Snyder has been tough act to follow for Prince
By JASON WHITLOCK
The Kansas City Star
Here’s a simple truth Kansas State football fans must digest:
If Gary Pinkel leads Missouri to the national championship and Mark Mangino directs Kansas to another Orange Bowl victory this season, neither Pinkel nor Mangino are half the coach Bill Snyder was.
That was not written to provoke Pinkel, Mangino or their fans. It wasn’t written to denigrate the coaching abilities of Pinkel or Mangino, either.
It was written for context when trying to evaluate Ron Prince.
It wouldn’t be hard to craft an argument that Bill Snyder had Bill Walsh’s mind, Dick Vermeil’s work ethic, Tony Dungy’s patience, Bill Belichick’s focus and Hugh Hefner’s eye for young talent.
You could reasonably argue that Bill Snyder was the best football coach America ever produced.
Lifting Kansas State from football’s abyss while operating in the Big Eight/Big 12 is the kind of miracle usually reserved for the Bible. Snyder never won the national title. His critics, including yours truly, lampooned him for his cream-puff nonconference schedule.
But no one with a modicum of football intellect attempts to diminish the magnitude and impressiveness of Snyder’s achievement. He didn’t elevate a non-BCS team such as Fresno State or Boise State to a moment of relevance. He didn’t turn a major-city school such as Miami or Louisville into a powerhouse.
Snyder took the worst job in college football and created one of the best teams. The team changed. The job never did. You understand the difference?
No offense to Pinkel or Mangino, marvelous football coaches, but I don’t believe they could have accomplished what Snyder did in Manhattan.
It’s going to be an awfully long time before another college coach persuades Bob Stoops, Mike Stoops, Jim Leavitt and Mark Mangino to spend their formative coaching years working for a slave driver in a place like Manhattan, Kan. And it’s going to be even longer before the same coach would be clever enough to turn Chad May, Jonathan Beasley, Michael Bishop and Ell Roberson into big-time winners at the highest level of college football.
I bring this up to point out it’s a mistake to compare Ron Prince with Pinkel and Mangino. They have very different jobs. Having watched all three of our local teams in person this season, it’s quite obvious that the Wildcats are unlikely to match the success of the Tigers and Jayhawks. That fact is likely to inspire even more envy among K-State faithful.
They want Prince to be Mangino or Pinkel.
What they don’t comprehend is that Mangino and Pinkel might not be good enough to quickly (or slowly) turn around the Wildcats. Hell, there was no quick turnaround at Kansas or Missouri under Mangino and Pinkel. There was a rocky, five- and six-year roller-coaster ride that ended with a wonderful payoff last season.
This is not a simple plea for patience with Prince. It’s a plea to K-State fans to realize Bill Snyders come along once in a generation, and then you have to pray that your school is the one lucky enough to unearth the next Bill Snyder.
It’s ridiculous for a small segment of Kansas State fans to be openly wondering whether Prince should be canned after his third season. Yes, I watched the Louisville game on Wednesday night and was disappointed. The Wildcats looked like a four- or five-win team. Louisiana-Lafayette might not be a pushover next weekend.
I’d like to see Prince be more creative with his use of personnel.
Remember Mark Mangino’s early years when he played John Randle and Charles Gordon on both sides of the football? I thought Mangino was crazy. But it worked. Mangino was determined to milk the few gifted players he had on campus.
Allegedly, Lamark Brown is one of Prince’s most talented recruits. The sophomore isn’t making much of an impact at receiver. He’s 6 feet 3, 225 pounds, cut like a bodybuilder and supposedly a terrific athlete.
Can he play linebacker or safety? I know Prince wants to support quarterback Josh Freeman with talented playmakers. But Brown isn’t doing much on offense, and K-State’s defense is in desperate need of someone who can create turnovers.
Regardless of what transpires the rest of this season, K-State fans would be wise to support Prince. He’s shown flashes of excellence — the victories over Texas. He deserves four full years of support before fans contemplate dismissing him.
To reach Jason Whitlock, call 816-234-4869 or send e-mail to jwhitlock@kcstar.com. For previous columns, go to KansasCity.com
