Syracuse, N.Y. -- When his defense was rolling Scott Shafer was passionate, fiery, tough and hard-nosed. When his teams were struggling, he was over-emotional, hot-tempered, illogical and hard-headed.
His defenses thrived, and his head coaching career died, on edges of the same sword.
"Don't you change," Shafer used to tell his former Syracuse players as they annually transitioned from role players to starters to stars. "Don't you change."
Shafer used the phrase so frequently that former player Rob Trudo drops it casually when he plays video games.
Now at Middle Tennessee State, his eighth school and his 24th year of coaching at the college level, players describe the same Shafer.