Looking back on what could have been: former BC coaching candidates

Having just faced David Cutcliffe and heading into a game against Dave Clawson, I thought it might be time to look back at what could have been. Both guys were very friendly with Gene Defilippo and were considered in 2006 when TOB left. And since we're going back, I thought we might as well examine Al Golden and Mike London too. (It always feels like the ACC is littered with guys who talked to BC about the job.)

David Cutcliffe
Of all the guys listed in this, Cutcliffe probably advanced the least in the process. I think his age, the lack of New England or even northeast ties, his health and his persona kept him from being considered strongly. After TOB, I think everyone wanted someone a little more passionate and a little more high energy. Cutcliffe is not as dry and reserved as TOB, but he is not rah rah type. I never wanted him and would have been livid if we had hired him. Yet maybe that was a mistake. He's exceeded everyone's expectations at Duke and turned them into a viable, somewhat consistent football program. Imagine what he might have done in Matt Ryan's final year or with someone like Chase Rettig? Since he was a Gene crony, Spaz probably would have stayed on as DC. In retrospect, that might have been pretty formidable. Even though our Whale Pants booster crowd might not have taken to a southerner like Cutcliffe as head coach, the guy is a devout Catholic (supposedly attends Mass daily). Maybe it would have worked.

Dave Clawson
I had never heard of Dave Clawson until the BC job opened up. His candidacy (and much of his career) was directly tied to Gene D. At the time, he was head coach at Richmond. While successful there, he had yet to coach at the DIA level. The jump to BC would have been massive and a real question mark in recruiting. Aside from his relationship with Gene, what Clawson did have in his favor was a track record of building good teams. First at Fordham and then at Richmond. That success continued at Bowling Green. Will he turn Wake into a winner? Who knows? But I don't think BC missed anything. Unlike Cutcliffe, who was more of Gene's peer, Clawson was Gene's mentee. That style of management blew up with Jags. It probably would have with Clawson as well.

Mike London
London was a serious candidate when Spaz got the job. A year later he got the UVA job. They've been very patient with him and he is still well under .500. I don't think BC would have had as much patience. At the time I preferred London to Spaz. In retrospect, he probably would have failed here too. I don't even know if he would have won as many games as Spaz did (London's winning percentage is below Spaz's). London is and was a better recruiter than Spaz, so the bottom might not have been as low, but there still would have been multiple bad, frustrating seasons.

Al Golden
For a guy who put so much planning into his career progressions, Al Golden's timing with BC has always been bad. Unlike the other guys, he was a candidate after TOB, Jags and Spaz. Now that the Miami fans are fed up, it looks like Al probably should have left when BC came calling after firing Spaz. Even if it meant a pay cut, it would have gotten him out of the mess he's been dealing with in South Florida. Of all the guys on the list, I think Al has the most in common with Addazio. They are both intense rah rah guys. Both are passionate about recruiting. And both are guys who raise a lot of questions with their game management. If we had hired Golden instead of Addazio, I think we would probably be a in a very similar situation: a lot of young talent, but questions on if the coach can take the team to the next level.

ACC Hotseats

In his latest Mailbag, Stewart Mandel listed the college football coaches most likely to get fired. Former BC staffer and current Virginia Head Coach is No. 2 on the list.  London's ties to BC are deep (TOB is his OC and Spaz's son is walking on this fall). He was also a candidate for the BC job after Gene fired Jags. I preferred him to Spaz at the time, but it looks like he would have struggled at BC too. But London's situation is a reminder that more coaching changes are coming to the conference. They always do. And if we are holding steady with Addazio, coaching changes can be good things for BC.

Fired coaches usually mean a few things. The first is a bad season. Bad seasons from other ACC teams are good things for BC. It opens up bowl slots and can lead to easy wins. A fired coach can also mean a rebuild. Rebuild often lead to more bad seasons. Of course there is always the chance of a quick turnaround, but I expect Wake to struggle this year and it looks like NC State will still be rebuilding under their second year coach.

The majority of ACC coaches are safe. Fisher can do whatever he wants at FSU. Swinney still has good will from his most recent run (but he's got to start beating South Carolina). Duke and Pitt might have ceilings with their current coaches, but their respective consistency makes them safe. Syracuse, Louisville, Wake and UNC have enough invested in their current coaches, that changes are unlikely this season. I think Golden is safe but he's always a candidate for another job. Beamer is safe too, but his transition to retirement is looming.

The only other ACC Coach to truly join London on the Hotseat is Paul Johnson. I like Johnson and think Tech should hang on to him, but he's rubbed enough people the wrong way over the years that his goodwill might run out. There is also the perception among a group of their fans that his offense will never lead to a National Championship.

Virginia and Georgia Tech are not in division, so a shakeup at either place doesn't benefit BC directly. However, we recruit similar types of players and have moved recruiting deeper into both states under Addazio. If either coach gets fired, BC should be able to poach a reluctant recruit or two.

I am glad BC is out of the Hotseat circle for at least another year. Who knows? Maybe Addazio will be a winner and a lifer. For now, I just hope he takes advantage of the chaos at other programs.

The TOB tree is taking over the ACC

Since I've been tracking this for a while, it is time again to look back on Tom O'Brien's first staff. Now in the 12-team ACC 25% of the conference is coached by TOB's proteges. Now this sort of six degrees game can be played on many coaching staffs, but TOB deserves credit for finding these guys in 1997 and happenstance deserves a little credit for all of them ending up in one conference 13 years later.

Then (1997)
Tom O'Brien. Relatively unknown coordinator from Virginia set to begin his first head coaching job at Boston College.
Frank Spaziani. TOB's old colleague from Navy and Virginia. Had been in the witness protection program (his own joke) coaching defense in the CFL. TOB brought him back to the States to be his first running backs coach at BC.
Al Golden. BC was Golden's first official college football job. Amazingly TOB named him recruiting coordinator too. (Can you imagine a BCS program naming a totally untested kid recruiting coordinator now?). But Golden had impressed TOB enough while a GA at Virginia to give him such a crucial role at BC.
Mike London. London had a little more experience than Golden, but it wasn't screaming "Big Time" job. He had been a position coach at William & Mary and Richmond before TOB gave him his first DIA job working as BC's defensive line coach.

Now (2010)
Tom O'Brien. After becoming BC's all-time winningest coach, TOB left to be the head coach at NC State.
Frank Spaziani. Spaz moved from RB to the defensive side of the ball in TOB's third year. From there he shaped years of successful BC defenses before becoming the head man himself in 2009.
Al Golden. The ever ambitious Golden left BC to head recruiting at Penn State. Then it was onto UVA before becoming a head coach at Temple and now Miami.
Mike London. Like Goldon, London was certainly ambitious and made stops along the way at Virginia and the NFL. He won a national championship at Richmond and is now at Virginia.

I should also note that in 1997 TOB also gave Michigan State Offensive Coordinator Don Treadwell and former BC coach Jeff Jagodzinski their first BCS level jobs.

I don't know what it says about the ACC or TOB that all these guys got their first big break at the same time. It is also interesting to note that after building his first BC staff with young, aggressive coaches, TOB has stuck with a more mature and loyal staff since.

Mike London looks back at BC and other links

When Gene fired Jags, I wrote at the time that Gene should have hired Mike London or Al Golden before Jags even left his office. My point was either of those guys would have been good fits and liked working at BC. In this article London talks a bit about his four seasons in Boston and how he appreciated his first shot at the big time and working with BC players.

Here is more on BC's latest recruit Spencer Rositano. Although he wasn't heavily recruited, he seems like the type of guy we can plug into a few different positions.

Brian St. Pierre is hoping for a shot in Carolina.

HD gave Kuechly some much deserved attention.

Devin Mayo is another 2012 BC recruiting target.

Where are they now? The 1997 Football Staff

With Don Treadwell and Mike London in the news, I thought it was as good a time as any to look back at TOB’s first staff. Thrown together during a transitional time at the school, the unheralded group consisted of young unproven guys looking for a break and retreads looking for a second chance. Although the record wasn’t great, the guys began the rebuilding project and many used BC as a stepping stone to bigger and better things.

1997
Tom O’Brien: Head Coach
Jeff Jagodzinski: Offensive Line and Offensive Coordinator
Don Treadwell: Quarterbacks, Wide Receivers, Passing Game Coordinator
Don Horton: Tight Ends
Frank Spaziani: Running Backs
Tim Rose: Defensive Coordinator
Mike London: Defensive Line
Al Golden: Linebackers, Recruiting Coordinator
Jerry Rosburg: Defensive Backs
Jerry Petercuskie: Special Teams Coordinator

2008
Tom O’Brien: Head Coach, NC State
Jeff Jagodzinski: Head Coach, Boston College
Don Treadwell: Offensive Coordinator, Michigan State (and rumored Head Coach at Miami of Ohio)
Don Horton: Offensive Line, NC State
Frank Spaziani: Defensive Coordinator, Boston College
Tim Rose: Defensive Coordinator, Toledo (interesting note on Rose: he was a defensive coordinator for TOB, Steve Logan and Jack Bicknell Jr.)
Mike London: Head Coach, Richmond
Al Golden: Head Coach, Temple
Jerry Rosburg: Special Teams Coordinator, Baltimore Ravens
Jerry Petercuskie: Special Teams and Recruiting Coordinator, NC State


There are many factors into why BC has offered stepping stone opportunities instead of final destination type jobs. I actually think the energy and aggressiveness of guys looking to make a name for themselves is a good thing. In turn, I think many of the young coaches who pass through look back on their time at BC fondly. The next time we are in the market for a head coach, I hope we give preferences to guys who have worked here before. It worked well with Coughlin and we’ve had good returns with Jags.