Look, I am not saying that Walden was Joe Paterno. However, he did go 6-5 with 70 players, and he did something that no other Iowa State coach in modern times did, he pulled upsets. He won at Norman, when they weren't terrible, Iowa State was the last team to beat Tommie Frazier at Nebraska. That was a good Nebraska team, not the lousy ones that Mac beat, and acted like he had just won a national championship (drunk TV interview and all).
I agree that Dan had a small budget, something that he never failed to bring up which is why we had to hear that he was the best coach that we could ever hope to get. But the program that he took over, while having gone winless the previous season, was a damn sight better than it was 8 years earlier.
And for that matter how good is the program today with Mac leaving. Two linebackers, a QB and WR, however, ther are no linemen on either side of the ball? no runningbacks?
This "savior" of the program is LEAVING a 4 year turnaround job for Coach Chizek. What kind of statement does that make???
