In 2006, there was a high school football coach in Springdale, Arkansas by the name of Gus Malzahn, who, like many coaches, dreamed of being in the big time.
Understand that there are few college coaches who have moved from the high school level directly into a position of head coach at a Division I school. A high percentage of coaches in any sport at a collegiate level earn their position as head coach from advancing from a former college player to an assistant while maintaining aspirations for future advancement.
For a high school coach, it might require him or her to quit their scholastic position and start at the bottom with hopes of moving into the ranks as a possible assistant coach. The latter, is a more accurate journey for Auburn’s Gus Malzahn.
Here is a brief biography on Malzahn’s coaching career. From the high school ranks of Springdale, he was recruited as a package deal with two of his high school athletes to the University of Arkansas in 2006, where he became the offensive coordinator. After a year, his two former high school players transferred from Arkansas. That same year, Malzahn, moved to Tulsa University in Oklahoma, where he became the offensive coordinator for 2007-2008.
In 2009, he took a position at Auburn University as offensive coordinator for the Tigers and 3 years later, in 2012, he became the head coach at Arkansas State, where his team went 9-3. As fate would have it, in 2012, Auburn fired their head coach, Gene Chizik, who had won the NCAA national championship in 2010 followed by two dismal years.
Auburn focused on getting Malzahn back, but this time as head coach and he, of course, moved back to the school as its new coach.
At Auburn University, Coach Malzahn and his team upset and shocked the former No. 1 team in the nation, Alabama’s Crimson Tide, coached by the legendary Nick Saban. What does fate mean? Fate has defined itself to Malzahn. Auburn’s last two regular season games had amazing finishes, with fictional type endings.
The big upset of Alabama was during the NCAA’s rivalry week, with the Tigers 100-plus yard touchdown (unofficially 109 yards) by Cornerback Chris Davis. The touchdown return came off of a missed 57-yard field goal attempt by Alabama with just one second left in the game.
The previous week, Auburn defeated the University of Georgia Bulldogs, in the last 33 seconds, on a deflected pass reception by Ricardo Louis to win the game.
Against Georgia, the Auburn Tigers were behind 38-37. It was fourth and 18 from their own 27-yard line that resulted in a 73-yard miracle deflected pass for a Tiger touchdown.
Like Yogi Berra once said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”
My question is, “How many miracles do you get in a lifetime?”
After last weekend, the Tigers are now the reigning SEC Champions, defeating No. 5 Missouri, in a high scoring game of the SEC Championship, 59-42. Continuing the making of a story about a miracle season, last weekend No. 2 Ohio State, with 24 consecutive wins over two seasons, lost to Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship game, 34-24.
The developing miracle continues for Auburn and Malzahn, as they prepare to take on No. 1 Florida State in the 2014 BCS National Championship Game in Pasadena, California, on January 6. This will be Auburn’s second BCS Championship appearance in four years.
Gus Malzahn and his Auburn Tigers have given the NCAA one of the greatest years in college football that I can remember. I hope the game on January 6 has the excitement of what has happened over the last couple weekends.
This year, the game of college football has all of the hype and excitement that it promises. Part of the hype is what a former high school football coach has done in his career by living the dream—a dream of miracles and a dream come true.
I am looking forward to the BCS title game from Pasadena, and I wish Coach Malzahn the best. Florida State is an awesome team, but in a one-game championship, anything can happen. Who knows, the miracle may not be over for Auburn and its coach.
To FSU: beware of the “Eye of the Tiger” and a team that might be guided from above!
