DoubleJayAlum wrote:TheShock wrote:Marshall fits the WSU fan base perfectly.
Of that there can be no doubt. In fact, it often seems as if WSU decided to hire one of the more infamous WSU posters from the old VAlleyTalk in selecting its coach.
What will be interesting to see is if WSU fans feel the same way when he leaves someday.
Just because we choose to support our coach doesn’t make us bad people. Yes, we have idiot fans like everyone else. We also have some of the most knowledgeable and passionate fans in the country. Our fan base might be one of the oldest in the Valley (damn, we have a lot of gray hairs) with people like myself that remember the great teams of the 50’s and 60’s and playing in the top rated conference in American. Like it or not, we are proud of our history and we are passionate about Wichita State basketball. Yes, many of us have been raised with a ‘chip’ on our shoulder.
Unlike Creighton, Wichita State fans live in a state where we’re considered the 3rd best institution and are often treated like the ‘red headed’ step child by fans and also the state legislature. We’re consistently put down by our Big 12 brethren. We were even put down when we were cut and dried better than either one of them. I can’t tell you how much crap I’ve received from KU and K-State fans the past 50+ years. Right or wrong, over a period of time it starts to wear on a person. Wichita State is considered the villain by many fans in the Missouri Valley Conference. No doubt the probation period of the early 80’s added to our villain reputation. That’s OK, every league needs a villain. We carry the Rodney Dangerfield, “I just can’t get any respect” mantra.
Wichita State was also one of the first institutions to recruit and play black players. That also fueled our ‘bad boy’ reputation in the 50’s, 60’s and early 70’s. There are some unbelievable stories during that era surrounding Shocker basketball. Wichita State started a second half against Louisville (at Louisville) with 5 black players. If I recall correctly, this was a year before Texas Western (now UTEP) started 5 black players and won the national championship. As you can imagine, we were hated by a lot of people for this practice.
I do think it’s time to move on from this topic. Yes, coach Marshall lost some respect this weekend. In the heat of the moment he over reacted. He has a personality that some people will always love to hate. I respect all Valley fans, even you DoubleJayAlum. We get it… we all understand that you don’t like coach Marshall and his antics. We also know you’re not too fond of the City of Wichita or Wichita State in general. You’ve made that perfectly clear. I choose to look at his success (the body of work) and the type of players he brings to my alma mater. I can’t tell you how proud I’ve been of the players he has brought to Wichita. If coach Marshall is a bad person as you like to portray, why does he continue to get quality student athletes to choose WSU?
During the off season, coach Marshall and his family support many local charities and promote and sell the City of Wichita like no other. They are passionate about Wichita and Wichita State. Regardless of his arrogance and sometimes over the top personality, he is a great fit at WSU… I think the perfect fit. These are several reasons why I will be totally “Shocked” if he goes elsewhere anytime soon. I don’t believe he has the personality to ever be a high level BCS coach. He’s a high major non-BCS coach and currently has a great gig. He coaches at a ‘basketball school’ where he doesn’t have to compete for football scraps. He’s at a place where he is the proverbial “big fish in a small pond.”
OK, I’m done… let’s go have a beer!
P.S. When he's long gone, this fan will always appreciate what he did for my school.