SIX DEGREES OF COACHING CHANGES FOR 2011

A few years ago I created a flow-chart called “Six Degrees of Paris Hilton”, through which I linked over 60 people together based on sexual escapades with Hilton at the center (although I must also give major credit to Tara Reid as well, who’s link to Hilton through former Australian tennis player Mark Philippoussis proved invaluable).  This time I’ve decided to play my six degrees game with college football coaches.   With 21 head coaching changes this season in College Football’s FBS Division, these men have almost as many connections to different football teams as Kim Kardashian does.

Let’s start in Texas where defensive coordinator Will Muschamp leaves to go to Florida as their new head coach. At the same time, Florida’s offensive coordinator Steve Addazio leaves to take over as head coach at Temple in place of Al Golden.  Golden leaves Temple to take the head coaching position at the University of Miami.

But before Addazio even went to Florida, he was the offensive coordinator at Indiana, where new head coach Kevin Wilson has landed after leaving his offensive coordinator position at Oklahoma.  Prior to that, he held the same position at Northwestern and Miami (Ohio).  Speaking of Miami (Ohio), it is now the home of head coach Don Treadwell, who takes a promotion from his previous job as offensive coordinator at Michigan State.  And before that, Treadwell held that same position at Cincinnati and at Ball State.  Ball State once was the head coaching home for Brady Hoke before he went to San Diego State.  Now he leaves San Diego State for a new office at Michigan, where he accepted the head coaching position to replace Rich Rodriguez (who had come over from West Virginia).  The head coach opening Hoke left at San Diego State is filled by former New Mexico head coach Rocky Long.

And we’re not done with Temple yet, where George DeLeone’s previous college stint was as offensive coordinator.  He now takes that same position at Connecticut under new head coach Paul Pasqualoni.  This is a reunion for the two as DeLeone served as Pasqualoni’s offensive coordinator back in the day at Syracuse.  Pasqualoni replaces Randy Edsall, who became the Maryland head coach (replacing Ralph Friedgen).  As he comes in, Maryland offensive coordinator James Franklin moves out to Vanderbilt to take the position as their head coach there (replacing Robbie Caldwell).

I could probably find a way to tie all 120 FBS head coaches together utilizing their coordinators, especially with an assistance from schools like Valdosta State where both Will Muschamp and new West Virginia offensive coordinator (and head coach in waiting) Dana Holgorsen both coached.  West Virginia used to be the home for Todd Graham as a defensive coordinator before he became the head coach at Rice and then Tulsa.  But now he leaves Tulsa for the Pittsburgh head coaching position, where he replaces Dave Wanndstedt, who used to be the defensive coordinator of the Miami Hurricanes (not to be confused with his position in the NFL as DC and then head coach of the Miami Dolphins).  Then there’s Wisconsin‘s offensive coordinator Dave Doeren who leaves to become the head coach at Northern Illinois to replace Jerry Kill, who leaves to become the head coach at Minnesota, where he replaces Tim Brewster.

So when the broadcasters allude to the fact that two coaches worked together at a school or worked for the same program at some point, just realize how obvious a statement it is.  As in Hollywood, in college football, many guys have shared the same “office”, whether directly or through six degrees of separation.  I just hope they change the chairs.