Coach Kalen DeBoer Works to Continue Tide Winning Tradition
Coach Kalen DeBoer Works to Continue Tide Winning Tradition
By Joey Johnston
Kalen DeBoer, the University of Alabama's first-year head football coach, faced an impossible task this season.
Of course he did.
How does anyone follow Nick Saban, who was 201-29 in 17 Crimson Tide seasons? How does anyone standup to Saban's impeccable resume, which includes seven national championships and 11 SEC titles?
"I get it, I totally get it, ''said DeBoer, who guided the Washington Huskies to last season's national-championship game before being tabbed as Saban's replacement at Alabama. "I understand there's only one Coach Saban. There will only ever be one Coach Saban.
"This program is special. I guess I just take it as a great honor to be the one who gets to do everything we canto carry on the great tradition.''
Even though Alabama fell short o fan SEC championship or qualifying for the College Football Playoff, there's plenty at stake for the Crimson Tide (9-3) when they face the Michigan Wolverines (7-5) in the Dec. 31 ReliaQuest Bowl at Raymond James Stadium.
The Crimson Tide is trying to make it 17 consecutive seasons with double-digit victories, an almost unthinkable standard when you consider the overall parity of college football, along with the SEC's tradition-rich power.
"Any time we step on the field, it's about the business of winning,' DeBoer said. "The bowl experience is apart of that because the experiences are going to be special and that's what I'm trying to provide for our guys. But any kind of amazing experience usually have winning involved with them.
"I think there are experiences we had this year that our guys are going to look back on, 10-15 years down the road, and really, we're better off because of everything we went through. We understood that our response was positive. It's what we controlled. I think those are the life lessons that come along with college athletics.''
DeBoer has remained unflappable throughout this season's ups (beating Georgia in a wild 41-34 game) and downs(the inexplicable defeats at Vanderbilt and Oklahoma).
He was criticized and scrutinized for everything from his play-calling to what clothing he wore on the game-day sideline.
Bring it on, DeBoer said.
"The alternative is to be at places where there aren't expectations,' DeBoer said. "Alabama is a great place to be.''
The people who know DeBoer best say he's the same guy - a genuine straight-shooter - who was the rather anonymous head coach at the University of Sioux Falls from 2005-09. He won three national championships and had a 67-3 record at that NAIA program before his coaching career hit the jet-stream.
"Every coach is different," DeBoer said. "We all have different personalities. We all have our styles, especially when you've been doing it for a while in this profession. You have the things that you really like to do and favor.
"But in the end, when you're talking about the most important things, I think a lot of those are probably similar more than they're different. Just pouring into the guys and helping them and pushing them to be at their best, while holding them accountable. You expect a high level of discipline while also trying to build a brotherhood and a family that exists through great team chemistry. You want to be great on the football field when it matters the most.''