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College Football: Un-retiring is becoming the next big trend

By Bryant Barger

BATON ROUGE, LA - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Les Miles of the LSU Tigers greets head coach Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks at midfield prior to a game at Tiger Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
BATON ROUGE, LA - OCTOBER 10: Head coach Les Miles of the LSU Tigers greets head coach Steve Spurrier of the South Carolina Gamecocks at midfield prior to a game at Tiger Stadium on October 10, 2015 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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The newest trend in college football has become retired head coaches coming out of retirement to return to the sidelines.

College football is constantly changing. The sport has more curves than a coke bottle. We are always being introduced to a new rule or an off-field regulation, such as the transfer portal. With so many new things sometimes its good to get a taste of the old school.

That’s exactly what North Carolina and Kansas did this past off-season. They provided their football programs with a taste of the old school. They each hired retired / unemployed coaches who have won national championships. North Carolina hired their former head coach, Mack Brown, and Kansas hired former LSU head coach, Les Miles.

So far so good for both legends. When looking at the schedule Kansas seems to be in trouble, but in all reality, even though they have a 2-5 record they aren’t that bad. The Jayhawks were a mere five points away from beating West Virginia. A few weeks later, they went into Austin and gave the Longhorns everything they had. Kansas was just a hairline away from upsetting No. 15 Texas.

Coach Brown has put culture back into the dying UNC football program. The Tar Heels started off the season by beating their out-of-conference rival, South Carolina. This was followed by an ACC victory over the Miami Hurricanes. In Week 5, Mack and his squad were one two-point conversion short of upsetting the No. 1 ranked team in the country, Clemson.

The teams might not be world changers, but there is no denying that these hall of fame coaches have put life back into the football programs of these two “basketball schools”. The crazy thing is, Coach Miles and Coach Brown are both in their first year at their respected programs.

So, it makes you wonder, will other failing programs target retired hall of famers and national championship winning coaches to rebuild their teams?

Below is a small list of coaches who could un-retire and return to the college sidelines:

Urban Meyer

  • Former head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons, Utah Utes, Florida Gators, and Ohio State Buckeyes.
  • Overall record of 187-32-0
  • Three national championships (Florida, 2006, 2008; Ohio State, 2014)

Steve Spurrier 

  • Former head coach of the Duke Blue Devils, Florida Gators, and South Carolina Gamecocks.
  • Overall record of 228-89-2
  • One national championship (Florida, 1996)

Bob Stoops

  • Former head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners
  • Overall record of 190-48-0
  • One national championship (Oklahoma, 2000)

Gene Chizik

  • Former head coach of the Iowa State Cyclones and Auburn Tigers
  • Overall record of 38-38-0
  • One national championship (Auburn, 2010)

Paul Johnson

  • Former head coach of the Georgia Southern Eagles, Navy Midshipmen, and Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
  • Overall record of 128-89-0
  • One Orange Bowl victory (Georgia Tech, 2014)

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If you were an AD of a struggling program, which of these retirees would you hire to rebuild your football program? What other coaches do you believe would come out of retirement to get back on the sideline?

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