Ex-coaches tuning into talk radio gigs

Posted 5:22PM on Saturday 23rd July 2005 ( 19 years ago )

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) Wimp Sanderson and Sonny Smith have adopted their own formula for talk radio: A feel-good, banter-filled show geared more toward chuckles than heckles. If Arlen from Alabaster wants to vent about his team's coach, he'll have to dial another show. ``We don't coach peoples' teams and we don't criticize coaches,'' said Sanderson. In other words, the two former college basketball coaches are part of a growing, coach-friendly environment in radio sports talk, long a verbal thorn in coaches' sides. It's sort of a sleeping-with-the-enemy trend: ex-coaches turning to talk radio after almost certainly absorbing plenty of bashing and second-guessing by anonymous callers and hosts on those programs. Sanderson coached at Alabama and Arkansas-Little Rock, Smith at Auburn and Virginia Commonwealth before trading the bench for the broadcast booth with their popular Birmingham morning show on WJOX five years ago. But around the South, you can also dial up others: Jackie Sherrill sat out last season after retiring from Mississippi State and a lengthy football coaching career. Now, he's hosting a regional show covering the Big 12 Conference based in Memphis, Tenn. In Louisville, former Kentucky coach Joe B. Hall and ex-Louisville coach Denny Crum team up for the ``Joe B. and Denny Show,'' a la Sanderson and Smith. Former Auburn football coach Terry Bowden hosts a daily show in Florida and is a television studio analyst for ABC. High-profile coaches typically bring two qualities to talk radio: access to their former peers and name recognition. ``Jackie picks up the phone and calls up (Oklahoma football coach) Bob Stoops and says, 'Bobby, how's it going?' Jackie Sherrill knows everybody,'' said Steve Signaigo, president of Division I Sports, which airs Sherrill's show on some two dozen affiliates in seven states. But coaches are more likely to avoid touchy topics or controversial issues during interviews with their one-time colleagues than career talk show hosts. That's good for the coaching guests, but not necessarily for listeners accustomed to more aggressive styles in their radio shows. ``My problem with ex-coaches is they really never say anything,'' said Paul Finebaum, host of a syndicated afternoon show based out of Birmingham. ``They get their friends on and talk about yesteryear and the good old days and don't offer much analysis or insight.'' Still, during football season Finebaum has weekly segments with at least four former coaches Alabama's Gene Stallings, Auburn's Pat Dye, Georgia's Jim Donnan and former Auburn and Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Oliver. The coaches are paid for their appearances by their respective sponsors, Finebaum said. Bowden, who hosts a show airing in Orlando, Melbourne and Tampa, Fla., said coaches who want to expand beyond local markets have to learn not to be so chummy at times. ``You have to remove yourself from the fraternity somewhat if you're going to be good at it,'' Bowden said. ``You don't have to be mean-spirited but you have to be critical in your analysis.'' The chatty, easygoing approach, along with familiarity with the host, does have one thing in its favor: It makes coaches more willing to come on the show. That's particularly true for coaches like Mack Brown of Texas, who get inundated with requests for appearances. ``Usually, if it's a former coach, Mack will do it,'' said Bill Little, special assistant to the head coach for communications. For instance, ``Jackie is a person he respects and certainly he will do his show,'' Little said. On the other hand, because of an already packed schedule, if it's a show hosted by ``Red Dog from Salado, he's probably not going to go on there.'' Sanderson said the treatment he and Smith give coaches is an asset for the show, and the listeners seem to appreciate it, too. ``Coaches don't mind coming on our show,'' he said. ``We ask them good questions and they also know that we know what we're talking about and that we're not going to get into controversial stuff. ``It's gone over much better than we'd ever dreamed.'' However, not every ex-coach fits in so seamlessly in talk radio. Signaigo has had several host shows with mixed results. Some came in expecting a cushy job, others didn't cope so well with no longer being the Big Man on Campus. ``Some of them are temperamental so you've got to kind of watch out,'' said Signaigo, adding that Sherrill has had neither problem. Current Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville said his former colleagues often try talk radio because they can't get away from the game completely. ``It's hard to give it up cold turkey,'' Tuberville said. ``It's kind of like smoking, I guess. ``I think people like to hear them. It doesn't usually last for long. The first couple of years, most successful coaches are pretty hot commodities.'' Bowden offers one important reminder for coaches venturing into talk radio: keep the listeners entertained. ``It's just entertainment. This is not real journalism,'' he said. ``Talk radio is entertainment.'' (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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