Dan and Megan

[Trojanbulldog19]

I believe, rightly or wrongly, that MSU became something more than just another employer to them.

that’s not a criticism of Dan. That’s a perfectly reasonable position and I’m fine if Lenny’s the same way. All but one of my employers have just been employers. I think they’ve appreciated me and I’ve appreciated them. None of us will be clapping or cheering each other though.

ETA: if we were honoring the 2014 team, I’d absolutely cheer him. Not going to cheer him just because he’s in the stadium though.

Ultimately anyone who didn't go to msu that is working for msu is just an employee of msu. MSU is just their employer. Still have to acknowledge when employees doing something great. At the end of the day my job is just my employer. If I'm the flip side and he didn't do well, he would have just been an employee. Moorhead was mostly a great guy supposedly but he still got fired. Would you cheer him if he came back because he seemed to like msu but the feeling wasn't mutual. Rick Ray? You guys need to really learn to disassociate yourself as a fan and realize most all of this is business for the players and coaches. Most of the players didn't grow up as fans. It's their employer basically too. It's not like you even played for him either or probably even knew him personally.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

He could have named his next job had he stayed for 2018. I’ll never get over that season. That was our chance.

Just like ole miss you don't know that and can't predict the future. You have to strike when the job opens you want are there? Have you been at the same company and same location since you started or have you moved jobs, if you have been at the same place at the same job did you grow up in that area and decided to stay there and feel like you have roots there?

 

[MagicDawg]

Jackie got us to Atlanta.
Dan got us to #1.
Best two coaches of my lifetime so far.
Both with obvious strengths and obvious weaknesses.
Grateful for both.

 

[msstatelp1]

The difference is Dan was good enough to be offered a promotion to a “better” school. The others were not.

Apparently a big part of our fanbase prefers a coach that does a mediocre or poor job and has no other options than to stick around until we have to fire him.

Apparently a big part of our fanbase thinks because he was a good coach we should genuflect every time he walks on campus.

I appreciate what he did and he deserves to be celebrated as part of the 2014 team. Other than that I don't think he deserves any special treatment. If people think Mullen deserves a statue for what he did, doesn't Lemonis deserve one for actually winning a national championship or Schaefer deserve one for elevating the women's bb team?

In my opinion, Mullen did exactly what he was hired to do...make us a better football team. He did that, found a better job, and moved on. I disliked the way he did it but that's life. We can't help the fact that our administration squandered the opportunity to have someone build on what Mullen did.

 

[skipperDawg]

He lost the Eggo Bowl three too many times --- maybe four. He choked against Bama twice.

He's dead to me.

Sorry brother,
But he and Chris Relf won that SOB three times in a row
1st year to a very superior UM team lead by Houston nutt

 

[drexeldog23]

They don't have any. They don't want to admit ole miss had one of the best defenses in 2014/2015. In 2017 they broke our qbs. I blame 2014 finish on collins having one foot out the door already by the egg bowl

so 60s dog and the others are basically just lying through their fu--ing teeth? so they just perpetuate lies to hurt the program.. color me shocked...

 

[Maroon13]

I appreciate them and applaud the work they did at Mississippi State. The football program is definitely in a better place, even today, because of him.

Also, I will say. He spent 9 years here. I can say with some certainty ......if I took a job in Pullman, WA or Ames, IA or Manhattan, KS.....9 years would be about my limit too. Especially if I had other offers in cities that offered more opportunity to my family. I wish they would have stayed forever. But he didn't and I hold no grudges against him.

 

[Drebin]

It was different when he came as an opposing coach. It’s been 7 years now. 17 it. Cheer him.

yeah, I won't be feeling the warm and fuzzies. It's not because he left. It's when he left. That 2018 team was his best team and he walked away from it. I feel like we're owed for that because we've been shlthouse ever since.

 

[3407Dewey]

Real question: How many of Dan’s teams could have gone into Athen and put 31 points on a Top 5 UGA? My best guess is only the 2014 team (if played early in the season).

My point is not to diminish his accomplishments but to remind how much bellyaching about Dan was on this board for 9 years when he was here. People cussed him for leaving but cussed him while he was here.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

People cussed him for leaving but cussed him while he was here.

Maybe we just like to cuss.

 

[Trojanbulldog19]

I appreciate them and applaud the work they did at Mississippi State. The football program is definitely in a better place, even today, because of him.

Also, I will say. He spent 9 years here. I can say with some certainty ......if I took a job in Pullman, WA or Ames, IA or Manhattan, KS.....9 years would be about my limit too. Especially if I had other offers in cities that offered more opportunity to my family. I wish they would have stayed forever. But he didn't and I hold no grudges against him.

You get it. Others can't separate themselves and look at it objectively without their small Mississippi town maroon colored glasses.

 

[NTDawg]

For me Dan's tenure is similar to working on a long multiyear project and the year before it is complete your project a manager whom you have supported and given all the resources that they needed ups and leaves. That's what Dan did. 2018 was set up for us to have a generational team and he left. If he had left after 2018 I would have said thanks and good luck but he didn't. So I can not trust him ever again. 17 Dan.

 

[johnson86-1]

I dont recall how I met them, but I met their starkville neighbors shortly after they left for Florida, and yes, the indication was that it was a tough separation as they'd all become close friends and despite the lack of a Target, they did love being at State.

I don't doubt that they had some personal relationships that were hard to leave, but he had made his mind up to go to Tennessee until the Florida job came up and had his eyes on other jobs before. Again, not something I'm mad at him over or criticizing him for. Very few coaches grow into a place to view it as something other than an employer.

 

[dawgstudent]

Sort of. I at least pull the price tags off of stuff.

That's because you don't want people to see the size of your clothing.

 

[johnson86-1]

The difference is Dan was good enough to be offered a promotion to a “better” school. The others were not.

Apparently a big part of our fanbase prefers a coach that does a mediocre or poor job and has no other options than to stick around until we have to fire him.

There is a lot of truth to that although not exactly in the way you are claiming. If you're not an alumni, you have to be somewhere for a while for it to mean anything to you. If Stansbury had gotten offered (or been under serious consideration; not sure if he was ever offered or not) Clemson earlier, I suspect he would have been much more excited about it. I suspect Jackie may have some extra appreciation because we gave him a chance when the NCAA was still trying to make it difficult. And even then, if Stansbury had gotten offered UNC or Duke at any time, I would assume he would have taken it with very little hesitation.

Dan being in discussion for jobs early and not hiding his interest I think cost him a lot of goodwill. Didn't let us pretend that he wasn't intending to use us as a stepping stone, and I think kept him from ever viewing MSU as something other than an intermediate stop, even though he ended up spending 9 years here, which is an eternity in todays football.

 

[Maroon13]

Jackie tried to leave for the Tampa Bay Bucs job early in his career at MSU. He tried to get the Bama job in 2000.