Eli Gold Reveals the Previous Tide HC who Lied to Him

On Thursday, September 5, 2024, former voice of CTSN Eli Gold joined AL.com's Ben Flanagan and Michael Casagrande on Alabama Crimson Tide on AL.com's YouTube account, when Gold revealed a former Alabama coach who lied to him. Click here to watch the video on Youtube.

This former head coach was the controversial Dennis Franchione, who was the tide's head coach from 2001 to 2002, where he coached two seasons while the Tide were facing NCAA sanctions as a result of the previous coaching staff (Mike Dubose) having boosters pay high school players to commit to the Crimson Tide.

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Following an awful 3-8 season the previous year, Franchione led the Crimson Tide to seven victories in his first season as Alabama's head coach. Franchonie's second season as head coach transformed the Alabama Crimson Tide into a 10-3 team that defeated Nick Saban's LSU Tigers 31-0 in 2002.

Despite missing the postseason due to an NCAA Bowl Game ban, the Crimson Tide were ecstatic to have found their next great coach. This quickly changed when Franchonie was hired the following season by Texas A&M, where he coached from 2003 to 2007, never winning more than nine games.

Eli Gold discussed the scenario and how he spoke with Franchonie at the Head Coach's last pre-game interview, which he conducted on a regular basis. In this interview, Gold revealed that the current Crimson Tide head coach reassured Gold and told him that he would remain with the Tide.

The former voice of CTSN went on to talk about how he spoke to Ron Franklin who was a former College Football Play-by-Play Commentator for ESPN after Gold's interview with Franchonie, and he told AL.com that Franklin had said that the deal was already done and the Crimson Tide's head coach was heading off to College Station to take the head coaching job with the Texas A&M Aggies.

When asked if he thinks it's fair for Alabama fans to consider Franchonie a villain in Alabama football history. Gold made the point that "it's not up for me to say its up to everybody to say so for themselves".

Gold additionally stated: "I thought it was not nice that he left and that it was not a classy thing to do" while "the fact that he looked me the day before and lied straight to my face".

Eli Gold went on to explain that things happen and people say things, but he does not hold it against Franchonie. Gold noted that working with the former head coach was never tough, and the two got along quite well.

Gold went on to say that whenever he saw the former head coach, he was always polite and respectful.

Aside from this one bad interaction, Gold told many great stories during the interview. One that stood out to me was how former Tide head coach Gene Stallings would give Eli Gold a sheet of paper before each game with the Crimson Tide's first ten offensive plays on it. According to the stories Gold told the AL.com team, the former HC was a father figure who appreciated small talk and getting to know people.

Eli Gold went on to describe how he and Stallings would discuss everything from NASCAR to checking over blueprints for a house Gold was building before a pregame show.

Gene Stallings coached the Alabama Crimson Tide from 1990 to 1996, and he led the team to their 12th National Championship in 1992 when they went undefeated 13-0 and defeated Miami 34-13 in the championship game.

Gold went on to tell other stories about the six former Alabama head coaches with whom he worked, including how Mike Price was the only head coach who invited him to spend lunch in the coaches' office.

Gold stated that the two had "Bologna and cheese sandwiches" and talked for "an hour and a half" in the coaches' office.

Gold went on to explain that he knew Price didn't "get it" and didn't grasp how things were done in Tuscaloosa, which were different from his former job at Washington State.

Price, who was hired after Franchonie left the Crimson Tide, never coached a game before being fired for allegedly visiting a Gentleman's Club in Pensacola, Florida.

Eli Gold concluded the interview by praising Mike Shula, calling him a "fine coach," a "knowledgeable man," and a "very good play-caller."

Gold went on to explain: "Those who can do and those who can't complain, well if you think you could've done better than Mike (Mike Shula) you should have called in and done so" .

Mike Shula coached the Crimson Tide from 2003 to 2006, achieving one 10-win season in 2005 but failing to win much else, with two 6-6 seasons in 2004, and 2006, when he was fired and replaced by legendary head coach Nick Saban, who went on to win six national championships with Alabama.