If only former NFL coaches Don Coryell or Bill Walsh had thought to trademark their pass-happy offensive systems during the 1970s in '80s -- popularly termed the "Air Coryell" and "West Coast Offense" systems, respectively -- then perhaps there would be some precedent set for Auburn coach Gus Malzahn.
The coaching innovators might have picked up a bit more loose change along the way, too.
Malzahn, now in his first season as head coach of the Tigers, has filed an application to trademark the phrase "Hurry Up No Huddle," the popularized title describing his fast-paced attack, according to Jon Solomon of AL.com. Malzahn is filing to the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office through HUNH, LLC, the coach's own Arkansas-based company incorporated back in February of 2012.
The phrase -- "Hurry Up No Huddle," or its initials, HUNH -- has been attributed to the 48-year-old after the release of his similarly-titled book on offensive strategy back in 2003 when he was a high school coach in Arkansas.
The university's athletics marketer, IMG College, filed opposition earlier in November in response to another corporation's trademark application for the "Gus Bus" phrase, another moniker for Malzahn's system which is averaging 39 points per game this season.
As Solomon points out, this is yet another example in the growing trend of college football coaches applying for trademarked names and likenesses: Urban Meyer (Ohio State), Dabo Swinney (Clemson), Bill Snyder (Kansas State) and Steve Sarkisian (Washington) have all made similar moves in recent years. This is coming at a time when the average compensation package for major-college football coaches has risen 90 percent since 2006 up to $1.81 million annually, according to a USA TODAY study.
In Malzahn's case, the Auburn program owns all personal endorsement rights in exchange for $900,000 annually.
