I was watching the Glen Dobbs Show clip in the other thread a third time and it struck me how empty the stadium was against a conference rival. And how similar that situation is to today’s football program.
So I dug out another Dobbs clip to see if there were any other similarities. And there were so many in 3 minutes it was a little shocking.
The grand master of TU Football appearing to comment on TU Football today.
The clip is linked below.
The first thing I really noticed was his statement that TU’s tradition is built around passing. He says this 50 effing years ago. That is our identity. Not veer blocking and the iso run game. No matter who is the coach of this team, the one we have now or in the future, that coach must be committed to a prolific passing offense that produces consistent winning football. Coaches who cannot or will not adapt aren’t Tulsa Coaches, even if you’ve got a contract that says you can keep cashing our checks. We won’t fire you for losing, but we absolutely should fire you for not playing Tulsa Football.
Next, Coach Dobbs mentioned the tension between recruiting players with academic potential and the impact that can have on the overall playing ability of the team as a whole. TU has always had this problem, but it cannot be a crutch either. We’ve seen some signees in the last few years who have barely qualified or have marginal academic ability based on their own disclosures on Twitter. Many of these kids have not been significant factors on the field. No matter who is coach, going back 60 years, we’ve known that recruiting is going to be an issue. We cannot ignore the need to locate coaches with the ability to recruit despite academic pressures. It’s simply not Tulsa Football to excuse poor recruiting decisions and the inability to attract talent because of academics. It’s always been an issue at TU and coaches have overcome those challenges. Like Coach Dobbs says, it’s what the school is for.
Coach Dobbs said the goal of the football program was national prominence and respect. I fear we are losing these ambitions because of fear of what that will cost in monetary investment or the loss of good will with a vocal and selfish minority of the faculty.
Coach Dobbs talked about students and fans not knowing the words to the Alma mater and fighting song and how they changed from year to year without any affinity by the fans or the public. He says he wants that straightened out. We talk about this every summer. How Captain Cane should go or the need to print the fight song words on the back of T-shirts again and give them to the students.
He’s got good advice for us here in the Alley too. He says “I’m not against everyone else. I’m
for Tulsa.” We’ve had some down years and that’s led to a lot of criticism, especially by me. Maybe we should think twice about posting negative messages about other teams until we get our house in order.
And finally, attendance during our best era suffered despite not losing at home for three years and having house hold name star players.
In countless threads, we’ve heard complaining and even constructive suggestions on how to increase attendance. Well, if Glen Dobbs, the Obi-Wan Kenobi of Tulsa Football, couldn’t fill the stadium, I’m skeptical others can. And maybe that’s OK.
How could that be OK? Because overcoming these challenges and others are what makes being a TU fan special. In some ways, these obstacles are part of our tradition. Keeping the faith despite the ups and down, in spite of the haves when we have not. Rather than seeking to change them or just complain about them, it may be time to embrace them.
So I dug out another Dobbs clip to see if there were any other similarities. And there were so many in 3 minutes it was a little shocking.
The grand master of TU Football appearing to comment on TU Football today.
The clip is linked below.
The first thing I really noticed was his statement that TU’s tradition is built around passing. He says this 50 effing years ago. That is our identity. Not veer blocking and the iso run game. No matter who is the coach of this team, the one we have now or in the future, that coach must be committed to a prolific passing offense that produces consistent winning football. Coaches who cannot or will not adapt aren’t Tulsa Coaches, even if you’ve got a contract that says you can keep cashing our checks. We won’t fire you for losing, but we absolutely should fire you for not playing Tulsa Football.
Next, Coach Dobbs mentioned the tension between recruiting players with academic potential and the impact that can have on the overall playing ability of the team as a whole. TU has always had this problem, but it cannot be a crutch either. We’ve seen some signees in the last few years who have barely qualified or have marginal academic ability based on their own disclosures on Twitter. Many of these kids have not been significant factors on the field. No matter who is coach, going back 60 years, we’ve known that recruiting is going to be an issue. We cannot ignore the need to locate coaches with the ability to recruit despite academic pressures. It’s simply not Tulsa Football to excuse poor recruiting decisions and the inability to attract talent because of academics. It’s always been an issue at TU and coaches have overcome those challenges. Like Coach Dobbs says, it’s what the school is for.
Coach Dobbs said the goal of the football program was national prominence and respect. I fear we are losing these ambitions because of fear of what that will cost in monetary investment or the loss of good will with a vocal and selfish minority of the faculty.
Coach Dobbs talked about students and fans not knowing the words to the Alma mater and fighting song and how they changed from year to year without any affinity by the fans or the public. He says he wants that straightened out. We talk about this every summer. How Captain Cane should go or the need to print the fight song words on the back of T-shirts again and give them to the students.
He’s got good advice for us here in the Alley too. He says “I’m not against everyone else. I’m
for Tulsa.” We’ve had some down years and that’s led to a lot of criticism, especially by me. Maybe we should think twice about posting negative messages about other teams until we get our house in order.
And finally, attendance during our best era suffered despite not losing at home for three years and having house hold name star players.
In countless threads, we’ve heard complaining and even constructive suggestions on how to increase attendance. Well, if Glen Dobbs, the Obi-Wan Kenobi of Tulsa Football, couldn’t fill the stadium, I’m skeptical others can. And maybe that’s OK.
How could that be OK? Because overcoming these challenges and others are what makes being a TU fan special. In some ways, these obstacles are part of our tradition. Keeping the faith despite the ups and down, in spite of the haves when we have not. Rather than seeking to change them or just complain about them, it may be time to embrace them.
Last edited:
