Starting to become nostalgic for Rich Brooks.

[bigblueinsanity_rivals250340]

My how things can change in a few months.

 

[Levibooty]

The one sticky fact is no other coach has even approached the level of success that Brooks had when he was here for the last 35 years. If you account for the probation Mumme left us with and remove Brooks first three years to rebuild the decimated roster Brooks went 30-22 and 11-20 in the SEC and five consecutive bowl games.

Kentucky may not have been a power house in the SEC under Brooks but we were at least a respectable football program on the rise. That was without todays SEC dollars.

 

[bigblueinsanity_rivals250340]

The one sticky fact is no other coach has even approached the level of success that Brooks had when he was here for the last 35 years. If you account for the probation Mumme left us with and remove Brooks first three years to rebuild the decimated roster Brooks went 30-22 and 11-20 in the SEC and five consecutive bowl games.

Kentucky may not have been a power house in the SEC under Brooks but we were at least a respectable football program on the rise. That was without todays SEC dollars.

And against a much tougher SEC east.

 

[jc2010]

Brooks was a better coach than Stoops is now. I don't see how anyone could argue otherwise. But Stoops has a much higher ceiling. He's recruiting at a level Brooks never did. If he learns from the mistakes he's making now - which you have to believe he will with experience - he has the potential to be a great one.

Potential means you ain't done ish. Recruiting aside, I see nothing to make me believe Stoops will ever be a quality HC

 

[jc2010]

Brooks was a better coach than Stoops is now. I don't see how anyone could argue otherwise. But Stoops has a much higher ceiling. He's recruiting at a level Brooks never did. If he learns from the mistakes he's making now - which you have to believe he will with experience - he has the potential to be a great one.

Potential means you ain't done ish. Recruiting aside, I see nothing to make me believe Stoops will ever be a quality HC

 

[gg4uk]

Comparing our coaches is like comparing our kids. Brooks and Stoops took over completely different situations.

I loved Brooks.

However, I don't think Brooks could take UK over the "seemingly enormous" hump and climb the SEC ladder. However, I know for certain that this staff now would not be able function in the environment that Brooks took over.

I hope that Stoops can make adjustments to his coaching staff and scheme to take steps in the positive direction.

 

[Randy Bob]

Would be good to have a coach like coach brooks again. At least we got to go to bowl games and beat the Ville..

 

[Anjiejo]

Brooks would have won 10 games if his schedule was this week..He played against Fl when Meyer/tebow championship era,also LSU was number 1 and Won the championship the year we beat them..
Also he took sabans bama to the forth quarter with mike Hartline as a first year starter ect...He didn't have the support that ms does so who know how he could have recruited.but to say stoops is anywhere close to his level is blind support..I want stoops to succeed but what happened this year is unacceptable and on him...

 

[LowCountryCat]

I love the recruiting prowess of this staff.

But damnation, some of the crap they do just blows my mind.

This coaching staff looks like grade schoolers compared to Rich Brooks and his crew.

Damn, I just can't stand seeing us look so poorly coached.

You're trolling. You started another thread saying we need to give Stoops more time.

 

[anon_l8pbkn96tg3j6]

Rich Brooks' first 3 years: 4 wins, 2 wins, 3 wins . . . and he had head coaching experience

 

[billyclydegillispie]

he was down 16-20 scholarships. that number was effectively greater when you consider the "scholarship" players that guy morris signed in his last recruiting class (eku level players).

Rich Brooks' first 3 years: 4 wins, 2 wins, 3 wins . . . and he had head coaching experience

 

[Tony9h]

Rich Brooks' first 3 years: 4 wins, 2 wins, 3 wins . . . and he had head coaching experience

Obviously you have no idea where UK's football program was with scholarship restrictions when Brooks took over

 

[anon_l8pbkn96tg3j6]

It doesn't matter. The point I was making is that the drums of change were beating louder during Brooks' first 3 years, than they are right now. I realize the 4 straight years of bowls were the glory years of Kentucky football, but lets not pretend it was all glitter and rainbows.

 

[MudererofCrows]

Rich Brooks' did a nice job rebuilding a decimated roster from the laughable incompetence of the Hal Mumme era (and we are very, very lucky they didn't dig any deeper) but he and his staff plateaued. Outside of Joker Phillips and Randy Sanders they were questionable recruiters to put it mildly overall. Outstanding coaching acumen and player development but the "coach 'em up" attitude that Brooks' cultivated wasn't sustainable in the SEC.

 

[ZakkW]

Rich Brooks' did a nice job rebuilding a decimated roster from the laughable incompetence of the Hal Mumme era (and we are very, very lucky they didn't dig any deeper) but he and his staff plateaued. Outside of Joker Phillips and Randy Sanders they were questionable recruiters to put it mildly overall. Outstanding coaching acumen and player development but the "coach 'em up" attitude that Brooks' cultivated wasn't sustainable in the SEC.

Good post. Brooks was good builder/rejuvenator of programs, but wasn't going to get any better than what he did(too conservative by nature). He got Oregon to the Rose Bowl with a 9-3 record, then Bellotti took over and ramped that program into multiple 10-win seasons and a national presence. UK was in nice position to build on what Brooks did, needed a Bellotti-type to take the reins, but instead got stuck with Blind Lemon Phillips. And now it's right back to the SEC cellar.

 

[bigblueinsanity_rivals250340]

It doesn't matter. The point I was making is that the drums of change were beating louder during Brooks' first 3 years, than they are right now. I realize the 4 straight years of bowls were the glory years of Kentucky football, but lets not pretend it was all glitter and rainbows.

Thats for sure. "Ditch Mitch and Rich" signs were everywhere. Then when the program started turning around, everyone acted like theyd been on the bandwagon all along.

Havent seen any "Ditch Mitch and Mark" signs....yet.