COMMENTARY: Cadillac Williams will forever be beloved for what he has done as head coach

There's no way to repay Cadillac Williams for what he has given the Auburn family these last four weeks.

Author:
Lindsay Crosby
Publish date:
Nov 26, 2022 8:10 PM EST

In this story:

On the morning of October 31st, things were not okay on The Plains.

Auburn had just lost, 41-27, to Arkansas, dropping the Tigers to 3-5 and in danger of missing a bowl game. Bryan Harsin was fired after seemingly doing nothing right in his 21-game tenure: Most of the Auburn staff was absent on the recruiting trail as Harsin compiled a 9-12 record on the field and players who were unhappy with playing time were being required to transfer rather than redshirt. Morale was low, and the fanbase was disappointed and all hope was gone from the program.

And then Bryan Harsin was fired, and Cadillac Williams took over.

Cadillac, the Auburn legend. The same one that "went crazy" against Alabama in the 2003 Iron Bowl. The same one that went to the NFL, played 7 years, and then came back to get his degree in 2014.

And something changed: Now there was an "Auburn man" in charge.

Here's a quote from an appearance on "Tiger Talk" early in his tenure as interim head coach:

I think one of the big keys, the big message all week is, we have to continue to serve, continue to be disciplined, and continue to believe. If we do those things, we have to kind of be in the moment. Taking it one day at a time, one play at a time. Enjoy this process, not worry about what’s next. Man, we have to live in the moment and continue to create these memories together because nothing is guaranteed. I feel like if we have that type of attitude, we could beat anybody.

Cadillac made a commitment to focus on three things: Serving the players, instilling discipline, and expressing his belief in them.

And it worked.

The same team that lost by 29 at home to Penn State and 32 to Georgia rallied from a 21-point deficit in Starkville to force overtime against Mississippi State, working on only three days of game prep with a reduced staff after the firing of some of Harsin's offensive assistants.

Then they won a close matchup against Texas A&M, 13-10, in front of a much larger and louder Jordan-Hare crowd than two 3-6 teams have any business drawing in mid-November.

Guess who got the game ball?

Fun fact: That was Cadillac's first win as a head coach at any level of organized football.

You couldn't really tell...and yet, you could.

Cadillac didn't talk in "coach speak". He was raw. He was authentic. Cole Cubelic, former Auburn offensive lineman and SEC Network sideline reporter, caught up with him on the field after that Texas A&M victory. A victory in which Jordan-Hare Stadium was as loud as it's ever been, with former players showing up in droves to support their brother.

That's a man who loves Auburn, and it loves him back.

Cadillac's four week stretch as head coach of the program may end with a 2-2 record, but he accomplished a lot more than that.

Cadillac Williams is the first black head coach in Auburn football history, a fact he acknowledged after the Iron Bowl loss to Alabama.

Just as importantly, he fixed something in us, the Auburn family.

He came in, and saw a team, a program, a fanbase that was hurting. And he fixed us.

He showed everyone - ESPN, the national media, and college football fans across the country - that when Auburn is united, and inspired, and truly served by an Auburn coach that truly loves and gets us - that the job of head football coach at Auburn University is one of the greatest jobs in the world.

So thank you, Cadillac.

Thank you for believing in us, and inspiring us, and pouring your heart and soul into these young men, and this program, and this fanbase.

We wouldn't trade it for anything.

War Eagle Forever, and Go Crazy.