There was no portal free agency at the time, but Hayden Fry took a similar mindset with him when he arrived in Iowa City. And some of you surely will remember that, after Iowa played well but lost in Hayden's first season in Iowa City, he said, "The first player I see smile will get busted in the face." Rather strong words, eh? LOL
What Hayden was saying was that, after 20 years of losing, the first thing you have to win is the attitude battle. Losers think like losers, and you don't play the game just to look good and come close. You play to win, but before you can win, you have to think like a winner. Did anyone, including the players, really believe Hayden was going to punch players in the face?
So many people just don't get what leadership, in any context, is all about. Which is why we find so many poor "leaders" in leadership positions in every phase of human endeavor.
Hayden Fry was a great leader. Deion Sanders is a great leader. Fry built a nationally respected football program in a place where almost no one thought he could. Sanders will do the same. This is just the beginning. Which is why I wish Sanders were doing his thing in Iowa City instead of Boulder.