A Message To The Pirate Nation
January 17, 2010 | Football
Jan. 17, 2010
Update of Search Process for the Pirate Nation:
First, thank you for all the valuable input you have provided me as we have been evaluating and establishing our direction. Unfortunately, it is impossible in this case to answer your e-mails directly and it would not be fair to those involved for me to use the names of potential candidates in this update, so you may have to read between the lines to see where your particular favorite candidate may fit in.
The only time in ECU Football history that compares to the current momentum the Pirate Nation has created was the famous Peach Bowl year. It is imperative that we learn from that experience so that we do not repeat any mistakes that can possibly be avoided.
Let's evaluate the potential categories:
1. Internal candidates - all the current staff members have been interviewed individually as of yesterday, either as a candidate or to express their own feelings about potential candidates, either external or internal. I must tell you that every single staff member represented themselves extremely well and all professed their respect and love for this football program, university and the Greenville community. They are all in an extremely vulnerable position that is not of their own making and we need to return their love and respect for what they have helped us build, particularly at this time in their professional and personal lives.
There are several who would make great head coaches, but as I told them yesterday, my instincts tell me we need to do all in our power to hire someone who has successful head coaching experience, and therefore, someone who has hired and managed a staff while managing all the other duties required of today's head coaches. Of lesser consideration is the fact that choosing one assistant over another could create some division among our team members and our fan base who are supporting their own favorite.
2. Hot, young head coaches clearly on their way up the career ladder - there were two of these on my initial wish list and both have been able to manage one winning season while rebuilding in tough situations. I have a personal relationship with both of these coaches and was prepared to go after them hard as they would be close to identical to the leadership that has been so very successful here for the last five years.
However, before our vacancy occurred, one was being interviewed and subsequently hired by another institution. The other has been interviewed or offered an interview at all the instutions with openings (including Notre Dame), except for USC. In spite of all the good that has come from the past five years, I am now convinced it is not necessary to plow that same ground again at this time.
3. Hot, young coordinators clearly on their way up the career ladder - even under the very best circumstances, there is a learning curve for those having to hire and manage a staff and everything else today's head coaches have to do. And, let's face it, these guys are programmed to move up the ladder and will quickly leave one job for another at the first opportunity for perceived "greener pastures."
This program is poised to establish permanent upward momentum. I do not want even a short learning curve to disrupt the momentum that has been established. To the extent possible, avoiding another change of leadership, or even the threat of a change, would seem a prudent course of action.
4. The "retreads" are those former HEAD coaches with recognizable names who were dismissed from those position for not meeting either on-field expecations or off-field expectations. History tells us that regardless of whether the dismissal seemed fair or not, these individuals never seem to again at the level they previously enjoyed again and many never return to coaching at all.
Think about it ... why are they still available after all the job openings with many institutions in desparate situations to hire good coaches? I do not believe every other institution is simply too blind to see the advantages. And, again, history tells us that they are unlikely to ever achieve at the same level. I am not willing to accept the limitation that the best we can hope for being less than they achieved previously.
As a side note, many assistant coaches, and even coordinators, have been fired and subsequently rehired and eventually have become good or great head coaches.
5. The last category is those coaches who have taken over tough situations and who have built strong programs from the ground up with the assumption they may be there for the rest of their lives. So, they need to WIN, but they also need to take extra care TO DO IT RIGHT because they may live in this "house" forever. They are hard workers who operate under the radar screen of today's national exposure on ESPN and national rankings, but ever so often you get a glimpse of one in the FCS playoffs or at bowl time.
There are several in this category that are on our radar screen at this time and they will be pursued aggressively. By and large, they are not household names today but they are highly-respected by their coaching peers, even those peers in glamorous, high exposure head coaching positions.
These coaches may have found themselves in a tough spot or two, not of their own making, at some time in their careers but they have subsequently proven themselves as head coaches against institutions with more resources and talent. They succeed because they have learned to be relentless recruiters and builders, putting each piece in place to improve their respective programs.
In my opinion, we need a proven builder with strong recruiting experience and ties who believes ECU can win a national championship and is willing to put his career and reputation on the line with us day after day, year after year to chase that dream. It is time for the Pirate Nation to take full ownership of the future of this athletic program by embracing our new coach and treating the coach and his family as we would treat our own family members if they were in such a leadership position. We should not be looking to ride the coat-tails of a "name" coach. We should be building a program that stands on its own two feet no matter who holds the title of Head Coach, AD, or whatever.
