Breaking Point: 10 of the Most Absurd Coaching Meltdowns

Breaking Point: 10 of the Most Absurd Coaching Meltdowns

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It's definitely no surprise that coaches hate losing. With the pressure they have over their team winning, they often end up in a meltdown of catastrophic intensity. The post-game press conference doesn’t help. It’s a time to acknowledge those who did a good job in the field, and a time to reflect on what went wrong if you lost. There’s no time for the coach to cool down, and there are emotions that can’t be subdued if the coach’s team lost. And that’s when coaches blow up. But they also do that outside the press conference, using expletives while the game is going on, or right after it ends.

Think of John Chaney. Think of Jim Mora’s “Playoffs? Playoffs?” rant and Dennis Green’s “They were who we thought they were” invective. Want more? Let’s take a look at ten of the most absurd coaching meltdowns.

10. Scott Norwood, Former Arkansas-Little Rock’s Head Baseball Coach

via ualr.edu

In 2014, Scott Norwood resigned after a meltdown. While he was later cleared in an investigation that included sexual assault, a recorded audio taped Norwood’s shriek. He wasn't furious about one thing in particular. It turns out, he’s just furious.

Norwood’s rage is supposedly representative of his attitude toward his players. The audio recording reveals how he insulted players and verbally abused them. He’s on our list of the most absurd coaching meltdowns because he’s known for his tirades, no matter if his team won or lost.

9. Rutger's Mike Rice

via msnbcmedia.msn.com

Mike Rice’s meltdown is so absurd that it just had to make our list. He threw basketballs at his players’ heads and verbally abused them using profane language.

It seems like a tradition, at Rutgers. Before Rice, in the late 90s, Coach Kevin Bannon was so incensed that his team lost a free-throw shooting contest, that he made his players run around the court naked. And Fred Hill, Rice’s predecessor, ran onto a baseball field and verbally abused an umpire.

Maya Lin-Takahashi
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Maya Lin-Takahashi

Maya is a hardware enthusiast who tests and reviews smart home devices, smartphones, wearables, and audio gear. She focuses on practical consumer value and build quality.