Buzz and Al

[MUWarrior11]

"A team should be a extension of the coaches personality..my teams are obnoxious and arrogant." - Al McGuire

I don't care if he did a little dance. Go MU

[DCWarriors04]

Buzz is becoming Al Part 2

[Norm]

Buzz is becoming Al Part 2

Do you think Buzz will last as long as Al? I'm really liking Buzz, but he may knock himself out of coaching for health reasons if he's not careful.

[Norm]

Did Al ever apologize?

From Facebook tonight:

"My emotional response after the game was unprofessional & a poor representation of Marquette. I'm sorry to all involved." - Buzz Williams

[martyconlonontherun]

Al coached before the University president cared about the name Warriors...

Random question: Why did Al quit coaching? It seemed like he left abruptly. Was he getting forced out? Was money an issue? I'm young so I don't know the story or sequence but just looked up he was one of the highest paid coaches and they won the title that year. Just seems kind of weird he didn't come back.

[4everwarriors]

Do you think Buzz will last as long as Al? I'm really liking Buzz, but he may knock himself out of coaching for health reasons if he's not careful.

I'll get a hold of him about that smokeless tobacco thing.

[brewcity77]

Buzz mentioned in that interview on Milwaukee Mag that he's been working on improving his health, sleeping better, and avoiding an early grave after his trip to the Mayo Clinic.

I just hope he's here for 30+ years.

[tower912]

I can see him walking away as a relatively young man more easily than I can see him taking another job. 

[DoggyDaddy]

Al could have coached for as long as he wanted. He walked away to follow his own music. He announced it before the 1976-77 season that began with a good team but one Al did not consider his his best. 
No, I don't think he ever apologized for anything.
Buzz is like Al in that he also dances to his own music. He is charismatic like Al, and both love tough in-your-face defense. Buzz has now generated the love and respect from students and alums that only Al before him did.
Al, in heaven was dancing proudly with Buzz last night.     

[Gato78]

Al liked money. Coaches were being paid like crap at that time. He lined up a job at Medalist Industries where he would be "vice-chairman" and substantially more money. One of his quotes was that the kids he was coaching were the same age and hew was getting older.

[Silkk the Shaka]

They're both legends. End of story.

[dgies9156]

Al coached before the University president cared about the name Warriors...

Random question: Why did Al quit coaching? It seemed like he left abruptly. Was he getting forced out? Was money an issue? I'm young so I don't know the story or sequence but just looked up he was one of the highest paid coaches and they won the title that year. Just seems kind of weird he didn't come back.

The previous post on this is probably about 75% right. But there were two other factors that came out in the years since that probably were contributing issues. The first was that Quentin Quade, EVP Administration at the time, reportedly began nickeling and diming Al. Asking for receipts etc., of which Al was notoriously bad about keeping. Al got frustrated.

Secondly, this is total speculation but Marquette was at the time going through one of those, "gee why is the highest paid faculty/staff member the head basketball coach?" periods. There were a lot of professors who were talking unionization and arguing that the University's priorities were all mixed up. We were a "basketball school" to many rather than an institution of higher education. Totally bogus argument, but if I'm Al, do I want to be a part of this.

No Al never apologized about ANYTHING. Including dancing on a table as Old Man Hughes flipped him off right after we won a tight, very close game against Wisconsin. Old Man Hughes was the father of the Hughes Zombies, two 6'11" forwards who played for UW.

[Silkk the Shaka]

Does anyone else think Buzz's apology was simply to appease the outrageously uptight section of our fan base? I doubt he regrets it. I love seeing an actual personality pouring out of a coach like that. How could you NOT want to play your ass off for that guy?

[martyconlonontherun]

Does anyone else think Buzz's apology was simply to appease the outrageously uptight section of our fan base? I doubt he regrets it. I love seeing an actual personality pouring out of a coach like that. How could you NOT want to play your ass off for that guy?

Maybe I'm biased but you just get the feeling that Buzz is just a really weird weird guy and isn't ashamed of it. To me it was genuine excitement and honestly didn't realize what he was doing in eyes of the media. If it was another coach like Slick Rick who is always in control of image, I would think he was sticking it to the visiting fans. 

[Silkk the Shaka]

Maybe I'm biased but you just get the feeling that Buzz is just a really weird weird guy and isn't ashamed of it. To me it was genuine excitement and honestly didn't realize what he was doing in eyes of the media. If it was another coach like Slick Rick who is always in control of image, I would think he was sticking it to the visiting fans.  

Yes! It's called not caring about image and what the PC police think when you know your heart is in the right place. Nothing about his personality is manufactured, he's as genuine as they come. Plus, this is basketball, it's supposed to be ENTERTAINING. I think Buzz has the proper perspective on all this.

[79Warrior]

Al could have coached for as long as he wanted. He walked away to follow his own music. He announced it before the 1976-77 season that began with a good team but one Al did not consider his his best. 
No, I don't think he ever apologized for anything.
Buzz is like Al in that he also dances to his own music. He is charismatic like Al, and both love tough in-your-face defense. Buzz has now generated the love and respect from students and alums that only Al before him did.
Al, in heaven was dancing proudly with Buzz last night.     

My understanding was Al announced his retirement during the season.

[wadesworld]

Yes! It's called not caring about image and what the PC police think when you know your heart is in the right place. Nothing aboutto his personalityown is manufactured, he's asthe genuine as thety come. Plus, this is basketball, it's supposed to be ENTERTAINING. I think Buzz has the proper perspective on all this.

Starting early on a Saturday? 

[Silkk the Shaka]

Starting early on a Saturday? 

Ha!  Still going from last night!  That's what I get for typing too fast on my phone with auto-fill from bed.  I should probably go back to sleep now.

[4everwarriors]

Al could have coached for as long as he wanted. He walked away to follow his own music. He announced it before the 1976-77 season that began with a good team but one Al did not consider his his best. 
No, I don't think he ever apologized for anything.
Buzz is like Al in that he also dances to his own music. He is charismatic like Al, and both love tough in-your-face defense. Buzz has now generated the love and respect from students and alums that only Al before him did.
Al, in heaven was dancing proudly with Buzz last night.     

On the contare, Al gathered his team at the Clock Steakhouse on a Friday, in early December prior to a Saturday night game vs. Minnesota to inform them that the 76-77 season be his last. The Warriors then laid a turd and promptly lost to the Gophers. Remember it today like it was yesterday.

[Gato78]

The team reacted very oddly, as did AL, after the announcement. Al showed for fewer and fewer practices and the team somewhat resented him through the season. Many fans thought Al should just quit and let Hank run the team. They lost games they should not have lost, ending with Al's last home game at the Arena when we lost to a good Wichita State team. The fans booed the Warriors off the court. Bill Neary, controversial for starting all year, was booed on his senior night and he still resents it to this day. Of course, the title run followed and almost all was forgiven-I think Neary may still be pissed off but Neary is a stubborn guy. Best way to say it is that the AL years were CRAZY and SPECIAL and can never be duplicated in sports. The uniqueness can never be overstated. Buzz last night was nothing compared to Al. With Al there were fights at practice, at halftime; Lloyd Walton arguing with Al while dribbling the ball up court; Larry McNeil going into the stands to break up a fight with his wife during a game; Al telling Adolfph Rupp he couldn't call him "son" unless he was in his will; telling Rupp he won't show at his TV show unless he got paid; players arrested postgame; the fight at SOuth Carolina; Neary being escorted off court in South America with machine gun toting soldiers; Al telling the NCAA to F off for giving us a bad region and going to the NIT; Al getting Ts at key times including 2 in the 1974 Championship game. The list goes on and on and on. Truth is, vast majority of MU fans were supportive of Al and his schtick. Compare just this list with Buzz's 2 step and Buzz's 2 step is nothing.

[4everwarriors]

Brell not lookin' at the flag during the National Anthem in protest of the Vietnam War.

NCAA ruling Lackey ineligible for the NCAA Tourney and MU fightin' it and havin' it overturned.

Sugar sayin' he should play instead of Allie

Delman gettin' into it with Al

Dudley pissed off 'cause the brothers got all the pt

Al goin' off on the officials to the media after beatin' KSU in the Tourney




In summary,
You can't con a con man

[Goose]

I see one big similarity...the whole country is talking MU ball right now. The guys is nuts and the players are buying into it. Will say the dance is my favorite MU post game moment since Rick ate all the ribs in Louisville.

[nycwarrior]

After watching the clips of Buzz and Huggins talkin hoops with all of those good ole boys, I had the impression that Buzz genuinely admires Huggins as a coach.

Many of us see Huggins as the guy who graduated no one in a decade at Cinci. Buzz sees a tough guy from nothing who's won 700 games by preaching and teaching toughness. Beyond that professional admiration Buzz has stated several times that Huggins was kind to hi
when he was a nobody coaching juco.

All of this is to say that Buzz, in my opinion, would not want to show up Huggins or his school.

I believe Buzz was euphoric after winning a huge road game in which he also got to teach his team once again that they have to be accountable to each other and the team rules.

Beyond the team win Buzz was elated for Jae. Jae and Buzz have a special bond. Jae us the kind of tough kid Buzz loves. He just saw that kid CARRY his team with 40 minutes of absolute grit. And he did it with the spotlight of ESPN's national audience tuning in to see West Virginia's BE POY front runner. Buzz and Jae were in a long, drippingly sweaty hug as everyone else drifted off the court.

At the moment his red neck ears hear "Country Road." and he responded naturally, honestly, earnestly, joyfully. It was as honest as honest gets.

That said, I think the apology was sincere and justified. Buzz did something that many would consider a taunt. And he did it on the floor of a Hall of Fame coach he respects. In Buzz's coach-centric world, that's an infraction of the code.

To top it off, he did it while representing a university who's mission he discusses at length publicly and immediately after publicly holding his players accountable for breaking a team rule.

I'm not embarrassed by what Buzz did but, knowing who he is, I'm not surprised that he is.

[MUMac]

NYCWarrior, that was an excellent post.  Sums it up much the way I see it.  Buzz is a passionate and emotional coach.  He let's his emotions come out at times.  Most coaches do.  Most though, let the negative emotions show.  The screaming, ranting, raving ...  Buzz let's the excitement, the passion come through.  I love seeing him show that for his team.

[jesmu84]

NYCWarrior, that was an excellent post.  Sums it up much the way I see it.  Buzz is a passionate and emotional coach.  He let's his emotions come out at times.  Most coaches do.  Most though, let the negative emotions show.  The screaming, ranting, raving ...  Buzz let's the excitement, the passion come through.  I love seeing him show that for his team.

Totally agree. Though, I'm pretty sure at one point in the second half last night I saw him scream "Shut the f*** up and play" to one of our guys on the floor