All coaches change moods, priorities and jobs, some out of desire, some out of necessity. With public profiles, their words and actions allow us to get to know them and their character.
Adversity and triumph reveal character.
Adversity and triumph reveal character.Some take the high road. Some who like to sound off, know when not to. Some try to have it both ways. In order, the someones are Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Indiana’s Curt Cignetti and the nomadic Lane Kiffin.
Minster Bank proudly sponsors the best in area sports stories on Press Pros Magazine.com.
Day could have gotten a hundred things off his chest after No. 1 Ohio State dominated No. 15 Michigan at Michigan Stadium in the snow, ending a painful four-game losing streak in the series.
Veteran columnist Jeff Gilbert writes Ohio State football and basketball and OHSAA sports for Press Pros Magazine.com.
He could have, and truthfully so, talked about how Michigan’s cheating scandal contributed to the Buckeyes’ recent futility.
He could have waved his national championship in Michigan’s face and said we deserved ours more.
He could have gloated about being a playoff team and belittled Michigan for missing out for the second straight year.
He could have let his team carry an Ohio State flag to the center of the field and fight with Michigan players who gathered there to defend the only turf they defended all day.
He could have said, and been correct, that his program is far healthier and more respected than Michigan’s.
He could have said my quarterback is superior to Michigan’s quarterback. Again, he would have been correct.
Instead, Day diverged to the road less traveled and displayed class to the surprise of no one. He set the postgame tone early in his remarks.
“I’ve thought, as you can imagine, over the years after winning this game what I’d say in this press conference,” said Ryan Day. What he ended up talking about…was his team.
“I’ve thought, as you can imagine, over the years after winning this game what I’d say in this press conference,” Day said Saturday fresh off a locker room celebration.
We’ve all had those thoughts about situations. Finally, I get to say what I think. But class, like Day has, is something this rivalry desperately needs at all levels. The game was marked by too many pushes and shoves. Just shut up and play football. Too many fans walking out of the stadium thought they needed to hurl insults and worse at each other. I heard it from both sides.
Competitive spirit and debate are fun. But be like the Michigan fan I heard welcome Ohio State fans to Ann Arbor. Or the Michigan fan and graduate from Marysville who talked pleasantly with me and two other Ohio State football writers at a Michigan restaurant Saturday night.
Day continued: “I’m going to save all those comments because I think the best thing to do is win with humility, and that’s what we’re going to do. It speaks to our program. It speaks to what it means to be a Buckeye.”
Huffer Chiropractic can help your athlete perform at their best – with offices in Osgood, Jackson Center, Marysville, and Dublin, Ohio.
Day and senior captain Sonny Styles both said the mission was to win for the love of your brothers, not the hatred of your opponent. Of all the strategies discussed before The Game about keeping a routine and not overthinking the rivalry, that might have been the most effective intangible piece of advice and strategy.
The Buckeyes proved it with their play. Then they celebrated with each other, with their fans, barely noticing the Michigan players at midfield expecting payback and the worst from the Buckeyes. Sure, during the game some Buckeyes probably said untoward things on the field and celebrated in sophomoric ways, but flag planting was never going to be permitted.
Overall, the Buckeyes, as a group, acted like pros. The day was never about Michigan. It wasn’t about each player getting his own spotlight or piece of vengeance.
Day respects the game too much to allow boorish behavior. And he’s created a team-first culture in which the players respect the game. That’s one reason why so many players returned to win last year’s title. Day’s culture created this season’s consistent effort regardless of opponent, score or time left.
Day’s idea of humility wasn’t only about not showing up Michigan. When asked about what this meant to him, he deflected all praise to his players and coaches. This was for them, he said.
“It’s one of those moments that you want to just grab on for a while and just enjoy it because just to see the joy in everybody’s face is really what this thing’s all about,” he said. “It’s not about you, it’s not about raising trophies, it’s not about winning games. It’s about pouring back into the people that are around you. When I say people, it’s the players, it’s the coaches, it’s their families and the fans. Winning just gives us an opportunity to continue to make an impact.”
Allenbaugh Insurance, in Jackson Center, supports the Buckeyes on Press Pros Magazine.
Cignetti, as did Day, spoke in a conference call with media on Sunday in advance of their 1 vs. 2 matchup Saturday night in the Big Ten championship game. Many were hoping for the brash, controversial comment that generates readership. Instead, Cignetti bypassed that road. He reiterated the processes he believes work, credited his coaches and players and praised Ohio State’s talent and ability to always play well.
Cignetti, as confident and truth-telling as coaches come, even cast a shade of humility when he complimented Day.
“Ryan Day is a great coach,” Cignetti said. “He’ll be one of the legends of the game someday.”
Day was asked to respond to Cignetti’s praise. He wasn’t quite sure what to say.
“Well, that’s quite a compliment, and I appreciate him saying that … not too sure what to think of that,” Day said. “I’ve got a lot of football to coach before any of those type of conversations.”
As different as Day and Cignetti’s personalities are, they sound similar when discussing the requirements of building and maintaining a winning culture.
“I don’t want to speak on somebody else’s program, but when I have listened to Coach Cignetti speak, you can tell that he has a system in place, and in that system, he knows what it’s supposed to look like,” Day said. “There’s a belief within the program and a credibility of his competence as a coach, that if you follow the plan, it’s going to work. And his confidence really exudes from the system. That’s what it looks like to me.”
Dorsten Contracting proudly supports Shelby County League sports on Press Pros.
Day has the best coaching job in America. Cignetti took a chance on a place coaches go to get fired. But getting the Hoosiers into the playoffs after his first two seasons is one of the most remarkable coaching feats on record. He signed an eight-year, $93 million contract extension in October after Penn State fired James Franklin.
Kiffin, however, is a different brand, taking many roads. He changes jobs messily, sometimes his own doing, sometimes getting fired. Now he is leaving Ole Miss, a program he turned into a playoff team this year, for LSU. No doubt LSU is a historically better job, one with a better perceived chance to win a national championship.
Kiffin’s triumph of an 11-1 season made him a candidate for the best jobs available. Not because he’s the best coach to go get, but because he’s the best available. LSU didn’t have a top 10 pick. Hiring Kiffin isn’t as uninspiring as settling for whoever interviewed the best, but he’s not Day, Cignetti, Kirby Smart, Dan Lanning, Marcus Freeman or Steve Sarkisian.
The problem isn’t that Kiffin changed jobs. It’s the timing. The Ole Miss players, the coaches staying behind, the entire campus, the alumni, the fans, all deserve better. Don’t blame this on the college football calendar – which is a mess – or the fact that there are no rules against coach poaching before the season ends.
Yes, the calendar and hiring rules need improvement, but this is Kiffin’s choice. He was not in an impossible position. He had a choice to do right by everyone counting on him, or to make the selfish choice.
The funny part is this: In the age of NIL and the transfer portal, do coaches need to chase jobs to reach the top of the ladder? What if Cignetti wins a national championship this season? What if Mike Elko at Texas A&M or Lanning at Oregon or even Franklin at Virginia Tech win one?
Kiffin proved this year that with the right recruits, the right schedule, good coaching and the right breaks even Ole Miss could ascend to the top tier. LSU might have greener grass, but Baton Rouge offers no guarantees.
Kiffin asked to coach Ole Miss in the playoffs when he informed his boss that he was taking the LSU job. They denied his request as they should. Kiffin’s priorities have shifted. Ole Miss needs people in charge who will protect its program.
For Kiffin to think he should have gotten it both ways, tells you all need to know about his self-centered brand and which road he is always likely to take.
Humility toward all and putting others above yourself isn’t dead in the high-dollar coaching world. But it isn’t rampant either.
The road a coach takes makes all the difference.
Precision Strip, in Minster, is a proud sponsor of the best area sports stories on Press Pros.