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Terry Bowden Show: Urban Meyer on the state of college football · The Auburn Undercover Podcast

0:07
Welcome in again everybody to the Terry
0:09
Bowen Show on Auburn Undercover. I'm
0:11
your co-host Ronnie Sanders and today
0:13
we're joined as always by former Auburn
0:15
coach Terry Bowen and we've got a
0:17
special guest today, former Auburn and
0:19
Ohio State coach Urban Meyer. Coach,
0:21
good to be with you.
0:22
>> Oh, former Gator coach.
0:24
>> I was going I heard that. I heard that
0:27
that that coach. I was actually
0:30
>> I was at Florida before you. So I I
0:32
misspoke.
0:35
>> There people up north don't know the
0:36
difference. People down south know the
0:38
difference.
0:38
>> No doubt
0:39
>> they knew you. They used to they used to
0:41
say when I was in Ohio I course I
0:43
coached at Akan in in Ohio too. And uh
0:46
knew a little bit about the Ohio State.
0:48
It was Michigan there as much as
0:50
anything. You know north to you smell it
0:52
and west to you step on it. Kind of
0:54
that's how they do in Florida down there
0:56
in Florida and those kind of areas down
0:58
there. But but I I'm glad Urban so glad
1:00
you could come on with us and I know you
1:02
you need no introduction. I think even
1:03
to southern fans like we have down here
1:06
your three national championships and uh
1:08
but when you come into the SEC like you
1:10
did at Florida you gain you you earn
1:12
your respect in the SEC uh on the
1:15
football field which is what you have to
1:17
do. But u we lost a a great football
1:19
coach just recently in Lou Holtz and and
1:22
uh um and I know you were close to coach
1:25
Holtz and I'm glad you could come on. We
1:27
want to talk a little bit about him and
1:29
Bobby Bowen and some of the coaches that
1:31
meant a lot to us. But uh uh Lou was not
1:34
only a great coach but a great
1:36
spokesperson for the game of football
1:38
and a great uh person off the field. Uh
1:42
but what were your first collection?
1:44
Where was you? Where does it take you
1:45
back to where you first knew uh Coach
1:47
Holtz? Well, you you mentioned coach
1:49
Baldin and and you know uh Lou Holtz and
1:53
then I go back to Woody and Bo Shim back
1:55
when I know where
1:56
>> Bobby Coach Bowen and I used to talk
1:58
about him all the time and I actually
1:59
got a letter that coach Bon sent me
2:02
after our first national title and it
2:06
said you're you got a little bit of Bow
2:08
and Woody in you because he knew that
2:09
those were kind of my childhood you know
2:12
heroes. So
2:13
>> yeah,
2:14
>> Lou Holtz uh hired me at Notre Dame in
2:16
1996. Obviously, I knew who he was. I'm
2:19
Irish Catholic. I was a Notre Dame fan
2:21
my entire life. And it was a dream come
2:23
true to get that phone call. I was at
2:25
Colorado State for Collins, Colorado.
2:27
And I got the call and I remember joking
2:30
around. I said, "Your husband's going to
2:32
coach at Notre Dame. It just sounds kind
2:33
of funny that you know, you work your
2:36
whole life. You never you kind of dream
2:37
of it, but you never really think, come
2:39
on, what are you talking about?"
2:41
And uh I only got to work for him for a
2:43
year, but our relationship actually got
2:45
so much stronger even after I left. He
2:47
was my guy. He was my mentor. He was the
2:51
uh speed dial when I I mean there was
2:54
times multiple calls in a day that I
2:56
would call him. And he was a he was a
2:58
walking encyclopedia of how to handle
3:00
situations and and whether it be
3:03
discipline, whether it be game
3:04
management, whether it be he was so good
3:07
at game prep, Terry, that we won the SEC
3:11
championship in 06.
3:14
I wake up the next morning and we got 40
3:17
days and we're going to go play,
3:19
ironically, Ohio State in a national
3:20
title game. I have no idea what to do.
3:23
Like zero. I don't know where to start.
3:26
And of course, I I made the call that
3:27
day and we probably had 25 phone calls
3:31
those 30 days and uh you know, he gave
3:34
me so much great advice. But I love
3:37
coach Holtz. Uh he's an incredible man.
3:39
Was an incredible man. I there's a
3:42
couple words that I think about with him
3:44
and one is compassion and then the
3:46
other, you know, he just cares so deeply
3:48
about like those old coaches were
3:49
amazing how much they cared about their
3:51
players. I'm in my M there was no NIL
3:54
and it was all about graduation and you
3:56
know getting to know the families like
3:58
Bobby Bounty used to always talk about
3:59
that and Lou Holtz the same way and make
4:01
sure they get that degree make sure they
4:03
have a job after football and I'm not
4:06
saying that's gone but now you're
4:08
hearing about NIL all the time instead
4:10
of making sure that young guys got a job
4:12
when he's done playing. So uh I worked
4:15
for coach Holtz and I love him.
4:17
>> Yeah, he he he made such an impact on so
4:20
many people. Uh, you know, my father,
4:22
uh, and Lou became very close. Um, uh,
4:25
1968, my dad was the offensive
4:27
coordinator at West Virginia and he went
4:30
over to to Ohio State, you know, like
4:32
coaches did, they would go to other
4:34
schools and learn football. And I think
4:36
my dad's about six years older than Lou.
4:38
But when he got there, Lou would drive
4:39
him everywhere, take him everywhere, you
4:41
know, and Lou just made sure he was
4:43
going to be around to coach to help and
4:45
was so helpful and and they became great
4:48
friends that day. I know a lot has been
4:51
said when Lou went on to become the head
4:53
coach at William and Mary and my dad the
4:55
head coach at West Virginia they played
4:57
and there's that and then my dad whipped
4:59
them pretty good because West Virginia
5:00
was a little bit better than we than we
5:02
at that time and they say that at the at
5:05
at the midfield at midfield after the
5:07
game Lou said why did you get us so beat
5:10
us so bad and I think uh my dad they had
5:12
you know you got to understand my dad's
5:13
sense of humor says Lou you got to get a
5:16
few more uh Williams and not so many
5:18
Mary's on that I actually heard that
5:20
story. I heard that story from him. Yep.
5:23
>> Well, you know, and it's funny because
5:25
my dad has told us the story, but I'm
5:27
not sure that's, you know, Lou was one
5:29
of the great storytellers that you met.
5:30
Those both of those coaches I think were
5:33
probably great storytellers. But my dad
5:36
said, "Well, when I grabbed him out
5:37
there, I said, Lou, it's not my job to
5:39
keep the score down. It's your your job
5:41
to keep the score down." Which was done
5:43
in a in a humorous way uh to that
5:46
extent. But but but Lou was a bit of an
5:49
enigma though when you think about those
5:51
who did didn't coach for him. Not a big
5:53
guy, a little guy from Fallenby, West
5:56
Virginia who many people, you know, East
5:59
Liverpool right across the the river
6:01
there. I grew up in Morgantown, not too
6:03
far from there. Uh and he and he had
6:05
that list, but he was unbelievable. his
6:08
his mo his his communication skills I
6:11
guess uh were the things that just stuck
6:13
out to me because he was unbelievable
6:15
speaker and motivator um as well as a
6:18
football coach
6:20
>> and he was tough you know he was he was
6:22
cut out of that Woody Hayes mold and and
6:25
>> I I'm I mean we lost him a week ago and
6:27
I'm still horrified of the guy
6:30
that's how tough he was you know you
6:33
were never to be late to a meeting he
6:35
held you accountable if your guys didn't
6:36
play of all the the one common
6:38
denominator that you know I said this
6:41
the other day that when I think about
6:43
the Woody and the Bo and the Coach Bowen
6:46
and the Tom Osborne and Joe Pno and just
6:50
the legends of our time growing up is
6:53
that the one thing that I learned and I
6:54
used to share with my staff all the
6:56
time, you're never allowed to blame a
6:58
player. You know, you were never allowed
7:00
to say, "I told him that's what to do or
7:03
or that guy's not good enough." You
7:04
know, I would, you know, It seems like,
7:07
you know, I would get these young
7:08
coaches in my career as as I was as as a
7:11
head coach and I I would explain to them
7:13
that, you know, you say that twice and
7:16
you're gone. You know, you don't we
7:18
don't blame players around here.
7:19
>> Yeah.
7:19
>> That's why I pay you. I pay you. You're
7:22
the coach. Every every action is either
7:24
taught or allowed. So, I I just think
7:26
about the Lou Holtz that when when that
7:29
player, you know, I was a receiver,
7:30
coach for him, special teams coach for
7:32
him. that if that receivers didn't block
7:34
well, I could say all I wanted, but I
7:36
told him to and that that would is not
7:38
the right answer. It's why are you not
7:40
working on it enough? You know, so uh
7:43
that there's so many great memories, but
7:46
you think about your career, Terry, that
7:48
my career, we all have to we were we're
7:51
we're
7:53
creatures of habit and creatures of
7:55
those who we surround ourselves with.
7:58
Blue Holtz was every part of our in in
8:00
every bit of my career, in every bit of
8:02
my program.
8:04
>> It was he did such an amazing job doing
8:07
that. And uh and I it's it's funny. Um
8:10
and what he was as good a speaker. You
8:12
know, I grew up with a father that was a
8:13
coach and I thought it was just as
8:14
important to be able to public speak and
8:16
to speak to groups as it if you're gonna
8:19
be a coach, you better be able to speak.
8:21
And I probably copied my dad as much as
8:23
anything, but I made money trying to
8:24
copy Lou because Lou probably was as
8:26
good a speaker. I still use two or three
8:28
of his jokes, his stories in talks that
8:31
I give today. Uh but but what a great
8:35
and I think about as being kind of a and
8:37
most coaches storytellers that uh talk
8:40
about football, but he he was a
8:42
professional. He was a polished speaker
8:44
as well as any I've ever heard in
8:45
football. Uh even when you hear him
8:47
heard him like speaking to corporate
8:49
groups and things like that too.
8:51
>> Yeah. When he got in a race with a
8:52
pregnant woman and finished uh finished
8:54
third
8:56
how uh he he created such an
9:00
high expectations at Notre Dame when he
9:02
finished summer two in the country they
9:04
call him a bum. You finish you finish
9:07
last at med school they call you doctor.
9:09
He didn't understand that he was being
9:11
called a bum. So he he was great. I
9:15
mean, he would come up with he had the
9:17
standard ones because I heard him so
9:18
many times
9:20
>> and after, you know, after hear
9:21
something 20 times, you're like, "Okay,
9:23
>> but then he'd fire one across the bow at
9:26
you and I'd be like, you got to be
9:27
kidding me, man." That
9:29
>> Yeah, he would. I think at one point he
9:30
was probably the number one speaker in
9:32
the country.
9:33
>> Yeah, I' I've memorized to memorize his
9:35
tapes when I became a young coach. It
9:37
was Lou Holtz tapes and of course 78 was
9:40
the year if you and you probably some
9:42
remember the year he w first year he
9:44
went to Arkansas for those young people
9:45
that are listening you may not
9:46
understand he was the young head coach
9:48
at Arkansas and he was playing in the
9:51
Orange Bowl against Oklahoma uh and they
9:54
were they were about to win three out of
9:56
four national champion or two out of
9:57
three or three out of four national
9:59
champions and to show what a type of
10:01
disciplinarian he was he kicked off his
10:04
two running backs I think at the
10:06
bowlside site or during the bowl week
10:08
took his two and his wide receiver and
10:10
dismissed them for the game uh and then
10:13
won went out and won 30 I think 31 to8
10:16
or 31 to6 and just dominated the
10:18
football game and I'm not sure that may
10:20
have been that may have been the the
10:22
game that put him on the map I think as
10:24
far as as people taking notice of what
10:27
he could do. Oh, yeah. I I actually
10:30
remember that well. And he was one of
10:31
the first guys to actually sit sit a
10:33
player down
10:35
>> and especially a big game like that. He
10:37
did the same thing at Notre Dame when
10:38
they were getting ready to play USC.
10:40
They sat Ricky Waters down and another
10:43
player and u because they were late for
10:45
a meeting. Think about that for a
10:46
minute.
10:47
>> I I tell you what, I I don't know if I
10:49
could do that. You're late for a
10:50
meeting. I'll I'll run you or something
10:52
like that. But yeah, Coach Colts was
10:55
tough, man. and and hearing, you know,
10:58
uh obviously hearing from so many former
11:01
players that we had Jerome Bettis on the
11:03
triple option podcast the other day. Uh
11:06
the respect and love they have for that
11:08
guy was immense. A lot like your father.
11:10
Exactly. Like
11:12
>> and you know, it's funny and both and
11:14
that's the impact they had on on young
11:16
people. And I think as young coaches and
11:18
and we speak to a lot of young coaches
11:20
and and what the value of what they're
11:23
doing can be to these players because
11:25
we're talking about our players today,
11:26
as you mentioned earlier, the portal
11:28
moves them from one school to the next.
11:30
They don't have an alma mater. They
11:31
don't have favorite colors. They don't
11:33
know their fight song. Uh they probably
11:35
don't meet the girl they're going to
11:36
marry one day because they're too busy
11:37
moving from place to place. And when you
11:40
can when you can make an impact as a
11:41
coach uh like he did uh and and the
11:45
thing that that you could probably he
11:47
was different than my dad. I think he
11:48
was more discip strict more if you were
11:51
late for a meeting and I heard that on
11:53
your podcast you better be careful. My
11:55
dad may not say a thing now. He'd take
11:57
you back in his office and say son uh we
12:00
can't have you missing. He'd make you
12:01
feel so bad. You know, dad gum it if you
12:04
missed a meeting and you'd feel so bad
12:06
you you uh you never did it again. But
12:08
both styles were their own style. Uh and
12:11
yet it worked uh and was successful
12:14
because of uh I think the compassion
12:16
part and caring part came in.
12:18
>> You know, when I first met Coach Ball in
12:20
'05 uh on the Nike trip.
12:23
>> Yeah.
12:23
>> Just we went undefeated in Utah. I got
12:25
hired at Florida and I got the phone
12:27
call to go to I can't Bermuda or you
12:30
know somewhere.
12:31
>> Yeah.
12:31
>> And I remember uh Joe Pno comes walking
12:34
up behind me. I said, "Who's this urban
12:36
guy? Where's he at?" I said, "Coach,
12:37
that's me." And and he shook my hand and
12:40
said, "Hello." And the same thing B like
12:42
two minutes later comes up. He goes,
12:44
"Hey, who's this Myer guy?" He and I
12:46
said, "Coach, that's me." And from that
12:48
I I want to say I was on probably 12 or
12:51
13 or 14 of them, maybe 15 of them. But
12:56
Bob, Coach Bowen and I became such good
12:58
friends, we every year we played golf,
13:00
just two of us,
13:01
>> right? And I asked him, I said, you
13:03
know, I said, 'I got to I know we were
13:05
supposed to hate each other with a big
13:07
rivalry and all that. Um, but I have so
13:11
much respect for you. Can we go for you?
13:13
And so we sat in a golf cart together.
13:16
And as he got older, it was only nine
13:18
holes, but we would play 18 holes in
13:20
golf. And I can't tell you if I hit the
13:23
ball or not because it didn't matter.
13:24
All I did is take notes
13:27
is had incredible conversations with him
13:30
and and we became dear friends. He was
13:32
he was a great notewriter, too. I would
13:35
get the nicest notes after every Nike
13:37
trip. And then obviously your mom, bless
13:39
her soul, she's incredible. She's I know
13:42
she's uh she's you said you're moving
13:44
her to Auburn. But Joe Pno and And Joe
13:47
Pno was the same way, Terry. I would
13:49
>> Yeah.
13:49
>> I would get there and I would it was
13:51
almost like clockwork. We'd check in.
13:53
I'd look down and he'd always grab a a
13:55
glass of whiskey. He'd grab his uh a
13:58
book that he never read and he would go
14:01
take a shirt off and sit by the pool and
14:04
and he would hold court
14:06
with the coach, you know, with whoever
14:07
had come by. I was the first day I'm
14:10
always with him as well. So, I was
14:12
humbled by the advice and knowledge I
14:14
received on those trips.
14:16
>> People don't realize how much those
14:17
trips meant to all of us. my my days in
14:19
the 90s. My brother Tommy in the 90s
14:21
when he was at Clemson I was when I was
14:23
at Auburn but it was almost like there
14:25
was that one table if you were lucky
14:27
enough to sit with it. It usually had
14:29
Bobby Bowen, Joe Pno, Lavell Edwards,
14:32
you know, and then I don't know if Jim
14:34
Sweeney was still coaching when you got
14:35
into there. He was finishing up. He was
14:38
he was kind of the party of the group,
14:39
you know. There's my dad would go to
14:42
sleep at 10:00 or 9:00 and Joe would
14:45
toast the group there and be the man in
14:47
charge, but Sweeney was out playing
14:49
after dark. He he had everybody else and
14:51
he was the older guy that that took the
14:52
young guys out to uh to the next place
14:55
we went to after it was all over. But we
14:57
had you learned so much from from these
14:59
coaches and the times that they had. But
15:01
uh again, can't say enough for Lou Holtz
15:04
and and what what he has meant. Like I
15:06
say, so much I I learned from him over
15:08
the years. Uh then when I was at ABC, he
15:11
went to ESPN and we and I used to love
15:13
the fact that he and Mark May there was
15:16
I think Mark May drove him crazier than
15:18
anybody that ever drove because uh
15:20
because you know Lou is an older guy
15:22
that you have respect for. But that Mark
15:24
I tell you I love I loved it because I
15:26
think he drove Lou crazy sometimes up
15:28
there when they were on the on this on
15:30
the set at ESPN.
15:32
>> You know what's amazing is Coach Holtz
15:33
even told me this. He said later in his
15:35
life,
15:36
>> people knew him as Coach Lou
15:38
>> or I think they called him Dr. Lou,
15:40
right? Or on the TV.
15:42
>> Yeah, Dr. Yeah.
15:43
>> They forgot he was the coach at Notre
15:45
Dame. And said, "Oh, there's the guy
15:46
from ESPN." They're like, "Wait a
15:48
minute." No,
15:50
>> coaches in the history of the the game.
15:52
>> Yeah, he he sure was. And but but but it
15:55
has been great. And uh and he and he was
15:58
great for the game. But before we let
15:59
you go and again appreciate you coming
16:02
on talk about Lou and my and I will say
16:04
this, I've had three people on this show
16:06
that have said, you know, you're dead
16:07
when he was coach and he wrote me a
16:09
letter. I mean, we had a we had a
16:11
quarterback in 1983 at Auburn, a guy
16:13
named Randy Campbell, who had two fir
16:15
two first downs on the last drive to
16:17
beat Florida State. He said, "On
16:19
Wednesday, I got a letter from your dad
16:20
saying it's the greatest performance
16:22
I've ever seen." He said, "Here's a
16:23
picture. It's been on my wall my all my
16:26
life, this letter I got." And then we
16:28
heard someone else who did the same
16:29
thing. Maybe there's a lesson there that
16:31
that many young coaches uh take the time
16:33
to appreciate people uh uh and what they
16:36
do and they'll never forget it and it'll
16:38
make an impact. Uh but uh but let's go
16:41
one a little bit further. You just came
16:42
back from Washington DC. I know you were
16:44
a part of that uh that uh round table of
16:47
discussion on NIL and uh portal and all
16:51
the the direction of college football.
16:53
Um after that meeting where where how do
16:56
we reel this thing in? Where's it going?
16:58
Do is there is there an easy answer to
16:59
where this thing is going or can we can
17:02
we get a handle? It doesn't seem like we
17:04
have a handle on this thing with NIL's
17:06
and collective revenue sharing and all
17:08
that stuff.
17:09
>> Yeah, there's a couple things. Number
17:11
one is the the product, the interest,
17:13
the quality of coaching, quality of
17:15
playing, the parody is arguably never
17:18
been better in our Right.
17:19
>> I watch film like you do and I'm like
17:21
I'm amazed at how good these teams are.
17:24
you know, the the best teams in the
17:25
country really don't have a weakness
17:26
because they just go out and snap their
17:28
fingers in their portal when they get a
17:29
new player. And uh and and so so the
17:33
product's great. The interest level on
17:35
I'm on Fox big new kickoff and our
17:37
numbers are way up.
17:39
>> You know, the viewership's incredible,
17:41
but there is some reality that there's
17:43
some residual damage that could be very
17:46
harmful to not just football, but the
17:48
game or the college sports. You know, my
17:50
two daughters play college volleyball
17:52
and uh you take away team sports in my
17:55
mind for women and for you know the
17:58
non-revenue sports. Our country is in
18:00
serious issue. I think the greatest
18:01
leaders of our of our lifetime have
18:04
played team sports. My daughter told me
18:05
that one time. She said or on an
18:07
interview said I learned more in a
18:08
volleyball court than I ever learned in
18:09
a classroom. Which
18:11
>> of course that's true. You learn how to
18:13
deal with people and leadership
18:14
commitment. So here's where we're at. Uh
18:18
I think it's fairly simple. I think
18:20
everyone is kind of in agreement that
18:22
how this thing has to go. However,
18:24
there's a there's a major issue right
18:26
now, Terry, and that's there's no
18:27
enforcement arm of the sport,
18:29
>> right?
18:30
>> And it's because everything is litigated
18:31
and it's I never could spell antitrust.
18:34
Now, I know exactly what it is. I've
18:36
been on these meetings and a lot of
18:38
behind the scene meetings and I actually
18:40
been studying it because if someone
18:41
asked me what they did, I want to be
18:43
prepared. an antirust exemption is is
18:47
has to happen and that's to make rules
18:50
to there's I I I heard there's 37 or 38
18:53
different state laws regarding NIL etc
18:57
and anytime there's a ruling all you
18:59
have to do is find a friendly judge and
19:00
you've seen that recently and they just
19:02
overrule any ruling by the NCA so so
19:06
antirust exemption will give you two
19:08
things it it will uh over overrule the
19:11
states and and then the Second thing is
19:14
common sense litigation. You just can't,
19:17
you know, you can't every time there is
19:19
a ruling, you can't sue the NCAA.
19:22
>> Right
19:23
>> now, to have that happen, it's
19:24
congressional. And my understanding is
19:26
that you have to have uh people, you
19:30
know, in the Senate come together on
19:32
this thing. And we, you know, this is a
19:35
pretty trying time as far as cooperation
19:37
right now. It doesn't seem like anybody
19:38
wants to help anybody because this is
19:40
non this is bipartisan. I was talking to
19:42
Greg Seni the other day and
19:45
>> oh whether it's Republican or Democrat
19:47
that what are we talking about? You
19:48
know, football in the South is very
19:50
important. I understand there's two
19:51
Democratic senators that would vote
19:54
against or I I don't know if they vote
19:56
against it but you know who cares about
20:00
the politics on this thing. Do what's
20:02
right. And then I saw another thing,
20:04
Terry, and I know you feel the same way
20:07
is that of course players should have
20:08
name and likeness opportunity. Of that's
20:10
that's American way. It's called
20:12
capitalism. You can make money off your
20:14
name and likeness. Absolutely. Should
20:16
they have revenue share? They do. I I
20:18
agree they should. And that will
20:19
continue. But what has to go away is the
20:22
collectives.
20:23
Those those are illegal. Those are you
20:25
can't do that. And unless those things
20:28
go away, well, you can't make them go
20:30
away unless there's antitrust,
20:33
>> right?
20:33
>> Exemption for the rule making. If it
20:36
doesn't happen,
20:39
I don't know if this if everybody's
20:41
going to stick together. I don't you
20:43
might see some people start going their
20:45
own way because after sitting in that
20:48
room with the four commissioners and a
20:51
bunch of power players
20:53
uh you know I don't have a dog in the
20:55
race other than I love the game but
20:57
there there's some a lot of tension here
21:00
that things are going to start happening
21:04
fiscally that these universities can't
21:06
handle unless this gets fixed.
21:08
>> Yeah. You mentioned the game is probably
21:10
as good as it's ever been. I agree now
21:12
that I'm podcasting and studying games a
21:15
lot more and now I know a lot more about
21:17
the overunder now than I did when I
21:19
coached and what it means to win by a
21:21
certain amount of points that everybody
21:23
seems to be more interested in that
21:24
nowadays.
21:26
You know, my brother and Tommy and I
21:27
talk a lot about games we watch on
21:30
football and I don't know if you agree.
21:31
I think and and NIL and getting the best
21:34
players out of the portal and
21:35
everything, but we really would say
21:37
every week that when we watched Indiana
21:39
and you know Kurt Signett Tommy and I
21:42
played for Kurt's dad, Frankett was my
21:44
dad's offensive coordinator at West
21:46
Virginia. Then he was Tommy and our head
21:48
coach and he was as smart an offensive
21:50
coach as anybody Kurt's dad. But when we
21:53
watch them play, I'm not so sure it's
21:56
totally about the Jimmies and Joe's.
21:58
It's a lot about the X's and O's cuz
22:00
there wasn't a phase of their game that
22:02
I didn't feel each week that I watched
22:04
that they didn't dead gum out coach
22:06
people at times with just better
22:07
fundamental football.
22:09
>> It's the best coaching job I've seen in
22:11
my lifetime. And
22:12
>> fundamentally, offense, defense, kicking
22:14
game, the you know, they I was looking
22:16
it up. They had a one fumble game one.
22:18
They didn't fumble again the rest of the
22:20
year. You never They had the his big
22:22
plays against him, fewest missed
22:23
tackles. You know, the perimeter
22:25
blocking was which is all coaching. I
22:27
mean, you got to buy the have to buy
22:29
into the the plus yardage you get on the
22:31
perimeter blocking. And yeah, it was
22:33
phenomenal. What what they did have,
22:35
Terry, was they had a mature team,
22:37
>> right?
22:37
>> And I remember the last half of my
22:39
career, I never coached a senior. They
22:41
they were all gone. You know,
22:43
>> that's right.
22:43
>> You got him for three years. You playing
22:45
as a true freshman and they're, you
22:46
know, coaching a 17, 18 year old versus
22:48
a 22, 23 year old. Um, you look at the
22:53
template from the Wolverines to the
22:54
Buckeyes to the Hooers. Those are the
22:56
three oldest teams and they've every
22:58
year and I looked at the ro average age
23:00
I think was 24 years old or 23 years old
23:04
>> and I I think I was lucky when I got one
23:07
up to 21
23:09
>> because they would leave and go to the
23:10
>> NFL.
23:12
Well, that I said we can we were in the
23:13
era where you I know eventually we had
23:15
to recruit saying, "Hey, listen son,
23:17
come play for me because in three years
23:18
you'll be gone." in the pros making tons
23:20
of money and you sold your freshman
23:22
you're going to start as a freshman but
23:24
but that is because that's all the
23:26
choices we had back then because you
23:28
didn't get an older guy going back then
23:30
u but the other new coach before I let
23:32
you go and I'll let you go but I was you
23:34
know at Auburn and a lot of our
23:36
listeners are Auburn fans uh Alice
23:38
Gooish is the new head coach at uh
23:40
Auburn he comes from I want to say
23:42
Dublin Ohio but I would have never
23:44
thought a coach at Auburn would be from
23:45
Russia he was born in Russia and moved
23:47
here and uh Uh but he everything I hear
23:51
is good and such a good work ethic. But
23:53
uh uh any thoughts you have on goal or
23:56
what uh what's it going to take for him
23:58
to get Auburn? Because you remember when
23:59
Auburn and we both do. Auburn's had some
24:01
outstanding teams and now they're facing
24:03
five straight losing seasons and uh it's
24:06
going to take um somebody to turn that
24:08
thing around.
24:10
>> I'll tell you, Auburn is an enigma to
24:12
me. How how does that I don't I don't
24:16
>> I've coached there. I've got my butt
24:17
beat there. uh that fan base, the
24:20
electricity, the recruiting, the you I
24:23
mean I when you sit, you know, it's a
24:24
little bit like USC and I know they're
24:27
they're on the rise, but how in the
24:29
world do you not win at those places,
24:31
you know, and I don't I'm not sitting
24:33
there throw shades at anybody, but I'm
24:35
just much respect I have for Auburn
24:38
because I I've seen it. I mean, that's
24:40
one of the top five stadiums I've ever
24:42
stepped into in my life. And the crowds
24:44
and the fan base and you know, it's back
24:46
when uh uh my gosh, the coach is a
24:49
senator. Uh Tommy Tupperville.
24:51
>> Tommy Tupperville. Yeah.
24:52
>> What a great coach and great players
24:54
they had. So, uh Alex Golish is we we
24:57
did we struck up a relationship, a
24:59
friendship, incredible respect for him.
25:02
Uh we had him on the triple option
25:04
podcast. We might have had him on Big
25:05
Noon as well. And
25:07
>> and I just followed him. uh uh and we
25:10
became friends. There's an Ohio
25:12
background with him. Uh I I knew he'd be
25:15
a guy that was going to get one of the
25:16
top jobs in the country and he certainly
25:17
did.
25:18
>> Well, he brought a quarterback. I know
25:20
one thing you always knew that when you
25:22
had a great team, you you you you built
25:24
it around a great quarterback and he's
25:25
brought Byron Brown with him from South
25:28
Florida and hopefully that'll be the uh
25:31
the beginning of a of a of a rise for
25:33
Auburn football. But uh Urban Meyer,
25:35
look forward to seeing you. I I see you
25:37
on podcast now all the time and uh and
25:40
I'm doing the same thing and uh um and
25:42
sure appreciate you joining us and
25:44
talking about Lou and and my father and
25:47
uh coaches that meant a lot to us and
25:49
thank you very much.
25:51
>> Yeah, give please give Ann a big hug for
25:53
me. Tell Tom found family and so much
25:55
respect for you guys. All the best.
25:57
>> Thank you, man. Yeah, did a great job.
25:59
Again, you get Urban you know Urban's a
26:01
little bit like several of the coaches.
26:03
He is out there really. um Urban and
26:06
we'll come back and talk about some
26:08
answer some questions in the second half
26:09
of our show from some of our listeners.
26:11
But I think he has made a commitment to
26:14
uh the podcast and broadcasting side of
26:16
football. You know, some coaches, I'll
26:18
say this, some coaches, they're just not
26:21
good at. It's like they've got the name,
26:24
but it's like they're bored. Somebody
26:25
talked them into it. But he he's got the
26:28
Triple Option, I think, is a show that
26:30
he does. uh and he does some studio
26:32
stuff and uh and uh he he does some
26:35
Yeah, he has some energy. He's got some
26:37
intellect and uh uh but I've watched him
26:40
coach and again I hate I hate to think I
26:43
I was around before Urban uh a little
26:46
bit and I was I went to television so
26:48
early in my career at ABC, but he also
26:51
took a stint after Florida and jumped
26:52
into television for a while and then got
26:55
back into it. But I think he's always in
26:57
his mind enjoyed being a spokesperson
26:59
for the game as well as a coach and uh u
27:03
does a great job in and talking about
27:05
football and uh and evaluating it and
27:07
he's right um Auburn has got everything
27:10
sitting there waiting for it and it's uh
27:12
and uh spring ball started what today?
27:15
Yesterday it started yesterday I think
27:17
and uh we'll come back and we'll get
27:19
some questions that we'll get from our
27:21
for our listeners and our readers. We'll
27:24
get some questions and answer those when
27:25
we come back uh after this break.