IS COACHING AT ALABAMA MORE THAN COACH FRAN COULD HAVE EVER CONCIEVED? HIGH HOPES FOR BAMA
TUSCALOOSA -- Getting away from the task of being the head football coach at the University of Alabama and all that represents in the state is not an easy task. It may well be impossible.
Dennis Franchione says he was aware of the high profile that went with the job when he accepted the position.
A year later, he has gained even more awareness. Before being swallowed by the demands of preparing for the 2002 season, Franchione and his wife, Kim, headed to the West Coast for a vacation. They visited San Francisco and the wine country and he managed to get in a round or two at Pebble Beach Golf Club.
The first day he pulled into the parking lot at Pebble Beach, he was reminded of his position.
"Two Alabama fans came up to me before I got out of the car," Franchione said, smiling.
It's a small Crimson Tide world, after all.
Or a really, really large one, depending on one's perspective.
Franchione, who must walk down hallways lined with paintings and photographs of Alabama's football history on the way to his office, where more reminders of the tradition with which he has been entrusted hang, says he wanted this and was prepared for it.
At least, as much as anyone can prepare for such a task, especially someone who steps into that vast spotlight from outside the Crimson Tide family. His first step was to be adopted. That, it would seem, has taken place.
"I don't think you can gauge (the intensity of the interest for Alabama football) until you're here, but I knew what to expect," Franchione said earlier this week. "The passion and love (fans) have for football, for the university, for the state, is unbelievable.
"You can have an idea what it's like, but I don't think you can have the full grasp until you've been here, until you've been through it."
He grasps it now. And he embraces it.
For a man who has coached at Southwestern (Kan.) College, Pittsburg State (Kan.), Southwest Texas State, New Mexico and TCU before taking over the Alabama program, this is heaven, even during those times when there isn't a heavenly atmosphere.
"I didn't miss too far," he said of his expectations of the job and the attention it receives. "My eyes were pretty well open. ... But that's why I came here. I can't be coach (Paul) Bryant. I can't be coach (Gene) Stallings. All I can be is Coach Fran."
Coach Fran. Even the name that stuck immediately spells the intimacy with which he wants to share the program. He works crowds like a seasoned politician, usually with better results. He has won over those who were against his hiring because he was hired from outside the family, and he has solidified his standing with those who supported him from the beginning.
"The person who sits in this chair has a deep responsibility to a lot of people," he said as he leaned back, obviously comfortable in the dark red leather chair.
The comfort level of the chair can change quickly. He has dealt with many issues already in just one season. He was asked to mend the fences torn down by Mike DuBose's ouster as head coach. He was expected, as all who take the position are, to win, and do so right away. He was expected to guide the program through an NCAA investigation and now through a period of tough sanctions.
At times, it's a good thing that chair is soft.
Alabama posted a 7-5 record last season, losing the season-opener to UCLA in Tuscaloosa and defeating Vandy and Arkansas before losing four of the next five games to fall 3-5. That stretch tested loyalties because Alabama fans expect to win, regardless of the circumstances shadowing a program.
Fans would call up his radio show and question play-calling. Message boards on Internet sites friendly to the program had many posts in which the hiring of Franchione was second-guessed if not criticized in no uncertain terms. Some of Franchione's decisions were questioned by the media.
Franchione maintained it was a young team and it would take time for the players to grasp the system, for the coaches and players to gain that comfort level that is so important. Then they beat Mississippi State and, in the most definitive you're-one-of-us-now declarations, he led Al abama to a win over rival Auburn. In Auburn. In convincing fashion. In his first-ever Iron Bowl.
To top it off, he led Alabama past Southern Miss to earn a bowl bid that at one point in the season seemed as far-fetched as a top-10 ranking. OK, so it was the Independence Bowl, but it may just as well have been the Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl for some who saw the game as a sign the Tide was turning toward success.
For his next test, Franchione will be asked to lead a team against a tough schedule (at Oklahoma, at Tennessee, at LSU, vs. Georgia, vs. Auburn, vs. Ole Miss, vs. Southern Miss) and without the possibility of a bowl game. The team can't win the Southeastern Conference championship because of the sanctions, and the excuse of learning the system has been eliminated.
And yet, every Alabama player who could have transferred without having to sit out a season has remained. Franchione has convinced this team it can be "special." Last week, some of the players alluded to a goal of going 13-0.
"Every once in a while, I'll sit back and realize this is where coach Bryant coached and where coach Stallings coached and think about all the tradition and history here," Franchione said. "When coach (Mal) Moore (athletics director) and I are driving somewhere, I'll make him tell me stories, and he's a great storyteller. I love all the tradition of college football and all the tradition that's here."
He better. That tradition follows him wherever he goes -- the grocery store, the football field, the office, the West Coast. It never takes a vacation.
And that, according to Dennis Franchione, is just the way he likes it. Regardless, that's the way it is, the way it will always be. No matter the comfort level achieved or believed, it is always up for renewal -- one game at a time, one season at a time.
That comfort level will be tested again on Aug. 31 when Alabama opens its season against Middle Tennessee. And on Sept. 7 at Oklahoma and Sept. 14 and Sept. 21 and ... each day, each game.
Franchione has
high hopes for UA
By Cecil Hurt
TideSports.com
Dennis Franchione’s summer of chaos simply has not materialized.
The University of Alabama’s head football coach has had a few of the normal problems encountered by anyone who heads a major college program — a hectic schedule, a few academic concerns — but there has been nothing out of the ordinary. There has been no mass exodus of football players in the wake of NCAA sanctions. At this point, there hasn’t even been a little exodus. And while he is preparing for a 13-game schedule that he calls "the toughest" he has faced in his career, he and his staff are relaxed and eager to start preparations.
"I have a much better feel for our players than last year, when I had only seen them for 15 practices," Franchione told a small gathering of sports writers at the UA football complex on Wednesday. "We can direct our offensive and defensive thoughts much more accurately. At this time last year, we were just trying to figure out how to move the football with our young offensive line. This year, we know how we’ll do that."
Franchione will have slightly less material to work with than the other SEC teams — an 80-man squad instead of the normal NCAA limit of 85 — but there has been no drastic attrition.
"We have not had any scholarshipped players who have transferred," Franchione said. "I don’t know if I would say I am surprised, but I am certainly pleased and proud of these young men. It’s been very gratifying to me that they have stayed focused on what they have, and not worried about what they don’t have."
Franchione was asked if he could explain the team’s unity.
"There is a pretty good chemistry between the players and the coaches," he said. "That is part of it. Then there is a pride in wearing that crimson jersey. I think that has something to do with it."
There are still the usual summer concerns with academics. One player, Marvin Brown, left the team after the spring semester due to academic concerns. Three of the Tide’s signees — Titus Ryan of Tuscaloosa County, Henry Smith of Aliceville and Chauncey Malone of West Morgan — will, as expected, enroll in junior college this season. However, if JC signees Derrick Pope and Ahmaad Childress make the grade and if Alabama gets a favorable NCAA Clearinghouse ruling on what Franchione calls "an interpretation" for one prep signee, then the incoming class will be at the maximum allowable size.
As far as the current squad, Franchione said that the academic situation is solid.
"I talked to (academic advisor) Jon Dever this morning and he said that the team is in the best (academic) shape that he has seen for a long, long time.
"We have five young men who have issues to take care of. Two of those are in much deeper trouble than the other three, but they all have a chance to be eligible."
One player who has improved his situation is wide receiver Antonio Carter. He missed the Independence Bowl last season due to grade problems, but Franchione pronounced him "good to go" for the upcoming season.
As positive as Wednesday’s session, Franchione knows the sort of challenge his team is facing. The schedule — including road games to two potential preseason Top Five teams (Tennessee and Oklahoma), two other bowl teams on the road (LSU and Arkansas) and the trek to Hawaii — is daunting. However, Franchione has faith.
"People have to understand how much these young men have been through in their careers," he said. "They have always responded.
"Regardless of the appeal, we still have a lot to play for. We can still win the (SEC) West, even if we might not be the representatives in the championship game. We can still be ranked in the (Associated Press) poll.
"I think we are all anxious to get started."
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RANDOM THOUGHTS /COACH AND PLAYERS SOUND OFF ON 2002 SEASON
Had some free time and thought I would kill it with a little ramblin'. What does Bama mean to.........
Kentucky - They beat us for the first time in forever and an eternal day during a season that we were 4-7. Goal posts tumbled. Folks were trampled. And the president and AD of the school said it was the biggest win in the history of Kentucky football. One win over a 4-7 Bama team and they were proclaiming the emergence of Kentucky as a national contender. We apparently mean alot to these guys.
South Carolina - Ranked in the top 20 and playing a team at .500, the Gamers finally beat Bama for the first time ever. I repeat EVER. Keep in mind that a top 20, and later top 10, team was playing an unranked .500 team and when they win the game in the closing seconds, they too tear down the goal posts and celebrate into the night. I read an interview where some of the officials claim that game to be one of the biggest wins in Gamecock history. OVER AN UNRANKED .500 TEAM? Seems we are pretty big in their eyes also.
Vanderbilt - When the league divided into an East and West division, Vandy asked that we be a rival game for them. A school official, I don't remember his name, was quoted as saying that he wanted Bama because they were the best in the SEC and on those rare years that they pulled off the upset it would make the year for them. Here is a school willing to take 19 beatings just to win that one game every 20 years or so against us so they can proclaim it a good year. How big is Bama in the eyes of Vandy?
Georgia - I read a quote one time from a Georgia alumni that was being interviewed. In this interview he was asked about his stay at UGA and if he had any regrets. His reply was "I regret that we never beat Alabama". Now, he didn't mention Championships, although this player may have won one because I can't remember his name I just know it was several years ago, or awards. His regret? He can't tell his grandkids he played against and beat Bama. We have less ties with UGA than any team, IMO, but they know about us. Much more, I am sure, than we know about them.
Mississippi State - As recently as the mid 90's they brought down the goal posts with a win over Bama. Not to mention the fact that their head coach was on the verge of being fired on more than one occasion and a win over Bama saved his job. This coach has admitted, although not lately, to thinking ahead to Bama as early as spring practice. Lose to Auburn and Florida and Ole Miss and you will be counciled. But beat Bama and all is well until next year. What does that tell you we mean to the Bulldogs?
Ole Miss - What else can be said? Mississippi St. is supposed to be their real rival but guess what? They recruit players to match up with Bama. At least they used to. Beaten and battered too many times to mention, Ole Miss broke through this year and pulled out a last minute victory over the .500 Tide. Again what do we hear from their coach? One of the biggest wins in my head coaching career. Now granted his HC career has been short thus far, but hasn't he beaten other .500 teams having a down year? Yes but none the magnitude of Bama. Enough said.
LSU - Death Valley. 1969-2000. Did I see goal posts come down with a victory over a soon to be 3-8 team? I think so. Again enough said. They hate us, as do the rest, but not because we hate them. But simply because they live in the shadow of something bigger and they know it.
Arkansas - Danny Ford, former coach of the Hogs, said many times he lived to coach against Bama. Why? Because according to him, if you beat Bama you knew for that year you had done your job. For that year? Was he trying to say that the Bama game meant more to Arkansas than the rest of their games. I think so. But wasn't it Bama that denied them a NC? Can't remember for sure, but I know we used them to win one of our own on cold day in January. Bitter tastes are hard to get rid of.
Florida - What hasn't Spurrier done for Florida. The list of accomplishments are long including a NC. Spurrier, whether we like him or not, is a great coach and nothing seems to be out of his reach. Well almost nothing. The one thing he didn't accomplish was a streak of 5 straight SEC championships for the Gators. He called it mystique. We called it a record still intact for the Bama nation. Even the loose lipped Spurrier admitted that having a record that the legendary Bear Bryant set would top his coaching career. Are you kidding? The man that respects noone would like his name in lights with Bear Bryant? What does Bama tradition mean to Spurrier and the Gators?
Tennessee - Although they are currently getting the better of this rivalry, they are down in the overall scheme of things. In other words, we have beaten them more than they have beaten us. They own Bama. They rule Bama. They do not fear the Mighty Tide. They don't need any help beating Bama. That is what they say. But actions speak louder than words. Actions such as UT boosters being deeply involved in scandalous accusations against the Tide. Coaches telling recruits if they go to Bama they will not be playing football in 2 years. That sounds like desperation to me. Almost sounds as if they know that head to head that UT can never sell their program the way Bama can. And they know that. Outside of Auburn they will be the last to admit it, but they know who feeds them. As Fulmer holds his press conference after another Florida debacle last year, he feels the need to point out that UT and UF are the two winningest teams in the 90's in the SEC. Why Phil? Were you afraid that some of the country thought Bama was? I think so. You even had the smirk on your face. You knew you didn't measure up to the Gators and it didn't even matter to you. You just want to measure up to Bama. UT has even fired coaches because they couldn't beat Bama. True or false? In UT's mind we are Goliath. And it burns them deep within.
Auburn - This wasn't even funny until they started hiring Bama alum and Bear diciples to run their program. And they even had some success and long as big brother was running things. Then came trouble because even those guys had trouble competing with us and the Bama alum were ousted. And with an occasional win against the Bammers, as they call us, they were happy. Ecstatic in fact. But they can't hide from it. They play in the shadow of the ones they hate the most. No matter what they do. They wish it would go away. They even tried to believe it would go away. They even told recruits it would go away. But look whos still standing Barn people. Thats right. THE TIDE. So get used to it. There would be much less animosity if you would just admit it. Until you win all the marbles you will just be that other school in Alabama. And to top it off, all roads to the marbles roll through Tuscaloosa. It hurts I know. But with therapy and a willingness to be second best it will go away. What do we mean to Auburn? EVERYTHING.
Coach Fran, Players Sound Off About 2002 Season
Speaking out on the Hawaii trip, the season schedule, and the Tide's progress
Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Coach Dennis Franchione
On the Hawaii trip:
"I presented it to the players, telling them all the variables and what we would expect from them. I told them about how long the trip was and how good Hawaii is. I also told them that if they voted to play the game, then we were approaching it like any other game on our schedule.
"We took a team vote and all the players were for going. Theo Sanders, who likes to be controversial, raised his hand no; and then said he was just kidding.
"After the vote, several players came up to me and thanked me for getting the game. That meant a lot to me. You don't see that much any more, but it made me feel good."
About what he expects of Tyler Watts this season:
"I expect Tyler to be better this year in all aspects of the game. He understands the offense better. He is a good leader and the players respond to him. That doesn't mean we aren't going to get Brodie Croyle and Spencer Pennington ready to play.
"You can't go into a season without having more than one player ready to play. In this conference, as tough as it is, you need to be at least two-deep at every position."
About where the team is now compared to last year:
"There is no doubt we are a lot farther along than we were at this time last year. There is more unity, a more sense of oneness that frankly we didn't feel at this point last year.
"I think the players are more comfortable in the system, and they should be, and I think the trust factor even among themselves has grown immensely. Football is a game where all the players having to be working together to make the team successful.
"There is a lot of pride among these players, and I am proud of them. They want to be remembered as something special by the Alabama fans; and that is not an easy task for a school that has won 12 national championships and twenty-something different conference championships."
About the Alabama Schedule:
"I've read in several different publications where it has been ranked as the toughest in the nation; and on paper it probably is. When you have non-league games against Oklahoma, a team that many are picking to win the national championship, Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, Hawaii and North Texas, it isn't easy. The conference schedule is as everyone knows extremely difficult.
"I know one year I had a team that played 12 straight games, including one in Hawaii, and it can become a real test. I know all of you are aware about the discussions we had about moving Mississippi State to Thursday night.
"From a coaching perspective, it made a little sense, because it would have given us a mini-break late in the season, but I also understand and appreciate the concern of the fans."
Offensive Guard Marico Portis:
"I bench pressed my all-time best the other day, 510 pounds. When I came here out of high school, the best I could bench was 380. I tell you every five pounds, especially when you get to 500, seems like an extra ton.
"I know the whole team has been working hard and getting ready for this season."
Linebacker Brooks Daniels:
"It meant a lot to us players the way the coaches went to battle for us and got the game with Hawaii. That tells you a lot about them and how much they care about us the players.
"I love what we are doing defensively, and I think we are going to be really improved there this year. I like flying around out there and making some plays."
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