The Greatest Generation of Coaches
From Gibbs to McKeon to Parcells, the old guys are being called back to save professional sports.
by Ed Walsh
02/03/2004 12:00:00 AM
The same urgent need to win motivated Dan Snyder to bring back Joe Gibbs, the Redskins' legendary coach from the 1980s. After firing four coaches in five years, Snyder finally turned to a man who has won in the NFL. Gibbs reminds Redskins fans of better days, when their ball club was a perennial contender and they could wear its logo with pride. The very idea of Joe Gibbs on the Skins' sideline gives every fan hope that winning will become a habit again.
But first Gibbs will have to confront the question that faces every resurrected coach of yore: Can you win in today's league?
THE PAMPERED, overpaid, egomaniacal players that dance across our TV screens these days are not the nose-to-the-grindstone types that dominated the pro sports in years past. As Budweiser's recent commercials featuring fictional football star Leon so hilariously point out, modern athletes want accolades and attention but don't always respect the notion that the team is more important than the individual.
Greatest generation coaches are accustomed to having players respect their discipline and follow orders. They're not likely to put up with the superstar tantrums of modern athletes. As one sports columnist noted, "Vermeil is old school; Parcells is a one-room schoolhouse with no lunch break, no recess, and no field trips."
Yet so far, so good. Both Vermeil and Parcells have managed to keep their teams focused on winning rather than preening. It may be that players are willing to be kept on a short leash if
they're being led to a championship. After all, whether it's for honor and glory or simply to score a better endorsement deal and more fame, every player wants to win. That drive transcends generation gaps.
Plus, most of these old coaches are being handed the reins of a team in the dumps. Jack McKeon was blessed with a team that didn't have many egos--perhaps because there's not much room for ego when you're in last place. By the time the old guys come in to shape things up, most of the players have been cowed into embarrassment and obedience.
The Knicks were just 15-24 this season when Lenny Wilkens was named their new coach. He brings to New York a hall of fame pedigree and records for both the most wins and most losses of any NBA coach in history. Now he must prove that he still has a formula for winning if he hopes to stay in favor with Kicks players and fans.
Whether Wilkens will boost his winning percentage with the Kicks remains to be seen. (They're 7-3 under his tenure so far.) But his hiring is surely another sign that Americans hold in high regard the people who made us great. Whether they did their work on the fields of battle or on the fields of dreams, America's seniors have given us fond memories of better times. And sports fans across the country are hoping they're not finished yet.
Ed Walsh is a writer in Washington, D.C. |
