Sports Blog
Check out the sports blog, where the State News sports staff will discuss everything from Spartan to professional athletics on a daily basis.
Check out the Sports Podcast for more from the sports desk.
Recent posts
-
Early men's hoops awards
With my term coming to an end as an MSU men’s basketball beat reporter since the spring, I can’t help but still feel connected to the team.
-
Appreciating the great camera work
So after the blizzard that struck during the attempted second half of Sunday’s field hockey game, I have an extra appreciation for what our camera people do.
-
Fantasy football, week 11
Well, it looks like I struggled with last week’s picks as Greg Camarillo had four catches and Willis McGahee busted out from his slump. Oh well, I went 1-1, so I’m back at it again.
Goodbye, Millen!
Where were you when you heard the news?
I was driving to class around 10 a.m., flipping through the morning news stations, when a loud, distorted voice emerged from my speakers.
The jubilant, celebratory tone in his voice was distinguishable, but I had trouble making out the words he was saying.
Finally, I heard the words “fire” and “Millen” grouped in the same sentence. Not a chance, I thought. Moments later, a call from my friend confirmed the news I thought I’d never hear.
“The Lions fired Millen!” he screamed. “They actually fired Millen.”
Short of hearing the words “The Detroit Lions have won the Super Bowl,” there’s no better-sounding sentence a Lions fan could have heard. Apparently, the legions of Lions fans and Millen haters who honked their horns while driving past Lions headquarters in Allen Park felt the same way.
Millen’s termination caps what will forever be remembered as the worst seven-year tenure in Detroit sports history. He finished his career 31-84 overall, including 0-3 this season, and was incapable of building a playoff-caliber team in a league that celebrates its parity more than any other professional sport.
In a matter of years, his failures metastasized from locally frustrating to nationally humiliating. National pundits and columnists took shots at him whenever they could, as Millen became a poster boy of sorts for people who could get away with murder and still hold onto their jobs.
But Millen will be remembered for more than his losing ways — he’ll be remembered for the way he lost:
He was stubborn: Always one to dissent from public opinion, Millen drafted wide receivers in the first round three straight seasons (2003-05) and drafted another in 2007. Only two of those receivers, Calvin Johnson and Roy Williams, remain in the league.
He was arrogant: During two coaching searches, he failed to comply with league rules that mandate team officials to interview minority coaching candidates. He only conducted a legitimate coaching search once — when he hired current head coach Rod Marinelli.
He was brash: In 2003, he called one of his former players, wide receiver Johnnie Morton, a “faggot” following an altercation after a game against Kansas City. Another year, he stole headlines by alleging that one of his players was a “Cowardly Lion.”
Millen has no one to blame but himself for failing in Detroit. He was given more chances than any man in his capacity deserves, he was employed under an owner who didn’t breathe down the back of his neck and he had all the financial resources he needed to build a winner.
Apparently, it took William Clay Ford seven years to realize that.
Comments
word
09/24/08 @ 5:51pm
I was coming out of class at Berkey, walking to my bike when my girlfriend called and told me. I thought it was some sort of a sick joke at first, but then I realized it wasn’t and it was awesome.
word
09/24/08 @ 5:52pm
I was coming out of class at Berkey, walking to my bike when my girlfriend called and told me. I thought it was some sort of a sick joke at first, but then I realized it wasn’t and it was awesome.
Happy
09/26/08 @ 12:03pm
Millen’s a fool. Good riddance