Wilbur Hooks on Coaching Changes and The Husky Way

Hardcore_Husky

Wilbur Hooks on Coaching Changes and The Husky Way

The former UW wide receiver recalls the coaching change from his era, and how it helped alter the team's culture.

Read the full story here

Find more posts tagged with

Comments

TierbsHsotBoobs

Cal is higher than the Rick Neuheisel coaching tree

CokeGreaterThanPepsi

Great stuff, Derek. Really good insights from Wilbur!

Dick_B

I have a #7 jersey signed by Mr. Hooks.

pawz

Meh. This is just classic confirmation bias. It's telling because we want it to be telling. But these exact comments are made by players every single time there's a regime change. Sometimes they're telling, sometimes they're not. Time will tell.

Either way it will be interesting.

Fire_Marshall_Bill

Wait, I thought you were a Doog if you criticized Rick?!?!?!?! He won a Rose Bowl!!!!!!!!!

I think he hit it right on the head. The second half of that 2001 season was the turning point. If there was a pinpoint, it was the Oregon State game.

In the 2002 and 2003 seasons, I remember thinking the team seemed really ordinary. They struggled with weak teams for a half or even a game, or they lost to them, & elite/some good teams just annihilated us. It felt wrong. I never dreamed they would only win 20 percent of the games over the next five years or whatever the hell it was, but that two to three year period definitely was the precursor.

Dennis_DeYoung

The OSU game in 2001 was the death knell. We were soft, inconsistent, mentally weak and a bunch of pussies. Everyone knew it if they were paying attention. Rick should've been fired after '02.

Doogs blame Rick for Gilby & Ty's struggles... I don't. I blame Rick for being a pussy, pansy POS and making us soft.

The thing was, we needed some fun after Lambo had sucked the life out of the players.

It was pretty easy to understand. Lambo had made kids TUFFFFFFFFF, but sucked the interest and enjoyment out of football. Rick was all of that. While he had the TUFFFFFNESS we did great. Once that was gone, we sucked because he was a pussy, ultimately.

The end.

You need a coach who lets people enjoy things (see '91; in contrast, see punishing DeSaussure for saying shitty things about the Cougs), but also makes them tough.

Rick showed what he had.

However, Gilby and Ty's years... those are on Gilby and Ty. Rick didn't do irreparable harm. Both Gilby and Ty were fucksticks.

Fire_Marshall_Bill

If Lambo won more, the players would have respected him more (yeah, WIW). Nobody, or it seemed like not that many people called him out during his first four years. There weren't really message boards back then though. On KJR and KOMO, it was always, "sanctions, depth, new coaches, schedule, no bowl." I remember Gas bag constantly making schedule excuses before the 1994 season started. "Their first four games are USC, UCLA, Miami, and Ohio State!!! It's so brutal" I was more innocent and hadn't developed great critical thinking skills being a high school twerp so it seemed reasonable enough.

Rick let the o line go to shit and was too worried about fast WRs. That '02 team had no rushing and Pickett threw 3,000 quick slants because he had no protection. The biggest problem was making Gilbertson a full h.c. when it was obvious he didn't really want it. If they had let Rick go (but he won a Rose Bowl dammit!!!!!!!!) and acted like a real football program, let Gilbertson be the interim and fight for the job if he wanted it, then hired a real coach, this shitstorm, 0-2 win seasons, nothing happens. Absolutely none. No Duckade, no five years of despair, nothing. At worse they have a losing season or two, probably in the 4-5 win range.

AtomicDawg

When you UW lost 55-7 to Nebraska the Cornhuskers still gave us a classy ovation because those guys were bleeding purple and gold and had feces in their throat.
And when they went to Notre Dame with one of the more talented UW teams and lost 54-20, you could tell that the golden domers respected UW because they were Lambo Tuff.
And when Rick Neuheisel lead the buffs to an ass kicking performance over UW in the holiday bowl, you could still tell who the tougher team was.

AtomicDawg

huh?

allpurpleallgold

I read it.

RoadDawg55

Rick proved he was a garbage coach at UCLA. The fact his teams got worse at Colorado and UW is also telling. He will always get props for the Rose Bowl, but Bob Toledo, Ron Turner, and Ron Zook all made Rose Bowls too. Rick won it, so he has the right to pop off, but we weren't going to become a consistent title contender with him. It's similar to how Chizik won a national title. Sometimes bad coaches get lucky or have great rosters. Rick had both in 2000.

Firing Rick after 2002 would have been a great move. The 2003 team was talented. Coaches would have lined up to coach that team. Of course Babs probably would have fucked up the hire. She fucked up by firing Rick when he did. If she would have relieved Gilby after his 6-6 year, we still could have found a good coach. That is much harder to do with a 1-10 team, although we obviously could have done better than Ty. One bad move after another. Luckily, I was a high school kid and was starting to get too busy for Husky Football. If I was an adult, I'm not sure if I would still be a fan after all of that shit.

TBrady_Buubert_Magoo

Rick proved to be a sub parr coach but hiring him was ballsy by babs

doogsinparadise

The OSU game in 2001 was the death knell. We were soft, inconsistent, mentally weak and a bunch of pussies. Everyone knew it if they were paying attention. Rick should've been fired after '02.

Doogs blame Rick for Gilby & Ty's struggles... I don't. I blame Rick for being a pussy, pansy POS and making us soft.

The thing was, we needed some fun after Lambo had sucked the life out of the players.

It was pretty easy to understand. Lambo had made kids TUFFFFFFFFF, but sucked the interest and enjoyment out of football. Rick was all of that. While he had the TUFFFFFNESS we did great. Once that was gone, we sucked because he was a pussy, ultimately.

The end.

You need a coach who lets people enjoy things (see '91; in contrast, see punishing DeSaussure for saying shitty things about the Cougs), but also makes them tough.

Rick showed what he had.

However, Gilby and Ty's years... those are on Gilby and Ty. Rick didn't do irreparable harm. Both Gilby and Ty were fucksticks.

or UCLA and Miami, and Michigan in 02, etc. Just physically outmatched or else outcoached.

CaptainPJ

The OSU game in 2001 was the death knell. We were soft, inconsistent, mentally weak and a bunch of pussies. Everyone knew it if they were paying attention. Rick should've been fired after '02.

Doogs blame Rick for Gilby & Ty's struggles... I don't. I blame Rick for being a pussy, pansy POS and making us soft.

The thing was, we needed some fun after Lambo had sucked the life out of the players.

It was pretty easy to understand. Lambo had made kids TUFFFFFFFFF, but sucked the interest and enjoyment out of football. Rick was all of that. While he had the TUFFFFFNESS we did great. Once that was gone, we sucked because he was a pussy, ultimately.

The end.

You need a coach who lets people enjoy things (see '91; in contrast, see punishing DeSaussure for saying shitty things about the Cougs), but also makes them tough.

Rick showed what he had.

However, Gilby and Ty's years... those are on Gilby and Ty. Rick didn't do irreparable harm. Both Gilby and Ty were fucksticks.

A fucking chick (Hi, Seattle!) fired Lambo, hired Rick, and Title IX'd us into oblivion.

Whether you agree with the coaching changes or not is a very small piece of the story.

Simple fact

puppylove_sugarsteel

Meh. This is just classic confirmation bias. It's telling because we want it to be telling. But these exact comments are made by players every single time there's a regime change. Sometimes they're telling, sometimes they're not. Time will tell.

Either way it will be interesting.

When we're you born pawz you ignant little turd? You weren't around then we're ya ? Fucking new fish doogs

Southerndawg

The OSU game in 2001 was the death knell. We were soft, inconsistent, mentally weak and a bunch of pussies. Everyone knew it if they were paying attention. Rick should've been fired after '02.

Doogs blame Rick for Gilby & Ty's struggles... I don't. I blame Rick for being a pussy, pansy POS and making us soft.

The thing was, we needed some fun after Lambo had sucked the life out of the players.

It was pretty easy to understand. Lambo had made kids TUFFFFFFFFF, but sucked the interest and enjoyment out of football. Rick was all of that. While he had the TUFFFFFNESS we did great. Once that was gone, we sucked because he was a pussy, ultimately.

The end.

You need a coach who lets people enjoy things (see '91; in contrast, see punishing DeSaussure for saying shitty things about the Cougs), but also makes them tough.

Rick showed what he had.

However, Gilby and Ty's years... those are on Gilby and Ty. Rick didn't do irreparable harm. Both Gilby and Ty were fucksticks.
A fucking dick (Gerberding) fired the original OKG AD, hired a fucking chick (Hi, Seattle!), who then ran off Don James, promoted and then fired Lambo, hired and fired Rick, promoted Gilby, and Title IX'd us into oblivion.

Whether you agree with the coaching changes or not they are is a very small piece of the story.

Simple fact

Crisped

RaceBannon

Those players were soft under Lambo too. They got their ass kicked plenty. They got Lambo fired for partying before losing bad in the Hawaii bowl to Air Force.

Just a bunch of excuses. Babs was right to fire Lambo. The problem wasn't that she fired Rick it was when she fired Rick and then letting Gilby take over.

Searching for some link to a non existent Husky Way was really stupid. That's what led to Ty. Then swing the other way to Sark. Swing back to Petermen.

If Petermen can coach which I think he can its a mute point irregardless. If he can't we'll swing back to a loose Sark Rick type. Its what losing programs do.

puppylove_sugarsteel

Those players were soft under Lambo too. They got their ass kicked plenty. They got Lambo fired for partying before losing bad in the Hawaii bowl to Air Force.

Just a bunch of excuses. Babs was right to fire Lambo. The problem wasn't that she fired Rick it was when she fired Rick and then letting Gilby take over.

Searching for some link to a non existent Husky Way was really stupid. That's what led to Ty. Then swing the other way to Sark. Swing back to Petermen.

If Petermen can coach which I think he can its a mute point irregardless. If he can't we'll swing back to a loose Sark Rick type. Its what losing programs do.

There was nothing right about firing Lambo Race. (Except maybe the shade of purple and no metallic on the helmets). Lambo would have won the rosebowl, prolly 2 with Tui.

Gladstone

Those players were soft under Lambo too. They got their ass kicked plenty. They got Lambo fired for partying before losing bad in the Hawaii bowl to Air Force.

Just a bunch of excuses. Babs was right to fire Lambo. The problem wasn't that she fired Rick it was when she fired Rick and then letting Gilby take over.

Searching for some link to a non existent Husky Way was really stupid. That's what led to Ty. Then swing the other way to Sark. Swing back to Petermen.

If Petermen can coach which I think he can its a mute point irregardless. If he can't we'll swing back to a loose Sark Rick type. Its what losing programs do.
There was nothing right about firing Lambo Race. (Except maybe the shade of purple and no metallic on the helmets). Lambo would have won the rosebowl, prolly 2 with Tui.

dnc

Those players were soft under Lambo too. They got their ass kicked plenty. They got Lambo fired for partying before losing bad in the Hawaii bowl to Air Force.

Just a bunch of excuses. Babs was right to fire Lambo. The problem wasn't that she fired Rick it was when she fired Rick and then letting Gilby take over.

Searching for some link to a non existent Husky Way was really stupid. That's what led to Ty. Then swing the other way to Sark. Swing back to Petermen.

If Petermen can coach which I think he can its a mute point irregardless. If he can't we'll swing back to a loose Sark Rick type. Its what losing programs do.
There was nothing right about firing Lambo Race. (Except maybe the shade of purple and no metallic on the helmets). Lambo would have won the rosebowl, prolly 2 with Tui.

DPOTD