STILLWATER, Okla. — Pro football coaching legends Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry didn’t walk across the frozen tundra to shake hands after the Green Bay Packers skated by the Dallas Cowboys 21-17 in the Ice Bowl on Dec. 31, 1967.

It was a bitter rivalry on a bitterly cold day. The coaches took their teams to their respective locker rooms to celebrate victory or agonize over defeat.

Shaking hands wasn’t part of football’s postgame ritual. I don’t know why it is now. It’s an incident waiting to happen because coaching is an emotional business.

Saturday and Sunday the emotions boiled over.

Saturday, Georgia and Vanderbilt coaches got into a screaming match after Georgia’s emotional 33-28 win in Nashville, Tenn. Vanderbilt coach James Franklin and Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham engaged in a screamfest in the middle of the field as players from both teams stood across from each other separated by coaches in the middle.

Sunday, San Francisco 49er coach Jim Harbaugh and Detroit Lions coach Jim Schwartz exchanged words after Harbaugh shook Schwartz’s hand and slapped him on the back a little too vigorously after the Niners had handed Detroit its first loss of the season.

Some say the postgame handshake shows good sportsmanship. I think that’s bunk.

Players and coaches display good sportsmanship during a game by playing hard, fair, showing concern for an injured opponent and not gloating when a team scores or a team triumphs.

Texas coach Mack Brown said he gets along great with his fellow Big 12 coaches, but isn’t a fan of pregame conversations or postgame handshakes.

“I’m not a guy that’s going to hide on the field after the game. I’ve had a few coaches give me a short, quick shake, and it’s the same way with me. When I get my rear end kicked I don’t feel very good about it either,” Brown said.

The Texas coach said he hoped the American Football Coaches Association would step in and end the practice.

“I don’t think it should be a                  requirement for two that don’t have respect for each other or like each other,” Brown said.

Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy was a little ambivalent about shaking hands. He wasn’t for or against it, but said the coaches association might want to look into it.

“You shake hands before the game and talk about each other’s families and pets and, ‘How you doin’?’ and, ‘You guys are doing great’ and ‘Good luck and stay healthy.’ And then you come out after the game and do it again,” Gundy said. “There may be a time that they have to have the AFCA limit coaches shaking hands after the game.”

Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville and Missouri coach Gary Pinkel gather their emotions after the game and shake hands. All said they believe it is the right thing to do.

“I’m not a big talker,” Pinkel said. “I don’t like to sit there and have discussions, especially after we lose a game. I’d just rather shake their hand, be respectful and move on.”

The Sooner coach said college and pro coaches need to man up and show good sportsmanship.

“You either humble yourself and do it properly, or suck it up when you’re at the other end and do it humbly, too,” Stoops said.

The Texas Tech coach said he has had some uncomfortable handshake moments during his college coaching career in the SEC and the Big 12. “It’s usually because of rivalry game,” he said.

Tuberville said the postgame handshake shows fans that football is just a game and not a life-or-death struggle for supremacy.

“And then after it, whether you win or lose, you can shake hands and go on with it,” Tuberville said.

Stoops, Pinkel and Tuberville make some good points, but the players are the coaches’ first concern. The coaches should escort their players from the field to the locker room, make their post-game speeches and move forward.

Day is sports editor for the Stillwater NewsPress.