While watching these important end of season College Football plus firing of Gary Kubiak I would be more in favor of an experienced, brilliant College Head Coach with proven track records for turning around programs.
That being said I was impressed with interview & then on field coaching of
Michigan State HC Mark Dantonio. In 7 years with Spartans he has molded them into the #1 ranked defensive team in the country & Michigan States first Rose Bowl in 26 years. Good evaluator of talent, good staff sound in all phases, 33 years of College Coaching experience, no NFL but see no reason why he couldn't? Like his character, disciplined team, makes good adjustments & clock management.
THE DANTONIO FILE
PERSONAL DATA:
Born Mark Dantonio in El Paso, Texas, on March 9, 1956.
PREVIOUS COACHING EXPERIENCE: College - Graduate assistant at Ohio U. (1980); graduate assistant at Purdue (1981); defensive coordinator at Butler (Kan.) Junior College (1982); graduate assistant at Ohio State (1983-84); defensive secondary coach at Akron (1985); defensive secondary coach and defensive coordinator at Youngstown State (1986-90); defensive secondary coach at Kansas (1991-94); defensive secondary coach (1995-2000) and associate head coach (2000) at Michigan State; defensive coordinator at Ohio State (2001-03); head coach at Cincinnati (2004-06).
COACHING RECORD:
69-45 (.605) in nine years as a college head coach; 18-17 in three years at Cincinnati (2004-06); 51-28 (.646) in six seasons at Michigan State (2007-).
EDUCATION:
Bachelor's degree in education from South Carolina in 1979; master's degree in education from Ohio U. in 1980.
PLAYING EXPERIENCE:
College - Three-year letterman as a defensive back at South Carolina (1976-78).
BOWL/POSTSEASON EXPERIENCE:
Coach - 1987 NCAA I-AA playoffs, 1989 NCAA I-AA playoffs, 1990 NCAA I-AA playoffs, 1984 Fiesta Bowl, 1985 Rose Bowl, 1992 Aloha Bowl, 1995 Independence Bowl, 1996 Sun Bowl, 1997 Aloha Bowl, 2000 Florida Citrus Bowl, 2002 Outback Bowl, 2003 Fiesta Bowl, 2004 Fiesta Bowl, 2004 Fort Worth Bowl, 2007 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Capital One Bowl, 2010 Valero Alamo Bowl, 2011 Capital One Bowl, 2012 Outback Bowl, 2012 Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl.
Dantonio's Career Record - Head Coach
Overall Conference
Year
School W L Pct. W L Pct. Finish Bowl/Postseason
2004 Cincinnati 7 5 .583 5 3 .625 T-2nd Fort Worth Bowl
2005 Cincinnati 4 7 .364 2 5 .286 T-6th -
2006 Cincinnati 7 5 .583 4 3 .571 T-4th International Bowl*
2007 Michigan State 7 6 .538 3 5 .375 T-7th Champs Sports Bowl
2008 Michigan State 9 4 .692 6 2 .750 3rd Capital One Bowl
2009 Michigan State 6 7 .462 4 4 .500 T-6th Valero Alamo Bowl
2010 Michigan State 11 2 .846 7 1 .875 T-1st Capital One Bowl
2011 Michigan State 11 3 .786 7 1 .875 1st (Big Ten Legends) Outback Bowl
2012 Michigan State 7 6 .538 3 5 .875 4th (Big Ten Legends) Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl
Totals 69 45 .605 41 29 .586