First Head Coach Question..

512taylor

Redshirt
Sep 2, 2012
1,546
0
0
In each of the three major sports, who was the head coach when you first came on as a fan at State?

You can add women's basketball if you are so inclined.
 

QuadrupleOption

All-Conference
Aug 21, 2012
1,290
1,428
93
1991
Football: Jackie Sherrill
Basketball: Richard Williams
Baseball: Ron Polk (1st tenure)
 

mount lefroy

Redshirt
Feb 10, 2013
2,501
0
36
I'll make it the year I started going to games

In each of the three major sports, who was the head coach when you first came on as a fan at State?

You can add women's basketball if you are so inclined.



Basketball: Kermit Davis Sr. (McCarthy gym)
Baseball: (Rookie) Ron Polk
Football: Bob Tyler
Womens basketball: Libba Birmingham...that's the name I remember anyway.
 

ezsoil

Junior
May 26, 2013
1,352
285
83
Tyler, Polk, Greene

when I left 3 and a half years later, it was

Bellard, Polk, Hatfield
 
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Aug 15, 2006
1,935
558
113
1985
Emory Bellard (football)
Bob Boyd (basketball)
Ron Polk (baseball)

Needless to say, major changes occurred immediately afterward. First Rockey Felker was hired in 1986, then Richard Williams in 1987. Rockey’s lone winning season was his first, 6-5 after blowing a 6-1 start and #13 ranking. I can still remember every blowout win against MSU that season, including the 47-0 butt whopping vs LSU. Richard Williams on the other hand was a solid hire, winning the SEC regular season in 1991 highlighted by a Final Four in 1996.
 

thatsbaseball

All-American
May 29, 2007
18,439
7,531
113
Charlie Shira...good man/poor coach, Paul Gregory...great coach(saved the LFL from the SPD), Joe Dan Gold/Kermit Davis...awful, Not sure if we even had women's basketball
 

thatsbaseball

All-American
May 29, 2007
18,439
7,531
113
SPD really hated the LFL because it was rumored some of us students may be drinking (gulp) beer out there. They (SPD) were in the newspaper threatening to bust the party up. It was strongly rumored at the time (I personally think it was factual) that coach Gregory went to the administration and put his foot down that under no circumstances did he want the city messing with the best and most loyal fans he had. The SPD never showed up and the rest is history.
 
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Go Budaw

Redshirt
Aug 22, 2012
7,321
0
36
SPD really hated the LFL because it was rumored some of us students may be drinking (gulp) beer out there. They (SPD) were in the newspaper threatening to bust the party up. It was strongly rumored at the time that coach Gregory went to the administration and put his foot down that under no circumstances did he want the city messing with the best and most loyal fans he had. The SPD never showed up and the rest is history.

Were there different jurisdictions back then for the city / university police? Last I checked, SPD has absolutely no jurisdiction on MSU’s campus. University police run the show, and get help from the sheriff’s department if they need it for DUI traffic stops, drug use, fighting, etc.
 
Aug 21, 2015
482
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Charlie Shira...good man/poor coach, Paul Gregory...great coach(saved the LFL from the SPD), Joe Dan Gold/Kermit Davis...awful, Not sure if we even had women's basketball

To attach some historical perspective to MSU football, Shira went 16-45-2 and has a building named after him.

Something to remember the next time MSU "only" wins eight games.
 

CochiseCowbell

Heisman
Oct 29, 2012
15,871
14,964
113
SPD really hated the LFL because it was rumored some of us students may be drinking (gulp) beer out there.

I can only assume the campus was alcohol free back then as well. However, the drinking age was 18 at the time. Why would the SPD care? Public intoxication, open container, etc?
 

thatsbaseball

All-American
May 29, 2007
18,439
7,531
113
Not sure. I just remember threats being made by local authorities to "dry up" the LFL and everyone seem to know that coach Gregory liked us being there and made sure nobody screwed it up. For the record, there was no "drinking age" all alcohol possession was illegal period in the city and county.
 

ZombieKissinger

All-American
May 29, 2013
5,691
9,911
113
Football: Sherrill (last year)
Basketball: Stansbury
Baseball: Polk

I transferred after my sophomore year, but I got to experience last year of Sherrill and first year of Croom. Terrible, terrible football. Great basketball.
 

Drebin

Heisman
Aug 22, 2012
22,814
28,311
113
Football: Emery Bellard
Baseball: Ron Polk
Basketball: Bob Boyd
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
16,932
12,771
113
Bob Tyler Kermit Davis Paul Gregory

Side note, in 1973 MSU had a football camp in Laurel where I grew up. The coaches actually came to Laurel and did a 2 or 3 day camp at the high school stadium there. I went as an 11 year old and remember Bob Tyler, Smylie Gebhart, Wesley Reed, Ray Perkins, and Tom Goode being there among others. The most memorable thing was I had NEVER seen anybody with hands as big as Ray Perkins and they looked even larger that week because he was wearing his Super Bowl ring.
 

mount lefroy

Redshirt
Feb 10, 2013
2,501
0
36
Football: Bob Tyler
Baseball: Ron Polk
Men's Basketball: Bob Boyd

Bob Tyler and Bob Boyd werent here at the same time. Would have had to have been :

If Bob Tyler: Kermit Davis or Greene
If Bob Boyd: Bellard or Felker
 
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Maroon Eagle

All-American
May 24, 2006
18,654
8,656
102
1973 - Tyler, Davis, & Gregory.

I don’t remember seeing baseball games though until Polk was coach.
 

AROB44

Junior
Mar 20, 2008
1,434
273
83
I know....I am really old...!!
Football.....Wade Walker (I have seen some really ****** football in my life)
Baseball....Paul Gregory
Basketball....The GREAT Babe McCarthy (I was a Jr before I saw us lose a game at home).
 

archdog

Redshirt
Aug 22, 2012
1,882
0
0
Jackie Sherrill
Ron Polk
Rick Stansbury

Sherrill was alright, but already on the downhill, Stans was my favorite coach from that era. 2001-2006.
 

MagicDawg

All-Conference
Nov 11, 2010
1,009
1,001
113
Football: Saw some Bellard games as a kid, came to State while Felker was coach, but didn't really start caring until Sherrill showed up at band camp one summer and promised us a bowl game that season. He made me excited to be a fan of the game and the team.
Basketball: Williams
Baseball: Polk
Women's Basketball: Didn't much care until Vic.
 
Nov 12, 2007
26,141
10,305
113
Tyler, Polk, Greene. (middish-70s)

This would be it for me as well. I was in my teens and just started listening to the games on the radio.

The first game was Cal Poly when I was in the 8th or 9th grade with the football team.
 

TaleofTwoDogs

All-Conference
Jun 1, 2004
4,379
2,160
113
Charlie Shira...good man/poor coach, Paul Gregory...great coach(saved the LFL from the SPD), Joe Dan Gold/Kermit Davis...awful, Not sure if we even had women's basketball

Same for me. First women's basketball coach was Libba Birmingham in 1974. If you look at the women's all-time history, it just goes to show the unbelievable job that Coach Vic has done. Fanning-Otis knocked on the door, Schaefer kicked it down (courtesy of Bum Phillips).
 
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