Stormin in Norman
Fansided

Oklahoma football: The definitive guide to Alex Grinch

By Christopher Dukes

NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 27: A general view of the east side of the stadium before the game between the Kansas State Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)
NORMAN, OK - OCTOBER 27: A general view of the east side of the stadium before the game between the Kansas State Wildcats and Oklahoma Sooners at Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium on October 27, 2018 in Norman, Oklahoma. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: A general view during the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 01: A general view during the 2018 College Football Playoff Semifinal Game between the Georgia Bulldogs and Oklahoma Sooners at the Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images) /

Good: Grinch comes with from an exceptional pedigree

As former Missouri head coach Gary Pinkel’s nephew Grinch was born into a coaching family. From there he moved on to play for a college football dynasty at Mount Union, which went 58-1 during his time there. The school has produced an impressive number of coaches including Iowa State’s Matt Campbell (notable alumni also include former Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers, but that’s probably more a matter of trivia than relevance).

He has coached in the Pac 12, Big 12, SEC and Big 10. He’s worked under uncle Gary Pinkel and the master of the Air Raid Mike Leach. Though still two years shy of his 40th birth day it’s safe to say he qualifies as a veteran.

Bad: (This one’s personal and petty) the coming glut of ‘Grinch’ memes and bad Christmas puns from sports fans and writers

Hey, I said it was a little petty, but as a proponent of good taste I for one am not looking forward to “Grinch’s group not in a giving mood’ or ‘Grinch’s group sacks UCLA seven times (and even took the roast beast).’  (Not to mention the number of dancing Jim Carey and cartoon Grinch smiling gifs I bore witness to on Twitter in the past few days).

Don’t get me wrong, I am as much a fan of Dr. Seuss as the next guy and I enjoy myself a viewing of the old cartoon special at least once a year. However, there’s a good reason it comes but once a season in the Dukes household. It wears thin pretty quick.

Here’s hoping we can all get these things out of our system before the last straggler takes down his or her Christmas tree this year. Then again, referring to Tom Herman as Cindy Lou Who would be enough to merit a chuckle from me.

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