In a vivid story Coach Gene Chizik reveals his secret intention to make a mess of things. He points to the powerful emotions behind his success sabotage: fear, guilt, and self-idealization.
We pause for a brief review of the way we listen for the secret story.
Riding a phenomenal wave of success after leading Auburn to a 2010 national championship, Coach Gene Chizik started to show chinks in his armor. A shocking armed robbery by four players, writing a self-centered book, and loosening the reins of discipline all reflected Chizik’s difficulty handling sudden unexpected success beyond his wildest dreams. A key story in a Chizik speech at the beginning of the 2011 season revealed the huge burden of success which would prove too heavy for him to carry. Former Auburn Coach Pat Dye and the great Bear Bryant revealed the powerful danger associated with success in the back of our minds.
Auburn star Michael Dyer–MVP of the 2010 national championship game as a freshman running back — reveals how difficult and overwhelming the burden of early success can be. Dyer struggled through his sophomore year before completely caving into the pressure with his behavior resulting in being kicked off of two teams. He serves as a proxy for Auburn coach Gene Chizik who likewise could not handle his own early unexpected success, winning the championship in his second year as an SEC coach.
From ‘All In to All Out’
As college football prepares to begin its bowl season, a major player on the scholastic gridiron stunned its faithful fans by sabotaging its long-held tradition of success. The performance of the 2012 Auburn University football team represented an unprecedented collapse of historic proportions. No other former national champion has fallen so far so fast. Two short years after winning it all, Auburn posted the worst record ever for a former champion. The team lost nine of its 12 games.
@2023 Andrew G. Hodges
