Lute Olson out at Arizona

[topbulldawg]

No better time to retire then right when practice starts!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=3660700

 

[patdog]

He took a "leave of absense" last December then came back only to retire the week after practice starts. If I was an Arizona fan, I'd be pretty pissed off at him right about now.

 

[OEMDawg]

Agreed. That old bastard could have played the sympathy card any of the 2 or 3 years following his wife's death. But to take last year off because of a divorce with his trophy wife and then come back and do this now, I bet the Arizona people are ready to string his wrinkly *** up.

 

[basedog]

He has health problems. I met Olson back in 79' in Scooba, Ms while I was recruiting a kid named Charles Jones who later signed with Louisville. Olson was the HC at Iowa and all I can tell ya'll is in was first class and a relentless recruiter and one helluva coach to boot. He has a National Championship and 780 wins so I would call him a Legend.
From what I read about him is he really wanted to coach this year and he deserved another year but with his age and health he couldn't go, nothing wrong with that. His biggest mistake was making O'Neil the HC as he is a "fruit-cake".

 

[patdog]

then come back and plan to coach the next year, only to leave the last week of October of the next year. He has a responsibility to Arizona and he's put them in a very bad spot two years in a row now. If his health is that bad, he should have just retired at the end of last season.

 

[DawgatAuburn]

I somehow doubt that this is the way Lute planned to leave the game. I have read a couple of stories this year about how anxious he was to get back on the sidelines. If he has to leave now, it must be because things have changed with his health and he has too, not because he cares more about himself than he does the Uof A.

I will say it is fitting for Lute to make an early exit. God knows he perfected it in the tournament.

 

[williecunningham]

Have you ever heard of someone falling ill between March and November?

 

[Optimus Prime 4]

I'll give Olson the benefit of the doubt. He's earned it.

 

[basedog]

Ron Polk!
He has some health issues, he came back and saw O'Neill wasn't the man for the job and fired him. He tried to coach one more year but he realized he couldn't make it through the year and did the right thing, retire.
To bad he didn't get to make a farewell journey, he deserved it as he was a true professional as a college head coach and a great x and o man.

 

[patdog]

And he was so broken up over his December divorce from his second wife (of 4 years) then only 10 months later he got engaged to a 47-year old (when you're 90, that qualifies as a trophy wife). So, to sum it up, after the divorce, he was too emotionally upset to coach basketball, but not too emotionally upset to chase wife #3.