I would say that the list of his accomplishments should also include keeping a staff together, not just the initial hire. Some of the coaches came in with some pretty impressive credentials, and when they arrived, I expected them only to stay a year or two until they found "something better", yet years later, they are still in Athens. It's not that they couldn't find "something better". They seem happy in Athens, and have job security.
Part of the credit for that has to go to the Ohio fan base. When you are at many schools, the coaches are constantly under the microscope, and you never know when the head coach will be fired, nor when the head coach will sacrifice an assistant to save his own job. Ohio fans treat the coaches well. Sure, there are "fire Albin" threads, or "fire Burrow" threads now and then, but that goes with the job. The coaches do have to perform, obviously.
I know that in the MAC, the average head coach seems to stay about 3 years before he either moves up, or is fired. I'm sure that the Sunbelt is probably about the same. When you move up to the BCS conferences, the duration is probably longer because you don't see as many coaches "moving up", but even there, once you exclude the very top coaches, the duration is probably no more than 5 years.
The result of keeping a staff together largely intact for 8 years should not be underestimated. That assures continuity, where the staff knows what to expect from each other, and the players know what is expected. That continuity improves consistency, and allows the team to continually progress. You saw it under Grobe, and you see it again now.
Last Edited: 1/2/2013 11:31:28 AM by L.C.