There’s no other way to say it: Jim Grobe is a home-run hire for Baylor.
Make no mistake about it, Grobe is just what the doctor ordered for both the football program and the university. A man of unquestioned integrity, many of Grobe’s former players loved playing for him because he cared about their development as both a student and an athlete. He’s also known as a coach that does things the right way, a sentiment he echoed in his introductory statement:
“As a coach, winning is important. At the same time, I want to assure the Baylor family that every decision we will make in this football program will be made with Baylor University, her students, and our student-athletes in mind.”
That’s quite a contrast from the win-at-all-costs attitude the Baylor Board of Regents Findings of Fact described last week.
Of course, Grobe’s hiring will also benefit the football program on the field as well. Sure, his career record is only 110-115-1, but those numbers don’t tell the whole story. The fact is that Grobe has succeeded everywhere that he’s been. Inheriting an Ohio program that had posted only two winning records since 1980, he turned the Bobcats into a consistent contender in the Mid-American Conference, guiding them to winning league records in five of his six seasons there. He did the same at Wake Forest, taking a Demon Deacon team that was perennial doormat in the ACC and leading it to five bowl games in his 13-year tenure.
If the last sentence doesn’t impress you, consider this: Wake Forest had been to only five bowl games in the 92 seasons prior to his arrival.
It’s tough to argue with those results, especially when you consider that both Jim Caldwell and John Mackovic were only able to guide the Deacons to one bowl game each.
Of course, the most interesting part about this hire is that it’s the first time Grobe has had a ton of talent to work with. Unlike the rebuilding situations he faced at Ohio and Wake Forest, Grobe inherits what some experts thought would be a top-10 team this year. As someone who’s made a career out of taking lesser talented squads and beating the big boys, it’ll be interesting to see what he can do with players that are as good — if not better — than the competition.
Prediction: the Bears will take the interim tag off Grobe before the end of the 2016 season. The end result, both on and off the field, would warrant such a promotion.
