if you really knew him there would be no doubt about his real character. Yes, he has an air about him. So what? However, he is a compassionate man who has done wonders for our program. There is never an easy way for a coach to leave for another job. He did what he thought was best for his family. It is his business. He also allowed our AD time to do his homework under the radar so that MSU could find the best coach for our program. Cohen knew Dan was leaving way before it happened. Many times coaches leave abruptly. Coach Mullen is not like that. He is a winner, and I thank him for what he did for us. I wish him well except for one game next year.
Say what you want about Dan....
- Thread starter jdbulldog
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One good thing is the recruiting class he left. It was basically done and to a degree JoMo's offense sold itself. Seemed like the recruits were a united group who wanted to stick together. Maybe Mullen didn't do all of it, but things lined up nicely.
Glad Cohen got an offensive minded hc and didnt hire a dc.
Glad Cohen got an offensive minded hc and didnt hire a dc.
Agreed. I realize people change jobs all the times for the same reason coaches do. Few jobs though have so many people emotionally invested in an employee. When that employee leaves as he did, no doubt many feel like they were jilted. Not that there would not have been disappointment, but with a little different approach to his departure, many of the fan base would not feel as they currently do.
Yes he did a lot for our program and all but I’m really glad he’s gone now. I had pretty much threw in the towel after the loss to south Alabama in the first game last year. It was the constant talk of him leaving at the end of every season and the consistently playing down to our competition every game prior to this year that also ticked me. Not to also mention keeping hevesy and running Holloway up the middle last year along with not keeping a dc more than a year. I feel like if he had corrected those aforementioned things he could have been a lot more successful here.
Perfectly stated. I love Drew Brees but if he became a Falcon tomorrow, I'd hate him with the Fire of a 1000 Suns. Possibly Dak too, hope I never have that conundrum.
Dan has helped a friend of mine who doesn't have the money for basic necessities and cannot work to earn them, on multiple occasions. That includes $$ from his own pocket and tickets to games, chances to meet the team, etc. He's a good guy from what I can tell. Completely lacking in the art of PR, however.
Enough with this garbage. He floated his name out there DURING and after pretty much every season. Which no doubt cost us some wins. UF gave him a chance and he bolted.
Thanks for making our program respectable again, but I won’t look at him in the same light as Sherrill or even Croom.
Those two guys had their faults but at least you felt like they were proud to be Dawgs.
Mullen was not the same. He wanted us to know how lucky we were to have him.
Thanks for making our program respectable again, but I won’t look at him in the same light as Sherrill or even Croom.
Those two guys had their faults but at least you felt like they were proud to be Dawgs.
Mullen was not the same. He wanted us to know how lucky we were to have him.
One thing I really like about Mullen is that he was always teaching. Anytime a player came to the sideline after a mistake, Dan would meet them and talk it out.
Even after the Egg Bowl, he was talking to Cooke about the onside kick. He really is an excellent developmental coach.
Even after the Egg Bowl, he was talking to Cooke about the onside kick. He really is an excellent developmental coach.
Allow me to clear something up.
I heard the same thing from Cohen you did: "We have known for about 60 days that we needed to start looking elsewhere." That was coachspeak (or in this case, ADspeak). Cohen was being professional and not throwing Don under the bus. But don't mistake this for Don being a great guy and giving John a headsup. What Cohen really meant was, "I put the contract extension in front of him early this season, but he kept refusing to sign it."
At some point, we had to know -- are you signing it, yes or no? As I understand it, Cohen gave him a deadline a couple months ago, which Don ignored. So we had our answer. And as I understand it, we even tried one more time after the Egg Bowl to get him to sign it. He said no and was intending to sign with UT, until Kelly went to UCLA. That's the story. He made his choice to leave not even knowing where he would go, and assuming that poor little ol MSU would wait on him if he didn't like the other choices. He had been planning to leave all year. He left our program in good shape, and I liked that, but other than that, I don't have to like him anymore. He chose this divorce. F*ck that guy.
I heard the same thing from Cohen you did: "We have known for about 60 days that we needed to start looking elsewhere." That was coachspeak (or in this case, ADspeak). Cohen was being professional and not throwing Don under the bus. But don't mistake this for Don being a great guy and giving John a headsup. What Cohen really meant was, "I put the contract extension in front of him early this season, but he kept refusing to sign it."
At some point, we had to know -- are you signing it, yes or no? As I understand it, Cohen gave him a deadline a couple months ago, which Don ignored. So we had our answer. And as I understand it, we even tried one more time after the Egg Bowl to get him to sign it. He said no and was intending to sign with UT, until Kelly went to UCLA. That's the story. He made his choice to leave not even knowing where he would go, and assuming that poor little ol MSU would wait on him if he didn't like the other choices. He had been planning to leave all year. He left our program in good shape, and I liked that, but other than that, I don't have to like him anymore. He chose this divorce. F*ck that guy.
Have to disagree with Croom. Every chance he got he talked about how great a program Bama was and how great Bear Bryant was. I had serious Bama fatigue after him. I cringed at the thought of hiring Pruitt because of where he was coming from.
Thanks for keeping in touch, Megan.
I think you'll find that most State fans do not hate either you or your husband. Dan made a choice that he thought was best for both him and his family, and that's fine. However, let's not pretend that this is the first time that he's tried to high tail it out of Starkville, and his pathetic recruiting immediately following the 2014 season is clear evidence of it.
What's done is done, but plain and simple... Dan is now the enemy, and I hope we beat his sorry *** by 60 next Fall.
I think you'll find that most State fans do not hate either you or your husband. Dan made a choice that he thought was best for both him and his family, and that's fine. However, let's not pretend that this is the first time that he's tried to high tail it out of Starkville, and his pathetic recruiting immediately following the 2014 season is clear evidence of it.
What's done is done, but plain and simple... Dan is now the enemy, and I hope we beat his sorry *** by 60 next Fall.
Scott Frost left a program after accomplishing literally everything possible there and took a clear step up job in a better conference that happened to be his alma mater.
Even still, the contract was done and common knowledge even before the conference championship game finished. The players were the last to know, just like ours were. That’s probably hard to avoid in this era but it’s one of the things folks have bashed Mullen for.
I’m with QK though, if Mullen leaves for a team in a different conference, my attitude is completely different.
I appreciate what DM did for MSU. However, the fans have every right to be pissed at the way he held himself out for job after job and did nothing to stop those rumors. It hurt our team at the worst possible time for the fans almost every other year (OM game). It came across to the fans that he spent most of rivalry week working the phone with his agent, instead of beating OM teams with less talent on some occasions. I was like most fans, fearful of what it would do to the program if he left, but have now come to realize it was time for him to go, for both parties. Stricklin on the other hand basically walked out on his alma mater and wants everyone to know how torn he is about it. I dislike what Stricklin did more than DM.
That has nothing to do with the fact that DM may have and continues to do good things.
That has nothing to do with the fact that DM may have and continues to do good things.
Has OM forgiven Tuberville? He too revived a moribund program then left abruptly much the same way. how'd that work out for him. To me they're in the same boat-good coaches with total disregard for anyone else. To Dan Mullen- thanks for want you did; I've already turned the page though and you will no longer be viewed or thought of the same. Loyalty is a two way street; so is respect. That's all-aboard the JoMo train now
I'm the opposite. Florida is a premier job. UT is a second tier job that is currently a dumpster fire, in large part because its fans are too delusional to see reality.
If he had left for UT, that would have been a kick in the junk.
I don’t get this....
UT is a dumpster fire, even as an institution, these days. I would have been humiliated if he had left for that place. And he was itching to humiliate us until pencil dick flubbed the FL search so badly.
UT is a dumpster fire, even as an institution, these days. I would have been humiliated if he had left for that place. And he was itching to humiliate us until pencil dick flubbed the FL search so badly.
I’m glad Mullen coached our program out of the Croom era. I respect the way he honored Nick Bell, and Peggy Prescott and his Mullen 36 Foundation fund raising efforts and his development of quarterbacks. I really appreciated Megan’s involvement with the players and being a great ambassador for our program.... but damn, he would choke in clutch situations in the game, run off Geoff Collins, predictable 3rd down quarterback draws and shop his resume during Egg Bowl week. Plus trying to talk to him was laborious. We are better for having him, and strangely better for losing him.
I’m optimistic that we have a better game day coach with less pompous, smug behavior.
I’m optimistic that we have a better game day coach with less pompous, smug behavior.
17 that goofy hunchback mother 17er. I don’t have to pretend to like his *** anymore now and it’s refreshing. He was dead to me after Thanksgiving Night. Every time I ride through Tupelo and see those Ole Miss billboards with Matt Luke French kissing the Egg Bowl Trophy I drop a 17 Don Mullen.
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