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Brian Kelly- just keeps winning


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The funny thing is that just a couple of years before GVSU started its run and played UND for the 2001 championship, many GVSU supporters wanted Kelly's head. He had been the coach at GVSU since 1991 and he had never won a playoff game coming into the 2001 season. He also had a losing record against Ferris State at the time, who was GVSU's top rival. And now he is probably the hottest coaching name in the college game... it is certainly a strange profession.

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The funny thing is that just a couple of years before GVSU started its run and played UND for the 2001 championship, many GVSU supporters wanted Kelly's head. He had been the coach at GVSU since 1991 and he had never won a playoff game coming into the 2001 season. He also had a losing record against Ferris State at the time, who was GVSU's top rival. And now he is probably the hottest coaching name in the college game... it is certainly a strange profession.

One wonders how many national championships UND would have had if Kelly hadn't been at Grand Valley. What Kelly continues to do at Cincinnati is nothing short of amazing (two BCS games in a row).

For that matter, how many national championships should UND have had? With the Camelia Bowl wins before there was a playoff and certain chokes in the playoffs - like to Livingston St (now W Alabama).

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One wonders how many national championships UND would have had if Kelly hadn't been at Grand Valley. What Kelly continues to do at Cincinnati is nothing short of amazing (two BCS games in a row).

Maybe the better question would be how many championships could UND have won if they wouldn't have had to play UNO? :glare: Losses to UNO in 2005-2007 were killers because not only did they cost UND the top seed, but they also forced them to play a first round game (instead of a bye) and required them to play at Grand Valley in later rounds instead of potentially having the Lakers in the Alerus. Switching the regions around in 2004 to put UND and GVSU in the same region didn't help matters either.

Kelly did a great job of building the foundation for a great program at Grand Valley, no doubt about that. But, Kelly or not, I think that GVSU's program would have blown up eventually anyway. GVSU just has too many advantages over the typical D-II school.

For that matter, how many national championships should UND have had? With the Camelia Bowl wins before there was a playoff and certain chokes in the playoffs - like to Livingston St (now W Alabama).

I will leave it to the oldtimers to discuss pre-1980. :)

There are years (1999, 2003 obviously, 2006, 2007) where a pretty good argument could be made that UND could have won a national title if things had gone a bit differently. But I will unequivocally say that the 2005 UND team should have won the national championship. The depth that team had on defense was unreal and the special teams were incredible as well to go along with an above average offense. In many ways that team was better than the 2001 team when it was playing its best. To win each of the first nine games by at least 19 points and have a 19-0 lead late against UNO and blow it was terrible. I feel that the end of that season may have been Lennon's poorest job as a Sioux head coach because he couldn't get that team to regain any of it's swagger going into the playoffs.

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But I will unequivocally say that the 2005 UND team should have won the national championship. The depth that team had on defense was unreal and the special teams were incredible as well to go along with an above average offense. In many ways that team was better than the 2001 team when it was playing its best. To win each of the first nine games by at least 19 points and have a 19-0 lead late against UNO and blow it was terrible. I feel that the end of that season may have been Lennon's poorest job as a Sioux head coach because he couldn't get that team to regain any of it's swagger going into the playoffs.

That 2005 game still leaves a bad taste in my mouth for a couple of reasons. One, the turnovers at the worst possible time by one player in particular were absolute killers. And the other was, if memory serves, the apparent refusal to pay special attention to Chris Denney. Denney was really their only receiving threat, and yet he always seemed to be open in the fourth quarter.

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One wonders how many national championships UND would have had if Kelly hadn't been at Grand Valley. What Kelly continues to do at Cincinnati is nothing short of amazing (two BCS games in a row).

For that matter, how many national championships should UND have had? With the Camelia Bowl wins before there was a playoff and certain chokes in the playoffs - like to Livingston St (now W Alabama).

More than the 2005 team, the team that lost to Livingstone should never have lost. Too much ego cost them the game as they didn't take Livingstone seriously enough. I can still remember reading the comments from Livingstone using the Lou Holtz method of demeaning his own team to get the other team over confident. That team would have beat the 2005 team, IMO.

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Anyone else smell a Dan Hawkins to Colorado type situation for Kelly?

That's too bad because the guy has done awesome things for C Michigan and Cincinnati programs. I think UC has the momentum rolling and will continue to build on what they've done so far.

I, personally, want to see Notre Dame continue to lose so that NBC will drop their TV contract which then forced ND to join a conference. I can't stand ND thinking they are too good to join either the Big Ten or the Big East.

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Anyone else smell a Dan Hawkins to Colorado type situation for Kelly?

That's too bad because the guy has done awesome things for C Michigan and Cincinnati programs. I think UC has the momentum rolling and will continue to build on what they've done so far.

I, personally, want to see Notre Dame continue to lose so that NBC will drop their TV contract which then forced ND to join a conference. I can't stand ND thinking they are too good to join either the Big Ten or the Big East.

He's won everywhere he's been and wants the job, and is excited about the job so it sounds like a good fit. Notre Dame head football coach is not quite the illustrious position it once was. Still a plum gig, but not what it was.

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He's won everywhere he's been and wants the job, and is excited about the job so it sounds like a good fit. Notre Dame head football coach is not quite the illustrious position it once was. Still a plum gig, but not what it was.

So Notre Dame spends $18 million, that is $18,000,000.00 to buy out Charlie's contract. Then spends likely $3 mill + (don't know the real numbers) annually on Kelley. Over a five year contract, the Domers are spending $6.5 mill/yr just on head FB coach salaries. Mistakes at the BCS level are huge - university presidents have been fired for much, much less.

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That 2005 game still leaves a bad taste in my mouth for a couple of reasons. One, the turnovers at the worst possible time by one player in particular were absolute killers. And the other was, if memory serves, the apparent refusal to pay special attention to Chris Denney. Denney was really their only receiving threat, and yet he always seemed to be open in the fourth quarter.

I still remember how quiet the Alerus Center was after that game. Stunned silence. I wear a headset radio to the football games and right before the first turnover that resulted in a UNO touchdown that started the comeback for them, Dan Hammer was talking about a 10-0 record and first place in the region. Everyone at that moment was looking forward to the playoffs at home and a run at a second National Title. And in one instant, that all changed. And the program really hasn't been the same since. The swagger still hasn't come back. It's kind of like the 42-10 playoff loss to the Bison at home in 1995; the program wasn't quite the same after that for several years. Fate is a very cruel thing, especially in sports.

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Notre Dame football: Notre Dame confirms Kelly hiring - www.southbendtribune.com

In summary...he won a bunch of games. It all boils down to the highlighted text...

In six NCAA Division II playoff appearances at Grand Valley State, Kelly's teams combined for an 11-4 (.733) postseason record - including four straight victories in winning both the '02 and '03 NCAA titles. His '01 Grand Valley State team fell 17-14 to North Dakota in the Division II national title game.

???

GO SIOUX

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so were cincy fans all up in arms when kelly left central michigan before their bowl to become head coach at cincy? get over it, and be happy he got them to two bcs bowl games the last two years..

Exactly. Does it suck that he left before the bowl? Yes. But thats how it works in college football. You can't really coach a team and gather recruits if you know your not going to be there next year. Cinci fans need to suck it up.

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Exactly. Does it suck that he left before the bowl? Yes. But thats how it works in college football. You can't really coach a team and gather recruits if you know your not going to be there next year. Cinci fans need to suck it up.

Don't worry. This will only give the Bearcats more ammo for their big BCS bowl in a few weeks. Think WVU in the Fiesta Bowl against OU after RichRod abandoned his team.

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