Sports

Gene Chizik Fights Back and Wins Respect in Alabama

by Amy Judd | October 10, 2009 at 09:48 am

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Gene Chizik commands a very different opinion these days from those who once wanted him out so badly they would have chased him with pitchforks.

Auburn was questioned widely as to why they had hired Gene Chizik who had a 5-9 record at Iowa State, and they were called racist by Charles Barkley for not hiring Turner Gill for their basketball team.

However, just 10 months later, Auburn has a 5-0 under Gene Chizik who has now won the football fans' trust. The Tigers are number 17 going in to their game today at Arkansas.

Sitting on a bookshelf in Chizik’s office is a carving in block letters that says “Believe.” He said he did not put the sign there this week.

“Those things don’t shake me, that’s not how I live my life,” Chizik said of the firestorm over his hiring. “I am who I am every day. As I’ve said a thousand times, I don’t get validation from the outside world. That’s not how I work.”

Gene Chizik has an 18 game winning streak at Auburn, and although some feel that this is a mirage, no one wants to spoil the fun just yet.

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Hugh Askew

at 16:10 on October 12th, 2009

Turner Gill is a football coach (currently at Buffalo). Auburn got beat on Saturday (44-23). Chizik didn't win a single game last year in the Big 12, and this is his first year as head coach at Auburn - how is it possible to have an 18 game win streak?

Other than that, i liked the article, and always liked Chizik when he was at Iowa State ( a brutal job).