Win with Wilson . . . Eventually

With IU's 1-3 start, many fans are undoubtedly freaking out. It's not that we're used to winning (we're definitely not); it's that we had such high hopes for Kevin Wilson, especially with what looked like a potential 3-1 or 4-0 non-conference slate. Don't lose hope yet, Hoosier fans. It's an understatement to say that IU isn't a football power, so building a winning program takes time. For instance, several coaches who have built successful programs out of perennial losers had miserable first years.

• In 1989, Bill Snyder took over at Kansas State – arguably the worst program in Division I at the time. He went 1-10 in his first year. In 1991, he had his first winning record, and in 1993, he went to his first bowl game. In his 20 seasons at K-State (he took a 3-year hiatus from 2006 to 2008), he has compiled a 152-80-1 record, had 12 winning seasons (including 7 10+-win seasons), gone to 12 bowls (where he has a 6-6 record), and had one Big XII championship.
• In 1990, Barry Alvarez took over at Wisconsin, which was usually at or near the bottom of the Big Ten standings. He went 1-10 in his first year. In 1993, he had his first winning season, which also happened to include a share of the Big Ten title and Wisconsin's first trip to the Rose Bowl since 1963. Alvarez coached the Badgers until he retired after the 2005 season as Wisconsin's all-time winningest coach, compiling a 118-73-4 record, 11 winning seasons (including 4 10+-win seasons), 11 bowls (8-3 record), 3 Big Ten titles (2 shared), 3 Rose Bowls (3-0 record).
• In 1987, Frank Beamer began his tenure at Virginia Tech (which was not a football school by any means), and went 2-9 in his first year and 3-8 in his second. He then had a couple winning seasons and a couple more losing seasons before taking the Hokies to his first bowl game in 1993, where they defeated by beloved Hoosiers. In his now 24+ seasons, he has won 7 conference titles, had 12 10+-win seasons, and gone to 18 straight bowl games (8-10 record).
• Hoosiers fans should remember Bill Mallory, IU's all-time winningest coach. While he may not have had the same success as Snyder, Alvarez, or Beamer, he still had the most successful run as IU's football coach. In his first season, 1984, the Hoosiers went 0-11. In 1986, he went to his first bowl with IU. In his 13 years as IU's head coach, he compiled a 69-77-3 record (which may not seem all that impressive, but let's not forget that this is Indiana), had 6 winning seasons, went to 6 bowls (2-4 record), and, in 1987, became the first (and only) coach in IU history to beat both Ohio State and Michigan in the same year.
• In 1992, Gary Barnett was named head coach of a school that, ten years earlier had set the Division 1 record for consecutive losses. In his first season, he went 3-8. In 1995, he guided Northwestern to its first Big Ten title since 1936 and its first Rose Bowl (or any other bowl) since 1949. The next year, the Wildcats clinched a share of the Big Ten title and went to the Citrus Bowl. While Barnett left after the 1998 season with a losing record at Northwestern (35-45-1), his tenure in Evanston completely changed the football program's mindset from perennial doormat to "Expect Victory." Since he left, Northwestern has continued to have success, going to six bowls.
• There are others who had slow starts who ended up being successful at their respective universities: Dick McPherson at Syracuse, Mark Mangino at Kansas, Bobby Ross at Georgia Tech, Glen Mason at Minnesota, George Welsh at Virginia, Paul Johnson at Navy, Gary Pinkel at Missouri, and Greg Schiano at Rutgers.

All of this is to say, be patient, Hoosier fans. Wilson has the right staff, the right experience, and the right attitude to win at Indiana. Just as Rome wasn't built in a day, neither can the IU football program be built in a season (or probably even two or three).