I have unique insights into Greg Schianos tenure here, because I knew a member of the first coaching staff, who was ready to quit, because Greg worked him so hard. In fact I like to think
That I talked him into remaining at Rutgers, and he did so for a significant time, to help put Rutgers on the right track. I’d say it’s one of my biggest life’s accomplishments because assistants don’t generally last with Greg because he burns them out. Signing up with Greg was like signing up for military service. At least that’s the impression i got. But you know what, lots of coaches went on to bigger and better things. And that’s the biggest testimony to his ways.
The biggest reason to hire Greg is his VISION of what Rutgers could be. Greg used to have a picture of an 80K seat Rutgers stadium, in his office. He used to talk about Championships, he used to talk about sending kids to the NFL. Most of all, he got the fan base excited about Rutgers Football, even when we were winning 2 games.
The biggest reason for the excitement was his recruiting. Who could forget Brian Leonard, BIG RON GREEN, Zeus Zuttah, and Ray Rice coming off losing seasons. And he beat MAJOR competition to land them. We beat Syracuse for Brian Leonard, who at the time was one of the best teams in the East, we beat Tennessee and Lou Holtz for BIG RON GREEN. We beat Ohio State and Penn State for Jeremy Zuttah.
How did he land players of such caliber and repute? He was an EXCEPTIONAL salesman, who sold the dream, and sold kids on his vision. In 2002, we had crappy facilities, a crappy reputation, and a much crappier campus. (Rutgers campus is much nicer these days).
The best kids in NJ used to laugh at the notion of coming to Rutgers.
So what does he do, he still comes up with a value proposition which recruits find appealing. He sells Florida kids by taking them to ESPN Zone to NYC, which many kids thought was the highlight of their visit to Rutgers.
And I have to mention his tireless work ethic, which was used to find and recruit the best kids for Rutgers. The Ron Giraults, the Devin McCourty’s, the Eric Fosters, didn’t just fall out of a tree. They were found and they were developed, which took many, many man hours.
And that’s how he got the fan base excited: recruiting results despite our adverse situation.
And when he landed the kids, he made sure they maximized their talents on the field and in the classroom. And if they weren’t giving 100%, they got tossed.
That’s how he executed his vision.
While we never won a Championship, he built a National Championship caliber culture that was second to none. Our 2006 team was good enough to play with ANYONE.
Greg motivated me to give four figures because I really felt we were going to the promised land. You can see my bricks on the Scarlet Walk. I’ve only been giving modestly since 2012, because I didn’t have confidence that the people in charge actually knew what they were doing. And I was mad that we made a cheap coaching hire, though I respect the job that Flood did. In the end I think
He did his best.
Greg was creative, he was relentless, and he was persistent. There are lots of coaches Rutgers could hire, but no one else knows the secret sauce for Rutgers success. And I’m not willing to wait around for someone to figure it out.
Greg Schiano
Is absolutely the best possible coach that Rutgers could hire, and it’s a shame that many people take his success for granted. It’s also a shame that people take his successes and player development for granted. He built this thing through the sheer force of his personality.
Lots of people don’t like Greg Schiano because he wasn’t afraid to push people to deliver excellence, whether it was the secretary, coaches , or players. But everyone respects him.
Ultimately, Greg succeeded because he was one of us. Ash is failing because he’s not. Only Greg has the unique set of skills to make Rutgers the best it can be.
The criticism of GS pretty much boils down to one thing. He’s an asshole, yet a visionary. So was Steve Jobs. Bring him back!
That I talked him into remaining at Rutgers, and he did so for a significant time, to help put Rutgers on the right track. I’d say it’s one of my biggest life’s accomplishments because assistants don’t generally last with Greg because he burns them out. Signing up with Greg was like signing up for military service. At least that’s the impression i got. But you know what, lots of coaches went on to bigger and better things. And that’s the biggest testimony to his ways.
The biggest reason to hire Greg is his VISION of what Rutgers could be. Greg used to have a picture of an 80K seat Rutgers stadium, in his office. He used to talk about Championships, he used to talk about sending kids to the NFL. Most of all, he got the fan base excited about Rutgers Football, even when we were winning 2 games.
The biggest reason for the excitement was his recruiting. Who could forget Brian Leonard, BIG RON GREEN, Zeus Zuttah, and Ray Rice coming off losing seasons. And he beat MAJOR competition to land them. We beat Syracuse for Brian Leonard, who at the time was one of the best teams in the East, we beat Tennessee and Lou Holtz for BIG RON GREEN. We beat Ohio State and Penn State for Jeremy Zuttah.
How did he land players of such caliber and repute? He was an EXCEPTIONAL salesman, who sold the dream, and sold kids on his vision. In 2002, we had crappy facilities, a crappy reputation, and a much crappier campus. (Rutgers campus is much nicer these days).
The best kids in NJ used to laugh at the notion of coming to Rutgers.
So what does he do, he still comes up with a value proposition which recruits find appealing. He sells Florida kids by taking them to ESPN Zone to NYC, which many kids thought was the highlight of their visit to Rutgers.
And I have to mention his tireless work ethic, which was used to find and recruit the best kids for Rutgers. The Ron Giraults, the Devin McCourty’s, the Eric Fosters, didn’t just fall out of a tree. They were found and they were developed, which took many, many man hours.
And that’s how he got the fan base excited: recruiting results despite our adverse situation.
And when he landed the kids, he made sure they maximized their talents on the field and in the classroom. And if they weren’t giving 100%, they got tossed.
That’s how he executed his vision.
While we never won a Championship, he built a National Championship caliber culture that was second to none. Our 2006 team was good enough to play with ANYONE.
Greg motivated me to give four figures because I really felt we were going to the promised land. You can see my bricks on the Scarlet Walk. I’ve only been giving modestly since 2012, because I didn’t have confidence that the people in charge actually knew what they were doing. And I was mad that we made a cheap coaching hire, though I respect the job that Flood did. In the end I think
He did his best.
Greg was creative, he was relentless, and he was persistent. There are lots of coaches Rutgers could hire, but no one else knows the secret sauce for Rutgers success. And I’m not willing to wait around for someone to figure it out.
Greg Schiano
Is absolutely the best possible coach that Rutgers could hire, and it’s a shame that many people take his success for granted. It’s also a shame that people take his successes and player development for granted. He built this thing through the sheer force of his personality.
Lots of people don’t like Greg Schiano because he wasn’t afraid to push people to deliver excellence, whether it was the secretary, coaches , or players. But everyone respects him.
Ultimately, Greg succeeded because he was one of us. Ash is failing because he’s not. Only Greg has the unique set of skills to make Rutgers the best it can be.
The criticism of GS pretty much boils down to one thing. He’s an asshole, yet a visionary. So was Steve Jobs. Bring him back!
