Memorable Coaching Blowups
UCLA Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel is a seemingly mild-mannered coach, but he has been known to blow a gasket when practices aren't intense enough but Neuheisel is not the only coach to blow up. Here are a few other coaches involved in blowups ...
When it comes to temper tantrums, Bobby Knight is up there with the best of them. Knight never cared who was around to feel his wrath. When Bobby was mad, everyone knew to get out of the way. For one unlucky chair, Bobby heaped on the abuse - during a game. Bobby threw the chair onto the court. Not totally fair . the chair can't fight back.
Jim Mora doesn't look like the kind of coach to get overly emotional. But, for those who have witnessed his interactions with the press after games, the verbal tirades are not shocking. Mora's most memorable meltdown occurred when he completely lost it on a reporter who questioned his team's ability to make a run at the playoffs after his Colts team endured a dismal loss. Mora snapped back: "Don't talk about PLAYOFFS?! You kidding me?! PLAYOFFS?! I just hope we can win another game! Another game!"
One college football coach might not have been engrossed in the big LSU-Alabama matchup this past weekend. Mike Price cut ties with 'Bama back in 2003 amid rumors that Price's shenanigans got him canned before he'd even coached a game for the Crimson Tide. Price has since redeemed himself with a solid coaching job at another school , but the public relations stumble from his days at Alabama continues to follow him.
Herm Edwards is a hard-nosed football coach. He seems to believe in the value of a hard day's work. And he wants to win. Badly. Maybe Edwards would say a lack of effort in his Jets team drove him crazy after they lost to the Cleveland Browns back in 2002. The coach threw them under the bus in his most famous press conference to date. Prompted by a reporter, Edwards went off: "You play to win the game! Hello? You play to win the game!"
Dave Bliss did not have to scream and rant while coaching at Baylor to become one of the most infamous coaches in NCAA history. Bliss was at the center of a tragic scandal resulting in an NCAA judgment that basically prevents Bliss from coaching at the collegiate level until 2015.
Dennis Green should not be confused with anyone's lovable uncle. In 2006, while coaching the Arizona Cardinals, Green reached the height of frustration after the Cardinals relinquished a lead and eventually lost a game they should have won. That was Green's point. It was a point that he made to anyone and everyone who would listen in the press conference after the game. At the time, Green was captured screaming: "The Bears are who we thought they were! . And we let them off the hook!"
Billy Martin was a hard-nosed manager who fit the city that he coached in - New York. As would be expected in New York, Martin was known for being tough and calling it like he saw it. Of course that led to confrontations with umpires and even his own players.
Kevin Borseth is one bad call away from an explosion. The head coach of the Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team is passionate and provides quite the show when he gets heated.
There's an old adage ... the truth will set you free. Football coach George O'Leary learned this lesson well. After Notre Dame hired him as their head football coach, it was discovered that he lied about certain entries on his résumé. Of course, Notre Dame asked him to resign, and O'Leary moved on to coach at another school
Mike Leach might not have been the most congenial of college coaches around, but it was a scandal - not an outburst - that ended his stint at Texas Tech. Leach was fired as the head football coach at Texas Tech University amid all kinds of uproar. A player's complaints about Leach turned out to be enough for the university to hand him his walking papers.
There's something to be said for maintaining control when you're out and about ... especially if you're a public figure. That's über important if you're the head coach at Michigan, if you're out anywhere in the state. Gary Moeller found that out after he was fired as Michigan's head coach following an outburst at a restaurant in 1995. Moeller was allegedly intoxicated. Moderation is always important ...
Lou Piniella has always been one of the MLB managers with the shortest tempers. Piniella's on-field tirades can often be seen as a form of entertainment. Piniella has been known to throw his hat, kick dirt and of course, point and yell with the best of them. Not one to mince words, Piniella has had many quotable moments.
Earl Weaver might not have been the biggest manager in baseball but he didn't seem inclined to back down from an argument - even if it involved an umpire.
Dealing with Temple's former head coach John Chaney is serious business. Chaney once threatened a fellow coach. That provided a glimpse into what happens when Chaney's passion for the game boils over in a negative way.
Hal McRae is known for his famous tirade while manager of the Kansas City Royals. Granted, managers get upset after losses, but McRae took things to another level when he flew off the handle, with a profanity-laced rant.
Many college football fans probably wish the legendary football coach at Ohio State could have ended his tenure in a different way. Woody Hayes was relieved of his coaching duties at Ohio State after he punched a player on the opposing team following a post-game fracas.
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