Biggest Swings in a University’s Athletic Reputation

[Dgilbertson]

Inspired by the all time AP record, where Iowa MBB is still fairly high despite not being all that great since the 80’s.

What are the top programs which were powerhouses in the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s, but afterthoughts today?

Likewise who are the front runners for Universities that were formerly mid at best, but now have nationally recognized prestige?

There’s some low hanging fruit on this one, but feel like there’s others I’m not even considering.

What say you?

 

[BillBrasky4Cy]

UNLV, UMASS, and Maryland all jumped out to me. Maryland moving to the B1G killed their basketball program.

 

[Bader]

Georgetown and DePaul

 

[CyinLimbo]

Minnesota basketball is significantly down from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Arkansas is also down. A number of schools had decent runs when a top coach was there (Tulsa with Nolan Richardson), but then fell off considerably after they departed for other programs. Creighton is up from that timeframe. The 70's were a different time. The big money hadn't impacted basketball "as much", and there were opportunities for smaller schools to make deeper runs into the tourney (Drake, Iona, etc.). DePaul is significantly down.

 

[BCClone]

UCLA is not what it once was. Considered to be a little above average program now.

 

[NoCreativity]

Indiana has to be #1?

 

[Cyhig]

UNLV
Houston until recently

 

[DSMCy]

It’s not always this simple, but it’s amazing what can happen with a coaching change.

Make the wrong hire and almost any program can set themselves way back

 

[MugNight]

Notre Dame basketball had some good runs in the 70’s with Digger Phelps. Now their women’s team is a powerhouse and the men’s team is middling.

Georgia Tech had good basketball in the early 00’s with guys like Jarrett Jack and Will Bynum.

Wake Forest also made some runs in the 00’s.

Put Syracuse in there with Georgetown & DePaul for hoops teams that used to be better.

 

[Drew0311]

Nebraska Football for sure

Florida football but the basketball is finally coming back around

UCLA basketball

USC football compared to Pete Carrol Days

Oklahoma Football is worse than Iowa State. Didn't think I would ever type that

UMass when John C was coaching

UNLV post Tark has been below average

Miami is good at football, they are just not even close to the old Miami.

Utah basketball used to be really good year in and year out with Rick Majerus

Iowa wrestling is good, nowhere near when they had Gable.

Tennessee womens basketball used to be the Standard with Pat Summit.

Georgia Tech basketball used to be really good.

All Stanford Sports minus womens basketball

LSU basketball with Dale Brown. Shaq and Mahmud abdul Rauf (SP?)

 

[MugNight]

I’d say that Florida and Florida State both had significant football and basketball prowess over a ~20 year time period between 1993-2014 or so, and both have been a relative shell of themselves since.

In that time period:
FSU Football - 3 Titles, 3 Heisman winners
FSU Hoops - 2 Elite Eights, 5 Sweet 16s
UF Football - 3 Titles, 2 Heisman winners
UF Hoops - 2 Titles, 5 Final Fours, 9 Elite Eights

 

[acoustimac]

Nebraska Football for sure

Florida football but the basketball is finally coming back around

UCLA basketball

USC football compared to Pete Carrol Days

Oklahoma Football is worse than Iowa State. Didn't think I would ever type that

UMass when John C was coaching

UNLV post Tark has been below average

Miami is good at football, they are just not even close to the old Miami.

Utah basketball used to be really good year in and year out with Rick Majerus

Iowa wrestling is good, nowhere near when they had Gable.

Tennessee womens basketball used to be the Standard with Pat Summit.

Georgia Tech basketball used to be really good.

All Stanford Sports minus womens basketball

LSU basketball with Dale Brown. Shaq and Mahmud abdul Rauf (SP?)

Tennessee women’s basketball is a great example of the “wrong” hire. Took them two coaching cycles to get it right and they are def on the way back up this season.

 

[FLYINGCYCLONE]

UCLA basketball really suffered after Wooden left.
Alabama football suffered after The Bear left.
So it is hard to follow legends like that.

 

[CYFanKC]

Minnesota basketball is significantly down from the 70's, 80's, and 90's. Arkansas is also down. A number of schools had decent runs when a top coach was there (Tulsa with Nolan Richardson), but then fell off considerably after they departed for other programs. Creighton is up from that timeframe. The 70's were a different time. The big money hadn't impacted basketball "as much", and there were opportunities for smaller schools to make deeper runs into the tourney (Drake, Iona, etc.). DePaul is significantly down.

Tulsa with Tubby Smith and Bill Self as well....

 

[1SEIACLONE]

UCLA basketball really suffered after Wooden left.
Alabama football suffered after The Bear left.
So it is hard to follow legends like that.

What is the old saying, you want to be the guy that follows the guy, that follows the legend in the coaching world. The guy at Alabama has big shoes to fill and is not off to a great start with 4 losses in his first season. Hell, Saban would not lose that many games in 5 years of coaching there.

 

[MugNight]

What is the old saying, you want to be the guy that follows the guy, that follows the legend in the coaching world. The guy at Alabama has big shoes to fill and is not off to a great start with 4 losses in his first season. Hell, Saban would not lose that many games in 5 years of coaching there.

It truly is a damned if you do, damned if you don’t to follow the legend. Win and they’ll say you just piggybacked on his success. Lose and it’s that much more evident you’re not him.

 

[cytor]

Ped State.... Wrestling kings now.... nothing at all before Cael.

Football team got off easy after the horrors that occurred. They should have gotten the death penalty for at least 1 season.

 

[Drew0311]

Let me add Okie State sports used to be really competative. Basketball lost their whole crowd when The Thunder came to town. That used to be like Hilton. You went to Iba you were leaving with an L.

 

[CtownCyclone]

What is the old saying, you want to be the guy that follows the guy, that follows the legend in the coaching world. The guy at Alabama has big shoes to fill and is not off to a great start with 4 losses in his first season. Hell, Saban would not lose that many games in 5 years of coaching there.

Was looking at this the other day. Saban lost 6 games the first season he coached at Alabama when that program was not great.

The most losses he had in a season after that was 3, and that happened one time in the midst of 3 national titles in 4 years.

 

[Dgilbertson]

In my head I was wondering if SMU fit any of this bill. But I looked, and they were a pretty poor program before the few years leading up to the death penalty.

I never really was aware of anything in the SWC before Big 12, so I just assumed all those Texas schools were strong, and particularly SMU given what they did to get there, but their day in the sun was pretty short lived prior to their recent resurgence.