Last week I heard an ESPN talk show host refer to Bobby Petrino as a great coach. In the wake of Petrino’s firing, this broadcaster still firmly believed Arkansas was losing a great coach. Can Petrino coach football? No doubt about it. Arkansas was one of the top teams in the country in 2011, losing only to the two teams who played each other in the BCS Championship Game – LSU and Alabama. But what really makes a great coach? Wins and losses only? Or should character and integrity count for something? More than something, I would say. Coaches are role models, and Petrino did not lead by example. Is he still a great coach? Will he get another coaching job? Of course he will. He knows what he is doing and he knowns how to build a team and a program. But can he be trusted? To me, trust is a huge part of what makes a great coach, because coaches are leaders.
