Great coaches usually hire great assistants. Kansas coach Mark Mangino was an assistant at both Kansas State and Oklahoma, and he learned from both Bill Snyder and Bob Stoops how to be successful as a head coach.
"When I got to Oklahoma I thought they would have some rituals, rubbing some rock, everybody touch the Sooner Schooner," Mangino said. "No. You went to the locker room, got dressed, went out and won, showered up and went home. The tradition is winning. I’m a firm believer in a system and routine. I guess I got that from Bob."
Mangino and Stoops knew each other from their days on Snyder's Kansas State staff. Sure he's an enigmatic weirdo, but Snyder was one of the best evaluators of coaching talent around. That's an impressive coaching tree.
The most impressive thing was all the future head coaches that Snyder had on staff when they were young and hungry assistants: Mangino, Stoops, Mike Stoops, Bret Bielema, Jim Leavitt and Dana Dimel among others.
Sometimes you just have to hire the young guy with more upside.