The Fall of Auburn

A step down in what context? Compensation? Prestige? Challenge? It seems to me that he has gone from training swimmers to compete on a national stage to training them to compete on a worldwide stage. In that respect, he has taken a step up. IMHO of course. There are very few elite colleges that do not also have age group and/or masters teams operating under the umbrella of the head coach....Texas, ASU, U of A, etc. etc....now I haven't bothered to look and see if Auburn did as well but I'd be very surprised if it didn't.... So in addition to training the incredible world talent of swimmers on Auburns college team (many who would train with him year around), the possiblity of having talent in an age group program, potential income from masters, don't forget about the swim camps being held. I again would ask anyone who disagrees with this to ask a dozen club coaches if they would rather coach at Auburn or coach a club team...and get back to me. There is NOTHING in the world like top level Div I coaching...except for some pro sports jobs and look how many elite college football/basketball coaches go back and forth.

And by the way you mentioned earlier that you knew of coaches having inappropriate relationships with athletes but that you were far above ever bringing something like that up speaks volumes about you (talking about Mitch?)...John got assassinated on these forums because he provided a link to a story about an accused coach in Ohio....as if a person with credentials and achievements as a coach should be given a "pass" or never "judged" or investigated...or God forbid discussed on a swimming forum because simply doing that means your accusing/attacking someone!!! Huh? I said that I heard rumors as a swimmer. I never "knew'' anything. Which is precisely why I would never post names and rumors on a message board. To do so would be irresponsible, IMO. That was my point. As for censorship--see my most recent post. Blather away all you like but don't expect everyone to agree. As I recall, your original statement was that you knew the MAC job was a step down. You were quite certain, in fact. I just want your facts to back up such a bold statement. And, wherever Marsh ends up is his and his family's decision. Unless, of course, they decide to take a poll first with college and USS coaches to make sure they don't dare do anything out of the ordinary...

I'm deleting my post. This is a pointless thread with no substantive value, other than gossip value.

sit in the MAC parking lot and watch the kids come and go, all smiling, like I just did today Creepy. Were you in a van with "Free Candy" spray painted on the side?

Marsh's various accomplishments: NCAA Women's Coach of the Year: '01, '02, '03 NCAA Men's Coach of the Year: '94, '97, '99, '03, '03, '04 SEC Men's Coach of the Year: '92, '93, '97 (co-coach), '98, '99, '01, '03, '04 , '05, '06 SEC Women's Coach of the Year: '93 (co-coach), '02, '03 Knoxville News-Sentinel Men's Coach of the Year: '93, '95, '98, '99, '01, '03, '04 , '05 Knoxville News-Sentinel Women's Coach of the Year: '92, '93, '03 "Inside the Auburn Tigers" Coach of the Year: '93, '96, '97, '03, '04 •Coached 1,312 All-Americans •Coached 40 NCAA Individual Titles •Coached 25 NCAA Relay Titles •Coached 178 Individual SEC Champions •Coached 52 SEC Relay Champions Internationally •Coached 52 athletes that won medals in 90 events •2004 Olympics had total of 12 Auburn Athletes Coached total of 22 Olympians •2006 United States Sports Academy Distinguished Service Award recipient •2005 Walter Gilbert Award recipient •2005 USA World Championships Assistant Men's Coach •2003 & 2005 USA Men's Mutual of Omaha Duel in the Pool Head Coach •2003 USA World Championship Head Coach •2000 USA Men's Olympic Team Assistant Coach •1999 USA Men's Pan-Pacific Team Assistant Coach •1996 USA Men's Olympic Team Assistant Coach •1995 USA Men's Pan-Pacific Team Head Coach •1994 USA World Championships Assistant Women's Coach •2003 & 1999 National Collegiate and Scholastic Swimming Trophy You think that not going for a sixth consecutive (men's, I assume) NCAA championship means he left in a scandal? That's very weak, indeed. He has accomplished quite a lot and, perhaps, that one thing might not have meant quite as much to him as it obviously does to you. He has a family. He has done more at Auburn than many coaches have done at any school. What if he had other plans? Why are you so very keen on assuming there is some conspiracy here? Again, I assert that your enthusiasm in posting about Marsh's "scandalous" behavior is nothing but gutless gossip. Either have the guts to be specific or shut up. You keep saying you brought up the point to find out if others agree but I see no one agreeing with you here. Your comparison with Eddie leaving an Olympic coaching position to coach "geeks at a swim club" is pathetic. Try again. Or, better yet, get educated about what kind of position Marsh holds at MAC. Damn! :applaud: :bow: I can't wait to see what happens when somebody makes some unsubstantiated claims about Natalie Coughlin (I'm sure it's just a matter of time around here)!

Creepy. Were you in a van with "Free Candy" spray painted on the side? Funny stuff - was there picking up my kid, and no others!

And I agree with Paul on one thing for sure......that IS a dream coaching job! Why walk away at the top of the game? If it was for family....I applaud his decision.....and would support that decision in every way possible. Just my :2cents: again. I can think of a couple of college football coaches who had dream jobs and walked away at near the top of the game. Spurrier and Jimmy Johnson. Johnson was at least very successful in the professional game, Spurrier, not so much. But you could argue that Florida was one of the top notch programs in the nation when Spurrier stepped down.

Amy: Mr. Smith is a good guy and a pretty stand up guy. He raised a question, but I did not feel it was that out of bounds. Perhaps if we all stand back here, everyone can see each others posts for what they are; simple questions that are a natural progression given the facts that Coach Marsh left one position for another position that we do not normally see in college swimming at his level. No one assassinated his character or moral fiber----

... just my :2cents: - YMMV... I don't know Marsh at all, but as a college swimmer I did encounter many quality college coaches over the years, some of which had less than stellar personal reputations. Only a few ever left or lost their jobs because of it... I also had the good fortune to swim for a quality program and a first-class coach (yeah, Nort!), and I could see - even back in the 1980s - the pressure that recruiting puts on the coach every season. I can only assume that it has gotten worse over the years. I personally cannot imagine "selling" your program to high schoolers and foreigners being chased by many other equally attractive schools, year after year after year. Perhaps it wore on him? Of course, nothing compares to dealing with age-group club parents, so perhaps we'll see him back at a college program in a few years.

Amy: Point taken-- Geek did an excellent job explaining the depth, size, quality, prestige and opportunities that exist at the MAC. No one can rightfully demean a program like that. Swimming history tells us that for a Div.1 NCAA college coach with multiple National Championships under his belt to accept a position with a USA Swimming Club it “could” honestly be conceived as a step down. Again, I am not implying it is/was a step down; I am simply saying that it is very, very rare. That unto itself raised a question in my mind when I initially heard Marsh left AU for the MAC. I simply never saw anything quite like that before and my reaction was, “Gosh, what’s this all about.” I was honestly surprised----