re: Do you think Gerry Dinardo will ever be recognized by LSU?

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and the awful recruiting by Curley.

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i read somewhere that 17 of the 20+ players that went pro under Saban were Dinardo recruits. The whole "Saban walked into an empty cupboard" mantra is a myth

He should be recognized. I believe he was good for LSU at the time to get them out of the dark years and shed light on the fact that are facilities at time were a complete dump, our graduation rates were very low. The expansion of the stadium took place and the arms race started with Gerry D. Obviously Saban brought it to a whole new level. He lost his job b/c he was too stubborn to let go some of his coaches.

Whenever they honor the 97 team for beating #1 Florida, they can bring him back. That was a magical night. He did a good job of showing what could be... He also showed that it is hard to beat the same team twice when ND stomped us at home and we stomped them equally as bad in the bowl game.

He had it rolling for a while with the three consecutive bowl wins...then Tepper happened. That was a bad dream. But he pulled us out the Curley Hallman darkness and did it in his first year. When he was let go, we still had a ton of talent on the team and it was easier to turn around.

Curley Hallman beat Alabama at Alabama? should we bring him back?

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Don't expect him to ever be embraced by the LSU faithful.
'98 & '99 marred the success he had in '95 - '97, along with his Lou Tepper and Scott McConnell hiring debacles.

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fixed it for you ..

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The whole "Saban walked into an empty cupboard" mantra is a myth

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This. Cracks me up when I repeatedly `see the comment "Miles won with $aban's players", yet the $abanistas conveniently overlook this little fact.

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yes it ended badly but some of you forget what he walked into

Hallman's last game as coach the Tigers drew 50k

fan apathy was on Ole Miss levels

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This cannot be understated. LSU was on the verge of becoming Ole Miss, a team forever in the wilderness and a complete non-factor. The program was in absolute disarray, and he started the rebuild. He got big time recruits to come to LSU, revived fan interest, and started the capital improvements we desperately needed.

Did it end badly? Yes. It's why he got fired. Saban built off of Dinardo's foundation and turned us into a national power. When people talk about how LSU recruits itself, it was Dinardo who built that (though had we botched the Saban hire, we would've gone back to irrelevance).

But I maintain the Bring Back the Magic Game (named before we even played it) is the most important game in LSU history. It's when the Golden Age of LSU football began, ending the Dark Ages. There are no national titles and modern juggernaut without that game. He said we were gonna win, and we did. That was unheard of in the early 90s. He turned the program around and he deserves some credit for that.

While still admitting he couldn't build the house on the foundation he created, and it was good for everybody he got canned.

Auburn 2015 20yr anniversary of the Bring Back the Magic game.