well the brothas on defense counter the speed on offense so it balances out. comparing eras is crazy and futile yet fun for fans. i voted for chollie mac cuz he was a great tiger. sentimental value survives the test of time. nick's anal probe on christmas left a sour taste in my butt. :hihi: :hihi:
I gotta go with Saban. He knew what he was doing, he sought excellence, he recruited STRONG, coached smart, displayed his passion, and produced the results in 2 SEC championships and 1 national championship in a relatively brief tenure. If he didn't work out with the fins, I'd welcome him back. I'd go Dietzel 2nd. He had some magic about him in Baton Rouge. Arnsbarger 3rd. Very well organized, good recruiter, sound football mind, his teams didn't beat themselves, you would have to come out and beat us. Chollie Mac. Some great times, till the '70's. The team in 69 was one of our best, for sure. But Chollie got a reputation for running the QB option and getting them hurt and with his platoon system (to have one ready if another got hurt), the great ones would not come to LSU after Bert Jones left, because they didn't feel they could showcase their abilities to the best playing in a 2 QB system (as Jones did not get to showcase his fully). After the NCAA limited scholarships, LSU was not the same under Chollie. There were a bunch of things going on, but that stretch from 73-78 was tough.
I had the pleasure of meeting and getting to know Coach Paul Dietzel and his wife. He may not have had the best record in the world but he was sure a class person. :thumb:
Hard to really compare era's. But I can not think of a coach (or many other people) that loved LSU more than coach Mac. He had problems just like every other coach. Saban wasn't as impressive his last year as he was the nc year. Coach Mac made a "comfortable" living in BR and could not be influenced by promises of the almighty green. He was happy and content. I am told that when he moved to Fla., he kept ties and followed the Tigers.
This is very true. A lot of people don't realize that Coach Mac, in 1970, turned down a ten-year, $1 million contract offer to leave LSU for Texas A&M. $100,000 per year for a coach at that time was astronomical.
