In most sports, the HoF and first tier players only rarely become great coaches. The workman type student of the game who can identify with the prototype gifted athlete does a better job in developing talent and getting the players to work together.
HALL-OF-FAME PLAYERS WHO BECAME COACHES BEFORE 1970
Player (coaching debut) / Overall record
Sammy Baugh (1960) / 18-24
Jack Christiansen (1963) / 26-38-3
Turk Edwards (1946) / 16-18
Otto Graham (1966) / 17-22-3
John McNally (1937) / 6-19
Wayne Millner (1951) / 2-8
Ernie Nevers (1927) / 16-26-2
Joe Schmidt (1967) / 43-34-7
Joe Stydahar (1950) / 20-27
Jim Thorpe (1920) / 11-24-1
Bulldog Turner (1962) / 5-9
Norm Van Brocklin (1961) / 66-100-7
HALL OF FAME PLAYERS WHO BECAME COACHES AFTER 1970
Player (coaching debut) / Overall record
Raymond Berry (1984) / 48-39
Mike Ditka (1982) / 121-95
Forrest Gregg (1975) / 75-85-1
Mike McCormack (1973) 28-52-1
Jim Ringo (1976) / 3-20
Art Shell (1989) / 56-52
Bart Starr (1975) / 52-76-3
Larry Wilson* (1979) / 2-1
Great players don’t make great coaches.
That is abundantly true in any sport and may be part of Mike’s problem. He was an excellent middle linebacker and the game probably came easily to him which means that some of the sloppiness he sees in less-than-great players must really piss him off.
I understand. I have a grandson playing in Pop Warner. He is a 128 lb cornerback in a 160 lb limit league. It is not unusual for him to make 15 tackles a game on running plays, which is too many and due to the failure of the front 7 to make enough tackles. Well, I’ve been asked to stay away from the games and practices for “berating” the linemen and linebackers(All I did was call them a bunch of goddam cowards, so what?). My grandson comes home looking like somebody tried to lynch him from all the physical punishment and that’s OK...but we can’t talk tough to the little darlin’s, now can we?
I’m sure that Mike is running into some of the same thing.
I don’t remember Bart Starr ever coaching. Are these call coaching positions or just head coaches.