The eminent college football program puttered along for a decade. There were a couple of 10-win seasons, but mostly worse ones. Over 10 seasons, the team had four interim and permanent head coaches and, not accounting for N.C.A.A. sanctions, went 67-82. The punishment did not help, but neither did a general feeling of malaise and inconsistency — in short, the effects of suboptimal coaching.
Then the team hired a new head coach. In the ensuing decade that team, Alabama, has put together a 117-18 record, with four national titles (again, leaving the N.C.A.A. sanctions out of the equation).