First-year Miami Hurricanes head coach Al Golden addressed the orange and green elephant in the room days back at the ACC Football Kickoff, sharing his thoughts on the concept of ‘swagger’.
“I mean, to me, swagger, as it was said to me [by] Alonzo Highsmith and so many other former players, swagger was the byproduct, it wasn’t the product. Just like throwing up the U is the byproduct. Somebody is making money off it. You know they sell t-shirts on it and stuff.
“For us the swagger was developed by demonstrated performance and from having a chip on your shoulder and from work ethic and from being the hardest-working team and from being a tough team and from playing with passion. And all of a sudden people said, ‘Miami plays with swagger.’ Well, then it only takes a couple years where you have kids that put on the uniform and think you automatically get the swagger because you wear the U. But they don’t want to do the things that made the U special.
“So we have to get back to that. We have to get back to doing all those little things. … We’ve got to get back to having the right people and the right mindset. … What I’m tired of is just everybody thinks that’s the answer. I’m saying that’s the product, not the process. We’ve got to get back to the process. I’m tired of everybody thinking that’s the only problem we have.”
Amen, Coach.
Golden’s take will ring true with anyone that has an ounce of common sense. We touched on it here a few weeks back (“Winning creates swagger, not the other way around”) and love that this point is being driven home directly to the media – and indirectly to players, fans and anyone else within earshot.
As a fan, play the ‘swagger’ card all you want as your only job is to show up, cheer and run your mouth. It’s on par with that common debate you see between folks on message boards talking about how a certain opponent shouldn’t be overlooked or taken for granted.
Again, as fans, you have no responsibility to prepare and have every right to believe your team will roll the competition.
The reason guys like Golden make seven figures a year; by sending this message home, having their kids prepared, killing any sense of entitlement, breaking old habits and getting their players mentally dialed in for the task at hand.
‘Swagger’ should absolutely be abolished as far as players and coaches go. There is no reason the word needs to be uttered again at Hecht, on Greentree, via social networking sites or carved into the side of players’ heads. Not until an ACC title game win or BCS bowl game, at least.
Get back to winning ways and let the swag follow.
IN OTHER GOLDEN NEWS: Check out this recent piece by Chip Patterson at CBSSports.com’s “Eye On College Football”. Patterson’s “Miami ‘buying in’ to Al Golden’s new culture” article gives a nice timeline regarding some of the recent culture changes that have happened on Golden’s watch.
Great to here coach Golden, setting the criteria for what truly made the Hurricanes a power. I remember hearing interviews of how the games were easy compared to the practices @ coral gables. Miami will return, when that attitude comes back, where every player fears taking a day off because they will lose their starting position to the back up. I can't wait.
Duh, I would have told you that for free. I'd like to see some tough questions after the bad games, instead of softballs. Make these young men know they have squandered once in a lifetime opportunities. Be smart, not sorry.
And yet allcanes sells a shirt that says "the u invented swagger." Nice rant.
And yet allcanes sells a shirt that says "the u invented swagger." Nice rant.
… as a retailer who distributes and creates merchandise for fans, damn right we do.
Nothing wrong with fans – or retailers – claiming 'swagger'.
Everything wrong with players feeling entitlement over the term when it hasn't yet been earned.
The University of Miami DID invent 'swagger', did it not? The shirt celebrates the program's history, attitude and legacy.
I guess that a coach saying something pertaining to his team and a store that specializes in merchandise having something contradicting is too much for ones brain to handle..
Pretty funny to me.
There weren't teams like Miami back when Miami actually became Miami..
That's the swagger people so vividly remember. So to make a shirt that says.. "The U Invented Swagger".. Well, that'd be spot on. Not "The U Invented Swagger -flips shirt to back- So Kids Now Can Be Entitled" or some shit.
God our fans can be stupid.
"Swagger" is something that needs to be consigned to history. Am tired of hearing the term, especially from players who basically stink it up on the field. At least Coach Golden sees things for what they are. This team needs to start showing up for all games all the time. That hasn't happened in nine years.