Looking Back At Kliff Kingsbury’s Biggest Mistakes

Mishandling His Public Persona

Almost from the moment he was hired, Kliff Kingsbury became an obsession of the media.   Part of that was through his own actions and part was because as a fashion-conscious, handsome, 34-year-old head coach, he was a sight never before seen on college football sidelines.

But Kingsbury erred when he fully embraced the “Coach Bro” persona the media saddled him with only to turn his back almost completely away from that side of his personality to become a near hermit-like figure.

It was easy to see why Kingsbury initially embraced his new-found national celebrity.  First of all, what 34-year-old would not love the adoration of the masses when they compare you to Hollywood heartthrob Ryan Gosling?  Secondly, Kingsbury was also banking on that attention to raise the profile of Texas Tech football, especially in the eyes of potential recruits.

As a result, Kingsbury and the Texas Tech football program were all over social media with bits that were fun but that also didn’t play well with the public when the wins didn’t follow.

For instance, Kingsbury’s famous 2014 dance-off with wide receiver Derreck Edwards prior to a spring practice went viral.  But though Kingsbury said his intention was to get his team fired up before a spring workout, the result was that attention was on the coach for reasons other than football.

Another seemingly harmless attempt at getting the Texas Tech name out in the media was the April, 2014 ice bucket challenge.  Texas Tech took the bit over the top by including the entire team, the Masked Rider and even the Lubbock fire department in the stunt.  But when Kingsbury lowered his designer shades and threw out the challenge to Beyonce, it gave further fuel to the fire for those who saw Kingsbury as an attention addict more concerned with his image than with the team.

Whether it was posting shirtless pictures with bikini-clad women or appearing on the ESPN “car wash” circuit of shows in expensive designer threads, Kingsbury gave plenty of ammunition to those who saw him more as an aspiring fashion icon than as a football coach.  And then, when the program stumbled to a 4-8 record in 2014, Kingsbury did an about-face.

During the 2015 offseason, Kingsbury decided that he no longer wanted to be the face of Texas Tech football.  This decision came at a time when Tech desperately needed its head coach to step forward and be himself while promoting his program.

The man who was hired, in part, because of his ability to unite the fan base and be a unique and fresh face to leading the program retread far inside the football offices when times became tough.  He even insisted that his image no longer be used  on t-shirts and other items being sold to the public.

Kingsbury is an introspective person who can be quite complicated and analytical.  It appeared to outsiders like he was shying away from the spotlight at the first moment of adversity in his career.   His public appearances almost completely dried up as he chose not to appear on the ESPN college football shows in the summer and his presence at fund-raising functions became scant at best.

What we have seen in the world of college football is that characters and unique personalities are adored.  Look no further than Kingsbury’s former head coach Mike Leach or Clemson head coach Dabo Sweeney who have let their quirky personalities carry them to national notoriety.

When Kingsbury over-reacted to the media’s treatment of him, he sent the wrong message about his program and he failed to capitalize on an momentum his public persona could have built on the recruiting trail.  It probably felt like a no-win situation, embrace the “Coach Bro” character or grind away from behind the scenes and either way, he likely would have been criticized.

But Kingsbury should have been true to himself from the beginning.  Had he done so, he would have come across as more genuine and relatable, which are traits highly valued in West Texas.  Just ask his predecessor Tommy Tuberville whose lack of authenticity kept him from ever being accepted by the Texas Tech community.