| FTBL Bryant, Paterno, Bowden

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I'm sure the discussion has come up here before, but how should one go about comparing these three coaches? I got into a debate at the bar last night between a random FSU fan and my PSU buddy about the greatest of all time. Winning percentage, conference championships, national championships...etc. Their argument usually is based on when Bryant coached compare to these old geisers coaching now. Any thoughts?
 
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weezyfbaby00 said:
I'm sure the discussion has come up here before, but how should one go about comparing these three coaches? I got into a debate at the bar last night between a random FSU fan and my PSU buddy about the greatest of all time. Winning percentage, conference championships, national championships...etc. Their argument usually is based on when Bryant coached compare to these old geisers coaching now. Any thoughts?

Oh boy, the old excuse of our coach is better than yours because yours doesn't currently coach a team.

Tom Osborne doesn't coach any longer either and you don't hear too many discounting his achievements.

Of course, Coach Bryant has more NC's than any of them.

Coach Bryant has a better winning percentage than either Paterno or Bowden. Bowden sits at .756, Paterno at .747 and Bryant ended with .780.

At Alabama, his winning percentage was .824, that doesn't matter though in our discussion

He won 72 home games and only lost 2. You could ask them how many home games their coaches have lost at Penn State and Tallahassee.

I am not sure, but am almost certain that Bryant had more conference championships under his belt than either coach.

The list goes on and on and on.
 
CtrlAltieDel said:
weezyfbaby00 said:
I'm sure the discussion has come up here before, but how should one go about comparing these three coaches? I got into a debate at the bar last night between a random FSU fan and my PSU buddy about the greatest of all time. Winning percentage, conference championships, national championships...etc. Their argument usually is based on when Bryant coached compare to these old geisers coaching now. Any thoughts?

Oh boy, the old excuse of our coach is better than yours because yours doesn't currently coach a team.

Tom Osborne doesn't coach any longer either and you don't hear too many discounting his achievements.

Of course, Coach Bryant has more NC's than any of them.

Coach Bryant has a better winning percentage than either Paterno or Bowden. Bowden sits at .756, Paterno at .747 and Bryant ended with .780.

At Alabama, his winning percentage was .824, that doesn't matter though in our discussion

He won 72 home games at home and only lost 2. You could ask them how many home games their coaches have lost at Penn State and Tallahassee.

I am not sure, but am almost certain that Bryant had more conference championships under his belt than either coach.

The list goes on and on and on.
Thanks, Altie. I could probably slip the home game fact by them but it's a little off because of the games at Legion Field.
 
weezyfbaby00 said:
Thanks, Altie. I could probably slip the home game fact by them but it's a little off because of the games at Legion Field.

The 72-2 was in Tuscaloosa, weezy. Also, I don't know how many NC's Bowden has won, what, 2? 2 for Paterno? I am not sure.

Regardless, Bryant won 6. That is enough to end all discussion among logical folk.
 
Let's review:

1. More NC's.
2. More conference championships.
3. Better overall career winning percentage.
4. Better home record.
5. Neither Paterno nor Bowden would ever argue that they are better than Coach Bryant was.
6. Head to head record between Bryant and Paterno, Bryant wins.

And wait 'till some smart folks join the thread and tell us some good stuff.
 
CtrlAltieDel said:
weezyfbaby00 said:
Thanks, Altie. I could probably slip the home game fact by them but it's a little off because of the games at Legion Field.

The 72-2 was in Tuscaloosa, weezy. Also, I don't know how many NC's Bowden has won, what, 2? 2 for Paterno? I am not sure.

Regardless, Bryant won 6. That is enough to end all discussion among logical folk.
I concur. PSU's comeback is that Paterno has had either 5 or 6 undefeated seasons and wasn't able to play for the championships. Then I bring up the fact that he was also screwed out of the '66 championship.
 
weezyfbaby00 said:
I concur. PSU's comeback is that Paterno has had either 5 or 6 undefeated seasons and wasn't able to play for the championships. Then I bring up the fact that he was also screwed out of the '66 championship.

Well, that just seems like they are living in imagination land. What didn't happen didn't happen. They didn't play for the championships so I wouldn't know what to tell them other than too bad. What they don't play for don't count.

Also, I think Paterno was 0-4 against Bryant. That would be another very good indicator of who was the best coach.

If one coach beats you every time he played you, he might be better than you.
 
All great coaches. There's no doubt in my mind that Bryant was the greatest. But, you'll never convince a Penn St. fan that Paterno isn't the greatest or an FSU fan that Bowden isn't the greatest.

It's all good. I admire all three. But, it is hard to argue with numbers.


Through 2007

Bryant 323–85–17 (78%) 38 years -
6 National championships
(15 conference championships - 14 in the SEC, 13 at Alabama)

Paterno 372–125–3 (75%) 42 years -
2 National championships
(3 Big 10 championships)


Bowden 380-121-8 (75%) 42 years -
2 National championships
(12 ACC conference championships)
 
AFF said:
All great coaches. There's no doubt in my mind that Bryant was the greatest. But, you'll never convince a Penn St. fan that Paterno isn't the greatest or an FSU fan that Bowden isn't the greatest.

It's all good. I admire all three. But, it is hard to argue with numbers.


Through 2007

Bryant 323–85–17 (78%) 38 years -
6 National championships
(15 conference championships - 14 in the SEC, 13 at Alabama)

Paterno 372–125–3 (75%) 42 years -
2 National championships
(3 Big 10 championships)


Bowden 380-121-8 (75%) 42 years -
2 National championships
(12 ACC conference championships)
Coach bryant coached 3 Nat. Title games and lost 72 Neb.73 ND. 74 ND for a split title with OKL. and got jobbed less we forget 77 bullcrap and 66 flat out bullshit period! and still won 6 titles! not even close with Joe Pa and Bobby! RTR!
 
We have all been here before (heck at this point I think that I should have a card made up and keep it in my wallet to just hand out), but after we beat them about the heads with numbers I always like to finish it off with one or two additional angles.

First, is that number of head coaches that Coach Bryant help create. The number is staggering, unapproachable. As for Bowden, he didn't even make the cut, thus ended up strating his list of wins with a Junior Varsity equivalent program at Samford, called something else when he was there (who were the coaching giants Bowden out coached for all those wins?).

The second angle is the efforts that he privately took to integrate his program (i.e. the Sam" the Bam" Cunningham story). Coach Bryant was not an activist, or a Politician. He did not ask to become the most powerful man in the state. He was just a coach, but not really. He took what had been forced upon him and brought good beyond football. I know that Cunningham did not attend the UA, and that a player was not the first in the school, but by manipulating the situation he forced the system to allow a black face to be front and center as the face of the school (the team is the face of the school to America).
 
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