re: True or False: LSU Has Hired Fewer than 3 Elite Football Coaches Since 1950.

Bama:

Bryant
Saban

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Was Saban considered elite when we hired him?

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No he was considered an up and comer with a lot of promise. LSU was his first big time stage and when he quickly turned them into a championship caliber program it cemented him as elite.

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Nobody can touch Miles’ accomplishments as coach of LSU. Nobody.

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While technically true, you have to look at what Miles' inhereted vs. Saban at LSU.

When Saban took over LSU it was a garbage dump and it he made it into a national championship winning and contending team in just a few years.

When Miles took over the LSU brand was at an all time high and recruiting engines were humming.

It's cliche at this point but Miles' career at LSU was light years more successful thanks to the foundation Saban laid.

Les Miles is absolutely elite. Very few coaches have done what he has. Yes, we all know how it ended on a downward trend but he will always be an elite coach and my favorite ever to walk the sidelines in Tiger Stadium.

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Les Miles is absolutely elite.

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not when he was hired

False. As others point out, it depends on how you define "elite." Does a coach need to be (a) publicly recognized by average LSU fans as elite at the time of the hire or (b) does the coach have that combination of skills at the time of hire to qualify as elite whether the average LSU fan appreciates that or not?

If (b):

Saban
Arnsparger
Dietzel
Miles
Rein
McClendon (maybe)

There were probably more earlier in LSU's existence but those hires extend beyond everyone's first hand experience.

I was very excited when LSU hired Saban, although I knew a little more about him than the average LSU fan living in Big 10 country at the time. Even though he had not yet built Michigan State into an elite team, he was doing everything right in establishing a culture of excellence.

I was disappointed when we hired Miles after Saban left. He did a good job of maintaining a solid program and got a lot of victories, including a national championship and 2 SEC titles. I also recognize he was in a difficult situation following Saban but did a solid job for about his first 7 years but then got too cautious and comfortable.

I'm not sure why this question is asked. But one thing I'll just point out - O does not fit in to the elite bucket under any definition I can think of. I asked those aggressively defending him yesterday to help me understand how O can be considered elite but they wouldn't address the issue, only saying "he won 9 games this year."

Coach O makes an elite gumbo.

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When Saban took over LSU it was a garbage dump

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that's revisionist history. dinardo had recruited very well

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he made it into a national championship winning and contending team in just a few years.

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in his 3rd year; just like miles. saban didn't do shite at LSU after we won the natty. put it on cruise control, esp recruiting. he left miles an empty bag with few recruits.

people literally re write history with saban. yes, he helped the program a lot by winning the NC but he lost at least 3 games every year other than that. at least miles got us back to the NC

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When Saban took over LSU it was a garbage dump

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Not true. Dinardo did between 40 and 60 percent of the rebuilding job that Sabanistas give 100% credit to the angry little man from West Virginia.

Yes, he ultimately failed (personal loyalty to a failing employee did him in), but not in the improvement in player quality, some facility improvements (on the cheap as bad as Alleva is, Joe Dean was pretty bad, too), and, more importantly morale of the entire program.

Dinardo made his first priority Kevin Faulk (a once in a generation player). He then set out to win fricking football games and did that for 3 years - basically with spit, bailing wire and some duct tape. The table was set for Saban to make the final push to SEC and BCS championships (which, to his credit, he did without a whole lot of drama - at first).

When Saban came to LSU, LSU had suffered through 2 consecutive losing seasons. In his first year, LSU won the Peach Bowl (Chick Filet Bowl), equaling its best bowl result in 12 years.

In his second year, Saban's team won the SEC and won the Sugar Bowl.

In his third year, the team was doing well after an opening loss on the road to Va Tech, they hammered Florida on the road, but lost their starting QB for the rest of the season. They lost in the Cotton Bowl to Texas.

The following year, LSU won the national championship.

The year after, LSU underperformed maybe because Saban was distracted by serious NFL offers.

That's the true history. I'm not sure what history you are remembering. Miles did a really good job for several years and it was difficult following someone like Saban. I'm thankful for Miles, but his success was in maintaining a program at a level just under the elite status Saban had established.

O is no where close to what either Saban or Miles accomplished and he won't improve with time.