Best Ga Tech coaches since Dodd Poll

Who are the three best GT coaches since Bobby Dodd retired?

  • Bud Carson 27-27

    Votes: 2 0.9%
  • Bill Fulcher 12-10-1

    Votes: 1 0.4%
  • Pepper Rodgers 34-31-2

    Votes: 4 1.7%
  • Bill Curry 31-43-4

    Votes: 3 1.3%
  • Bobby Ross 31-26-1

    Votes: 180 78.6%
  • Bill Lewis 11-19

    Votes: 5 2.2%
  • George O'Leary 52-33

    Votes: 191 83.4%
  • Chan Gailey 44-32

    Votes: 10 4.4%
  • Paul Johnson 82-61

    Votes: 183 79.9%
  • Geoff Collins 9-25

    Votes: 7 3.1%

  • Total voters
    229
Some of you are too pretentious
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Is this really up for debate? Ross-O’Leary-Johnson. Gailey would be #4, the rest are also-rans.

JRjr

There is a debate for O'Leary and Johnson. Johnson faced more recruiting restrictions, a stronger ACC for the most part (FSU was the only team worth anything in the 90s), and in an era of increasing money disparity between the haves and the haves-not. They're 2a and 2b, IMO.
 
There is a debate for O'Leary and Johnson. Johnson faced more recruiting restrictions, a stronger ACC for the most part (FSU was the only team worth anything in the 90s), and in an era of increasing money disparity between the haves and the haves-not. They're 2a and 2b, IMO.
Completely agree. The fact that Johnson did what he did in the buttoned-up late 00's and 10's is remarkable. The margins were very tight in that era.
 
It would be hard for me the rank the 3 -
- Bobby R - won a national championship - can't top that

- G. OLeary - brought us back from B*** L**** and beat a lot of good teams. FSU was unreal-go back and check the top 5's (87-00) so his inability to beat them was understandable

- P Johnson Two Orange Bowls - 3 ACC championship games - 3 wins in Athens and for whatever reason I loved him kicking Stoops butt in the Gator Bowl. Classic

if i had to - Bobby R, CPJ and GOL in that order
 
Chan kept us above water after flunk gate… never made up some stupid catch phrase either like Geoffrey.
 
There is a debate for O'Leary and Johnson. Johnson faced more recruiting restrictions, a stronger ACC for the most part (FSU was the only team worth anything in the 90s), and in an era of increasing money disparity between the haves and the haves-not. They're 2a and 2b, IMO.

FSU was top 5 in all of college football in the 90s. NC state (1998-00), Clemson (early 90s), UNC under Mack Brown, and especially UVA under Welsh, all had solid runs in the 90s (Including Georgia Tech). I agree with your sentiment but don't agree that the ACC schedules were somehow weaker or stronger, especially without playing FSU every year (and we caught them on Bowden's downhill in 08 and 09).
 
There is a debate for O'Leary and Johnson. Johnson faced more recruiting restrictions, a stronger ACC for the most part (FSU was the only team worth anything in the 90s), and in an era of increasing money disparity between the haves and the haves-not. They're 2a and 2b, IMO.

Flip side: O'Leary had an empty-cupboard rebuild on his hands when he was hired; PJ had the best-stocked shelves coming in of any coach in GT history. O'Leary has as many ACC Champs (1 - 1998) and the 1999 Gator Bowl was the same as the 2014 Orange Bowl IMO, where neither team qualified for BCS but played and won a NY Day bowl against an also-ran team. Bowl invites didn't number in the 80s during GOL's time here. O'Leary recruited and coached a should-have-won Heisman candidate and beat the mutts 3 IAR. GOL left the program in better shape than what he inherited. PJ did the exact opposite of that.

Both are behind Ross, obviously.
 
FSU was top 5 in all of college football in the 90s. NC state (1998-00), Clemson (early 90s), UNC under Mack Brown, and especially UVA under Welsh, all had solid runs in the 90s (Including Georgia Tech). I agree with your sentiment but don't agree that the ACC schedules were somehow weaker or stronger, especially without playing FSU every year (and we caught them on Bowden's downhill in 08 and 09).

NC State fired O'Cain in 1999 and hired Chucky the Chest. UVA had a lot of 7-5 runs. UNC was 3-8 in 1999 (Mack Brown left in '97). Clemson was under Tommy West, who they fired in '98 after he went 3-8. O'leary got here at a good time, his good years were 1998-2000.
 
Pepper Rogers had terrible support
Had he came in after facilities upgrades and a better AD - who knows?
He was a pretty good coach
Did beat the dawgs twice- and should have had a 3rd one in 78
I always liked him
I do not understand why Pepper was treated so poorly by Dodd and the Hill given what he accomplished as a player. He gave up a good position at UCLA to return and coach Tech. Then they fired him even though his teams performed well. Finally they blackballed him so he never got another college coaching job.
 
FSU was top 5 in all of college football in the 90s. NC state (1998-00), Clemson (early 90s), UNC under Mack Brown, and especially UVA under Welsh, all had solid runs in the 90s (Including Georgia Tech). I agree with your sentiment but don't agree that the ACC schedules were somehow weaker or stronger, especially without playing FSU every year (and we caught them on Bowden's downhill in 08 and 09).
We played FSU a couple more times than that thanks to ACCCG and they needed Winston’s best game as a QB to beat us in 2014. Remarkable how well he played that night. And it wasn’t all just “bad D.”
 
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