Let’s take a break from the current buzz around assistants and instead reminisce about the past while anticipating which team will triumph and wear the burnt orange next.
Texas has a history of legendary college football head coaches, including Hall of Famers Dana Bible and Darrell Royal, and national champion Mack Brown
Texas Football has been bolstered by exceptional assistant coaches throughout its history. Notable figures include Emory Bellard, Fred Akers, Ken Dabbs, and David McWilliams, as well as more recent contributors like Greg Robinson, Will Muschamp, Tim Brewster, Gene Chizik, Greg Davis, and Duane Akina
Steve Sarkisian’s staff has strong examples like Kyle Flood, Pete Kwiatkowski, and Tashard Choice.
Who takes the cake for you?
Malaise: Oscar Giles
Stoneham_boy7: Jeff Maddog Madden
Dick Fingers: Probably Muschamp, imo.
Ian Boyd: Emory probably, tough resume to beat. Maybe Greg Davis but…Emory did the same things essentially but more successfully.
53 Veer Pass: I was going to say Bellard as he changed the game. But Mike Campbell was great in his day and was DKR’s choice to take over for him.
Anybody remember Leon Fuller? Great DC.
rngbullxv: DKR’s DC Mike Campbell!
Quick mike: Larry Mac Duff, o horror, horror, horror.
Will Gallagher: I thought of Fuller as well — he as the DC for those late 70s early 80s defenses that were dominant.
67cards: I think the debate boils down to Bellard, Muschamp, PK in my opinion.
Navy Horn 16: The answer is Mike Campbell, and 2nd isn’t close.
tinnto: Mike Campbell.
hoopshookem: Mike Campbell – Defense, Fred Akers – Offense
Dos Bobby: Not in the running for ‘best’ assistant, but my ‘favorite’ Texas assistant was Leon Fuller. And it was his accessibility that won me over.
He was approachable and generous with his time, unlike many assistant coaches (not just at Texas), and always treated questions with respect. Emory Bellard was a genuinely good person without any airs. (Bobby Jack Wright, with a personality like Dandy Don Meredith, was a close second in friendliness, making visits enjoyable and funny.) While not necessarily the best coaches, Bellard and Wright were excellent representatives for UT. The author also had close, lifelong friendships with Pat Culpepper and David McWilliams, who were also fine individuals, but he doesn’t want personal feelings to influence his assessment. According to dk7245, Emory Bellard, who created the “Cloud of Dust Wishbone” offense, and Duane Akina, who established “DBU” at Texas, were unparalleled during their time despite other good assistants
UTGrad91: McWilliams coached some great defenses as a position coach and coordinator and would have to be in the running IMO.
cirque du salado: Even though he was a position coach, Dick Tomey infused some backbone into that 2004 defense that carried over to 2005. There was definitely a difference between the 2004 defense and the first 6 defenses under Mack.
stovie: Not the best but Greg Robinson deserves kudos for sewing a silk purse out of a sow’s ear.
DKM: Wish we could pull Brewster from Colorado for a roll on this staff. He could mf talk the shoes off a homeless person.
hopefulhorn: Ballard is my first choice too. Immediately thought of DKR’s assistants who were uniformly great. Bellard for his influence on CFB. Mike Campbell for two decades of sustained excellence.
coolhorn: Duane Akina overall. He put together some outstanding defensive backfields and established Texas’ reputation as DBU. Gene Chizik is a close second for me in that he was a major factor in building the championship defense of 2005. Mike Campbell and Emory Bellard off of Coach Royal’s staff and Will Muschamp were also very excellent assistants.