[jwplayer iAsrOKEP]
Since news broke on Sunday afternoon that Gus Malzahn had been fired by Auburn, I’ve been floating around in my head what his ultimate legacy will be 10, 20 years from now when his name is brought up on the Plains.
For a coach who spent just eight seasons on the job, there are somehow a myriad of ways he can and will be remembered. Yes, there is the magical 2013 debut season in which the Tigers took the sport by storm and it seemed Malzahn would become one of the rulers of the game.
There’s the lack of development at quarterback. His waffling on offensive coordinators and whether or not he would be the one calling plays. The departure of talented players, including the top four recruiting in the 2018 class. The transformation from high-energy, hurry-up offense to whatever concoction we currently see on the field. His ability to do what a lot of SEC coaches couldn’t and beat Nick Saban on a regular basis.
So many different ways for someone to be remembered yet as an Auburn alumnus and fan, Malzahn’s class and integrity always stood out to me the most.
Yes, I have been extremely critical of the coach during parts of his tenure including this past couple of weeks when the proverbial bus seemed to have nothing but flat tires. His quote on how a four-loss season would be solid in most seasons after the loss to Texas A&M didn’t exactly do him any favors with Auburn fans and the powers that run the program.
Yet the one thing we didn’t have to worry about with Malzahn was him embarrassing the university. That says a lot especially in a time when every move by a head coach at a major college is scrutinized and on record. His calm temperament even when things were going wrong was assuring. Not once did he lose his cool on a reporter or lecture someone on why he’s a football coach and they are not.
His players seemed to genuinely care for him as well. That was evident from the postgame video from Saturday night of him, in one of the rare moments he let loose, dancing while the players cheered him on. One has to wonder if he knew this was his last game in charge as he brought back the sweater vest and visor. Was that for sentimental reasons?
I don’t pretend to know Malzahn as well as the rest of the reporters that cover Auburn. I have only met him a number of times and it was usually in a professional setting, but I can say this: he was always cordial, friendly and approachable. That is rare for a man in his position.
There was never a doubt on whether he cared about his players, coaching staff and Auburn as a whole. He invested into the program and soon, a football-only facility that he helped fund will be erected on campus. He was a great ambassador for the university.
Quite certainly there were times when he wanted to blow his fuse, call his doubters out and release some frustration with a fan base that really never warmed up to him. Somehow, he didn’t. He was all class all the time.
And maybe that is what his ultimate legacy should be: a coach that had some major highs, some lows, but always had the best interest of the people around him at the forefront. Things sometimes don’t work out the way you would want or expect and for Malzahn, his eight seasons on the Plains have come to an end with no major controversies, no major probation and no major embarrassment for the school or athletic program.
When you take that into account, Auburn was lucky to have him.