Admiration for Sports Dynasties
A sports team having a successful season is always an accomplishment and always enjoyable for fans of that respective franchise.
To be able to win season after season at a high level is more unusual and why all sports dynasties are to be admired, regardless of the sport.
It’s up to debate on what sport (and at what level) it is more difficult to be successful over the long term in. One has to respect what the New York Yankees have done through the decades in baseball. The same goes for the Chicago Bulls during their NBA dynasty in the 1990s and the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2000s.
For a variety of reasons I’ve always thought it was tougher to remain successful over a long period of time in football. One reason is the high turnover of players (this is always the case in high school and college.)
In Georgia there have been several high school football dynasties through the years including Valdosta, Lincoln County and Buford.
In college and professional play, we are currently witnessing two football dynasties which may be remembered as two of the best in the history of the sports. Alabama continues to reign supreme in major college football while the New England Patriots are doing the same at the professional level.
It’s not a coincidence that the two head coaches of those programs have ties. New England’s Bill Belichick has to be regarded as the best
professional football coach of all time. That’s quite an honor when you consider names such as Tom Landry, Chuck Noll, Bill Parcells, Bill Walsh and Hank Stram.
However, Belichick has taken New England to eight Super Bowl and won five. Had it not been for two miraculous finishes and a loss in an offensive shootout last season the Patriots would have eight Super Bowl rings. That truly boggles the mind.
Certainly Belichick has benefited from having the greatest NFL player of all time in Tom Brady but don’t think for a minute that the coach wouldn’t have still been successful. His attention to detail of all phases of the game and the way he learned film study from his father have always set Belichick apart.
Even before Belichick became a head coach he was long regarded as a defensive guru. I’ve always wondered how he would translate to the college game but it’s doubtful that will ever happen. I disagree completely with one Athens-based talk show host who once claimed Kirby Smart is a better coach than Belichick.
In college, Nick Saban has arguably become the greatest coach of all time. It makes for a great debate if he has accomplished more than the legendary Bear Bryant and it’s ironic that both have achieved so much of their success with the Crimson Tide.
Saban was actually Belichick’s defensive coordinator from 1991-1994 with the Cleveland Browns. One can only imagine how much midnight oil those two burned while breaking down opponents and formulating game plans.
One documentary on Belichick followed him leaving for work at 3:30 in the morning. My guess is he had only been home a couple of hours, if that.
Saban cemented his coaching status (not that it needed it) in last season’s national title game against Georgia. When he made a move to bench his successful starting quarterback for a true freshman who had played only sparingly to that point was coaching genius at its best.
Sure the move could have backfired but it didn’t and while Saban can only control certain things (he cannot make plays on the field) the coach knew what his freshman quarterback (now a leading Heisman Trophy contender) could do and how he would perform under the brightest of lights.
As the 2018 season progresses it appears Alabama is certainly set for the playoffs again. It would take a disaster of major proportions for the Tide not to finish the regular season undefeated and go to the SEC title game in Atlanta (likely against Georgia).
As for New England, some pundits (those who can’t stand the Patriots ongoing success) were set to write the team off after a slow start. We’ve been down this road before. The last two games, however, now have New England above .500 and seemingly back on track for a 10th consecutive AFC title. Anything less than going to the AFC title game would be shocking.
Winning once every few years seems to be the goal of many teams, both in college and the pros. That is clearly not the case with Alabama and New England.
While many cheer for dynasties to end neither of these show any signs of slowing down.
Finally, a column on football dynasties would not be complete without mentioning North Dakota State of I-AA and Mount Union of Division III. If you aren’t familiar with what these programs have done in recent years (and in Mount Union’s case for decades) study up on them. You will be impressed.
Monticello native Chris Bridges is a long-time newspaper columnist. He welcomes feedback from readers of The Monticello News at pchrisbridges@gmail.com.