coaching debut in 2011, otherwise, Ohio State hasn’t had a losing season since 1988 but during that time they posted 2 National titles.
Not acceptable to Hannah and Munn either:
I think I can make this declaration without objection, the Spartan Football record of 174-177-7 compiled from 1976 thru the end of the 2006 season would have never been acceptable to the late John Hannah Biggie Munn either.
Let’s remember, when John Hannah and Biggie Munn commenced their football journey in 1947, Michigan State was a tiny independent, Midwest agricultural school with meager resources.
Yet from 1947 thru 1949, Biggie Munn compiled a record of 19-7-2 and Michigan State was officially admitted to the Big Ten in 1949.
Then from 1950 thru 1953, Biggie Munn posted an incredible 35-2 record (95%), including “back to back” 9-0 seasons in 1951 & 1952 that earned Michigan State “back to back” National Titles and in turn, confirmed the Big Ten made the correct decision of admitting Michigan State to the Big Ten.
Let’s make this clear, with meager resources available at the time, Hannah and Munn started from scratch and earned their way into the Big Ten…nothing was given!
And in 1953, as a first year member of the Big Ten, Munn compiled a record of 9-1, won a Big Ten Championship and beat UCLA in its first ever Rose Bowl. Biggie’s team also earned a #3 ranking in the AP Poll, its third Top 5 finish in 3 years.
Of course, Duffy was a highly regarded assistant coach on Biggie’s staff and heir apparent to the Spartan Head Coaching job and Duffy would go on to distinguish himself a a Head Coach at Michigan State as well.
For his part, Duffy posted a record of 82-35-4 (68%) from 1954 thru 1966, sharing national titles in 1955 and 1957, and then winning “back to back” national titles in 1965 and 1966 with two of the greatest teams in college football history.
Together, from 1947 thru 1966, Munn and Daugherty posted a cumulative record of 136-44-6 (73%) including 11 Top 10 finishes and 6 National Titles.
In full disclosure, the final 6 seasons of Duffy’s career (1967 to 1972) were not prosperous given that Duffy posted an uninspiring record of 27-34-1. Yet, I think the point is clear, Hannah, Munn and Daugherty established 2 decades of excellence, and they built the Spartan Football empire from scratch.
Simply stated, they demanded and commanded excellence…and the word complacency didn’t exist!
At the bottom line (it’s one thing to warn against complacency, but it’s another to ensure administrators, coaches and players live by those words):
I have total respect for Mel Tucker, yet I have been cautious to crown Mel Tucker with a regal crown until he wins championships on the football field.
After all, so far, MT has posted a modest record of 18-14 as a Head Football Coach comprised of a 5-7 record at Colorado in 2019, a 2-5 record at Michigan State in 2020, and an 11-2 record last season.
Yet, MT has my support, as well as the unequivocal support of Spartan Nation, and it goes without saying, an 11-2 record is a step in the right direction, but I am also reminded that Spartan fans across the landscape put their faith and support behind Muddy Waters, Bobby Williams and John L. Smith to name a few, only to discover their Big Ten credentials weren’t certified and stamped.
After all, Waters posted 3 consecutive losing seasons; Williams posted 2 losing seasons out of 4; and Smith posted 3 losing seasons out of 4.
When we total that short list, those 3 coaches, each of whom were unconditionally supported by Spartan administrators and fans when they were hired, posted 8 losing seasons out of 11: no titles, no championships, and no respect.
Ultimately, they lost support of Spartan Nation…but the damage was done, and Spartan Football had to start from scratch after each ill-fated coaching administration!
Nevertheless, Mel Tucker commences 2022 with the wind at his back and wind in his sails, but with a warning about complacency to administrators, coaches, players and fans: in his own words…“…we didn’t do anything last year”.
Let’s hope Mel Tucker posts a championship caliber season in 2022, and let’s hope he consistently competes for championships in the future.
Moreover, let’s hope MT can fill the niche reserved in the trophy case for National Titles that has been conspicuously vacant since 1966.
Thank you for reading and I always welcome your comments and opinions!
