Texas megabooster angry about Charlie Strong: ‘Kick in the face’

Hiring a football coach at a place like Texas usually isn’t going to come without scrutiny or a bit of dissension within the ranks, and Longhorns booster Red McCombs made that clear in a radio interview on Monday. During the discussion on ESPN 1250 San Antonio, he called the decision to hire Charlie Strong “a kick in the face.”

It got worse:

There are several things worth noting to give these remarks some context. For one, McCombs lobbied for Texas to hire Jon Gruden. Additionally, McCombs also has been outspoken about his high opinion of the Texas job -- he feels, and essentially said as much in the radio interview, that Strong is beneath it. This is, after all, the man who felt certain that the Longhorns could lure Nick Saban away from Alabama.

McCombs also seems to take some credit during the interview for the hiring of Mack Brown, which may also be telling. Brown had support from some of UT’s major boosters right up until the end.

Given all of that, it’s easier to understand why McCombs might feel disappointed with the way everything transpired in Austin over the last month. Regardless, it probably would have been wise to save overtly condescending remarks like the one above until Strong had coached a couple games, or at least been on the job a week.

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