Ohio State Football: 3 biggest impacts of Urban Meyer’s Retirement
1. Urban Meyer’s complicated legacy
Meyer’s coaching acumen and his place in history is undisputed. He’s a no-doubt Hall of Fame head coach and the second best coach of his generation.
Over 17 years at four different stops, Meyer accumulated a 186-32 record, which is the third highest winning percentage of all time behind only coaching legends Knute Rockne and Frank Leahy. Those coaches did the bulk of their damage at Notre Dame during a much easier period of college football, which makes what Meyer has done that much more impressive.
Meyer had the opportunity to coach blue bloods like Florida and Ohio State, but he won at Bowling Green and Utah too, and his part in greater access for non-AQ schools should not be diminished. He led Utah, at the time apart of the Mountain West conference, to a BCS Bowl game in 2004, becoming the first non-automatic qualifier to make it there. As the original “BCS Buster,” the Utes throttled Pitt in the Fiesta Bowl to finish a perfect 12-0.
Meyer ultimately left and won a pair of national titles at Florida before resigning following the 2010 season citing health concerns. The coaching itch lay dormant for only one season, as after being absent for 2011, Meyer took over at Ohio State in 2012.
Meyer was dominant in his seven-year run in Columbus, amassing an 82-9 record and never losing more than two games in a season. He went a perfect 7-0 against Michigan, won three Big Ten titles, and captured the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship in 2014.
His coaching success can’t overshadow his inaction over domestic violence, though, or the many disciplinary issues his teams at Florida continuously faced.
For Meyer, football was sacrosanct; it wasn’t just the main thing, it was the only thing. That clouded judgment allowed him to turn a blind eye to a member of his coaching staff repeatedly being accused of spousal abuse.
Meyer came off as tone-deaf throughout the entire process, refusing to really take responsibility for his inaction, and letting excuses fly despite heated backlash.
Big time programs and big time coaches face this problem all the time. When football becomes so important that nothing else matters, scandals are sure to rise. It’s what brought down Joe Paterno and Penn State, where tunnel-vision allowed the heinous act of child molestation to go on for decades in fear that it could have a negative impact on the almighty Penn State football.
Football is a religion for some, worshiped and praised when things are going well, cursed and forsaken when they’re not. Winning is the cure for all at a football powerhouse like Ohio State, where the Buckeyes’ run to a Big Ten Championship has already begun overshadowing the negligence that allowed Courtney Smith to remain in a volatile situation much longer than she should have had to.
Meyer has been praised for “overcoming” his circumstances this season, with scribes penning a faux-feel good story as he rescued the Buckeyes by beating Michigan and winning the conference amid the storm.
Urban Meyer is no hero for his ability to win a lot of football games this season; deifying coaches in his position leads them to believe that they are above the rules and decency of mankind.
Meyer’s legacy will always be that of a great football coach, but his disregard for human decency is another unpleasant reminder of the treacherous nature of college football.