Religion and Recruiting

So do you think we’re getting these guys because they want to play for a Jewish coach?

 

I don’t know why I find myself staring at that cross.

 

Bowden (rip) and Dabo are definitely hypocrites with the way they taut Christianity while supporting corruption and bad behavior. Reminds me of a certain political party.

 

Depends on the religion, I suppose. I have found it ironic that for a school in the South, the best recruiting head coaches we have had in both football and basketball are Catholic

 

Great question in a changing college football landscape:

B4 Covid:

Notre Dame
BC
Brigham Young

and numerous other schools had a recruiting advantage (IMO) when recruiting christian athletes. Especially Notre Dame, whom for decades, they had the entire Catholic H.S. football universe locked up.

As far as coaches go, bringing discipline is one thing, requiring players to go to their church and adhere to their religon is entirely another. Out of bounds, descriminatory and should be made illegal.

last I checked UF was not a "religous" academic institute, it's a public land grant university. Should be ZERO religous pressure.

 

Catholics like big families and may have an inherent advantage in networking!

 

You are making lots of assumptions. Almost going out of your way to find something else to bang on Napier about.

I am a Christian. In all my years of hiring people, never once did religion come up in the process. Just be a good person and be good at what you do. If anything as a Christian, the opportunity to lead someone who may not be is a tenet of the faith.

 

Hope it isn’t a factor in basketball since our coach isn’t Christian.

 

Well if you are expecting a Christian to never say a profane word in the heat of a difficult moment than you have the wrong expectation. Check me off your list too.

I know Bowden had other areas of concern, but blurting a stress induced wirty dord isnt one of them.

 

Many of the Christian "discipline" and "behavioral control" concepts probably go hand in hand with playing football for young men of that age, personally speaking I was never comfortable, as a H.S. athlete, joining the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. So I didn't. It was run by SBC influenced folk. I wasn't a Baptist.

I have no issue with Napier's christianity, or any other coach, as long as they are not "grooming" or "force feeding" that doctrine on players.They are being paid millions to coach football, not teach religous dogma.

I absolutely love and admire Tim Tebow and Danny W but UF is not Bob Jones University. it's a secular institution.And as I recall there are a TON of non Christians that attend UF, particularily those of the Jewish faith.

I know if I was a recruit or a player I would tell the staff real quick what my beliefs were, that I attended UF to "get an education" and I would practice religon (or lack thereof) on my own time.

The wrong response to that, should a coach give it, could cause Napier and the University alot of grief. Hopefully it will be a non-issue.

 

My guess is he, like most of us that practice our faith, hires based on core principles that are grounded in his faith. Integrity, honesty, hard work, fairness, excellence etc. I would assume sharing his faith is not an actual requirement, but upholding his faiths basic principles probably are a requirement.

 

Reminds me of Matthew 23 1-7
“Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples: 2 “The teachers of the law and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. 3 So you must be careful to do everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.4 They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

5 “Everything they do is done for people to see: They make their phylacteries wide and the tassels on their garments long;6 they love the place of honor at banquets and the most important seats in the synagogues; 7 they love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and to be called ‘Rabbi’ by others.”

 

Bobby Bowden -

His, is not an 'easy" life to define for Gator fans.

First, to be fair, Bowden, by all accounts was a fine man, arguably a great man, especially in his community.

I also believe he was serious about his faith.

Having said that, in his profession, I have NO DOUBT he was tempted to make decisions guided by non christian principals
when the rubber met the road, in recruiting.

His was the fate of every rich man, hard to get that Bowden body through the eye of the needle.

For me, his life is more defined by his outreach to Marshall when the plane crash happened and his committment to University and Friends.

He was a good man, but like most, if not all good men, the temptations of the devil do not always go unheeded.

RIP coach Bobby.

 

And how many Nattys have teams north of the mason dixon line won in the past 20 years? Maybe 2 and they were both Ohio State.
I think that even what people call "inner city kids" from the south are more religious than others. I don't have any issue with it but do believe it has a big impact on getting the right players if the coaching staff at least plays lip service to being religious. Particularly in the south.

 

HBC Billy Napierstein, refuses to coach/recruit on Saturdays because he's shomer shabbat

 

We will only play our games after sundown!!

 

Don’t think we’re losing any. Jewish basketball coaches (and players) are more prevalent than Jewish football coaches.