It’s been a lot of fun watching former small college football players enjoy coaching success at the large college level. This trend makes sense to me. I mean, small colleges produce some of the best lawyers, doctors, educators, and public servants in the country. Wouldn’t that hold true for coaching as well? Spoiler: it does, and large colleges are finally figuring that out.
Texas Longhorn coach Tom Herman was a small college player at Division 3 Cal Lutheran in the 1990s. You may remember Herman as the kid who got his start as a wide receiver coach at D3 Texas Lutheran. Herman tried to guide his Yellow Jackets to a victory over David Norman’s Austin College Kangaroos in Sherman in 1998, but came up short. Go Roos.
Herman was just a freshman on the Cal Lutheran team when he hosted a high school kid in his dorm on a recruiting trip. That 18-year old linebacker liked the weekend so much that he enrolled one year later and became Herman’s teammate and roommate. His name was Dave Aranda, and earlier this month he was tapped as the head coach of Longhorn rival Baylor. Back in the 1990s, Herman and Aranda might as well have been two Roos in Luckett Hall playing for Coach Larry Kramer.
Over the past two decades, Aranda has proven to be one of the top defensive minds in the country. Just ask LSU fans; Aranda helped the Tigers to a national title just weeks ago. Now, he’ll be joined by one of the top offensive minds. Austin College Kangaroo Larry Fedora is headed back to the coaching ranks, leaving Tom Herman’s staff to become Aranda’s offensive coordinator. For Fedora, it will be his second trip to Waco. The Roo got his collegiate coaching start under Baylor legend Grant Teaff in the 90s.
You know Grant Teaff right? The Hall of Fame coach at Baylor who himself was a small college football player? Teaff also made his way to Sherman to face the Roos on the gridiron in 1950s before jumping into the big college coaching ranks. Same as if ever was. Small college player, large college coach. Those small college players may have D3 speed & size, but their coaching minds are a solid D1.
There are only two colleges in Texas which truly trace their origin to the antebellum period. One is Baylor (1845), and the other is Austin College (1849). If you like the history of these two Texas institutions and are excited that Roo Larry Fedora is headed back to Baylor, then there are three Baylor Roo Tales which are required reading. See the comments.
Remember Roos: when you travel to McLane Stadium to watch Coach Fedora and the Bears, you’ll see a “1924 Southwest Conference champions” sign within. The 1924 Baylor Bears did not lose a single conference game, but did lose to a non-conference opponent: the Austin College Kangaroos. It was the last time the two schools ever faced each other.
As of 2020, Baylor has yet to request a rematch.
Many news sources to choose from this afternoon. ESPN, CBS, Yahoo, 247sports. But I think I’ll go with kbtx.com. The voice of College Station and the fightin’ A&M Consolidated Tigers.Sic ‘em Bears, and good luck Larry.
