http://www.theledger.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040815/APS/408150760
Poll respondents say Shula doing better job than Tuberville The Associated Press MOBILE, Ala. Alabama coach Mike Shula is doing a better job than Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, despite a losing record and a 28-23 loss last year to Auburn, according to a survey of Alabama residents. Respondents to the telephone poll, done by the University of South Alabama and the Mobile Register, gave Shula a favorable job-approval rating of 58 percent, compared to 54 percent for Tuberville. Shula, a former Alabama quarterback, was 4-9 in his first year at Alabama last year. Tuberville is entering his sixth year at Auburn and last year survived an attempt by the former president to replace him. Poll respondents who identified themselves as Alabama fans gave Shula a 73 percent job approval rating, the same mark Tuberville received from people who identified themselves as Tiger fans. The survey includes responses from 406 adult Alabamians, who were interviewed Monday through Thursday. About half of those polled said they were Alabama fans and about one in four declared their loyalty to Auburn. The results carry a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points. The survey also asked Alabama residents to name the best football player in the state's history. Former Alabama and New York Jets quarterback Joe Namath was the top choice, receiving 21 percent of the votes. Namath was followed closely by Auburn's Heisman Trophy winning running back Bo Jackson, who later played Major League baseball and in the National Football League. Job approval ratings represent the total of those polled who said a coach was doing either an "excellent" or "good" job. Negative ratings combine those who describe a coach's performance as either "poor" or "only fair." Shula carried a 20 percent negative rating among all those polled and 16 percent among self-described Alabama fans. Tuberville registered 26 percent negatives overall and 19 percent among Auburn fans. University of South Alabama political scientist Keith Nicholls, who directed last week's poll, said the results show both coaches should be happy with their public standing but wary of the future. "With both coaches, there are still some questions out there," he said. "Tuberville has to prove that last season was an aberration. ... With Shula, people are obviously giving him the benefit of the doubt but there is still the question about whether he can handle the job." Nicholls said both coaches are in good shape, using standards applied to political figures. As a comparison, Ronald Reagan is regarded as one of the most popular American presidents in the modern political era, yet his Gallup Poll job approval ratings fluctuated significantly with events throughout his two terms and averaged 57 percent over eight years. Information from: The Mobile Register ______________________________________________________ RollTideFan - The University of Alabama Athletics Discussion List "Welcome to RollTideFan! Wear a cup!" To join or leave the list or to make changes to your subscription visit http://listinfo.rolltidefan.net
