Why the secrecy?

[DOOMS]

I'm unable to understand why is there so much secrecy when it comes time for us to hire a football coach? Hayes was hired before my time, but from what I understand even though it was the worst kept secret in Greensboro that he would be hired the application list was still secret.

When Small was hired, we hardly had a clue who applied. Not trying to be mean-spirited, but I don't see how his resume said that he was the best candidate for the job. But then, we never heard who the other candidates were.

Here we are again. There is no list. Only downright insulting and half-assed articles in the News and Record.

Maybe not publicizing the list is a good thing. If I actually did see a list I'm sure my pick would be different from the A.D.'s pick since I'm going to go by what a person has done in a playoff-based genre of college football, be it I-AA, II, III or NAIA. She's already made it clear she wants a I-A assistant, as if they've been somehow proven to take hbcu teams to playoff victories.

But back to the main point, regardless of her strategy of hiring, I'd like to know who's applying.

[captaggie]

I share your curiousity. You might have answered your question, by not knowing the finalists, its difficult to question the selection.

[DOOMS]

But honestly, it's been proven time and again the powers that be don't really give a flying fluck about the opnions of the masses. Add to that the fact that the opinions of the masses are clearly very diverse and it really doesn't do anything but give folks something to debate about.

I'm sure you could find just as many people that were excited about Small's hire as you could people who were disgusted. hell, when I saw the staff, I was excited. I figured we'd pretty much decided we'd never hire a white dude after that whole "let's not even contact Mike Clark" debacle, so we got one of the best hbcu staffs out there. You see where that got us.

I'm willing to bet money there are guys that have won playoff games that have expressed interest but won't get a sniff because they are white. And I bet there are guys that have either never been on a staff that even saw a playoff game on t.v. or have gotten their asses handed to them by every non-hbcu their team played that are at the top of the invisible list because they are Black.

I'm so tired of that sheet I could throw up, or just stop throwing my money at a program that has no intentions of hiring the best man for the job. I might do both.

[econgrad71]

Well said DOOMS

[SHB2K]

***Yaaaaaaawwwwnn***

Here we go again with the "hire a white guy" stuff. I'm impressed with all of the names that have been thrown out there thusfar, and it seems as though they have found some dignified BLACK candidates who aren't only the best BLACK candidates, but the best CANDIDATES period. Allow me to offer a different perspective...

All reports indicate that she is going away from the HBCU Chitlin' Circuit for her coach. Not even Hampton or SC State Assistants will be considered. That said, 1-A college football is the most racist sport in the world when it comes to hiring head coaches. Therefore, there is a high probability that the best coach left after all of the 1-A programs have taken their pick of "good ole boys" is in fact BLACK. Therefore, we can put to sleep all of this talk of Black/white even being that much of a factor in our decision.

Look what Wilson has UConn doing... beating South Florida and creeping toward a Bowl game for a basketball school with no football tradition (damn, I hope we can get this guy)... Look at what Carr and Baylor are doing, taking teams like Oklahoma to overtime... and Randy Jordan is a young, highly touted coach in his own right. Those guys are a far cry from "getting their asses handed to them by every non-hbcu their team played."

Lets take yet another perspective on this coaching search... Most white guys outside of NC have NO idea that A&T even exists. We both know that when you mention A&T to a white person in the Metro area, they think your talking about a phone company. Therefore, if we can get a white guy, he probably wont be that good of a coach. The best white coaches probably have no idea about A&T and our storied football program.. The best Black coaches DO! The best white candidates you guys can come up with (that would show any interest) is a DUKE assistant that is a HIGH SCHOOL coach, and a winning D-II coach! Dee and I (not that I know the woman personally) seem to have a much bigger vision than any of that. We feel like there are plenty of Black coaches out there on the D-1 level achieving great things and not getting head coaching oppurtunities. We feel like we have a good chance at signing one of these guys, and him being successful for a long time... IF HE CAN RECRUIT!

[SHB2K]

Oh yea... maybe we should move this one to private... What yall think?

[Gator]

I agree. Move it!

[DOOMS]

No need, it's a good debate.

I'd agree with you, if we played I-A football. We don't. We play in a division that plays in the playoffs in the postseason. Therefore hiring someone that has no idea of how to win in the playoffs is penny and pound foolish.

Many people haven't heard of A&T. That doesn't mean they wouldn't coach there.

Norries Wilson (who may or may not be considered) is an offensive coordinator who has never been a head coach. HE didn't beat South Florida. HIS offense managed 15 points. Not necessarily a feather in the cap, although his resume does have some highlights.

Carr is a running back coach isn't he? So is Jordan. Do you really want to entrust your alma mater's program to a running back coach that has never been a head coach? That isn't thinking highly. That's thinking low.

The division I-AA (that's the division we play in) national championship was won by a coach from d-III two years ago. This same coach couldn't get past the second round of the d-III playoffs. There's a guy right now whose team is still playing and has won his conference like six years straight. And you'd rather hire a running back coach from lowly Baylor simply because he's Black?

That's sad.

That being said, whether or not we're going to hire a, b, or c none of us know. And that's because (getting back to the actual topic of this thread, which I hope we will somehow be able to stay on thank you very much)...

...there is too much secrecy in the hiring process. And there's no reason for it to be so.

[JayBee]

PLEASE DON'T MOVE THIS THREAD TO PRIVATE BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ACCESS! I agree with Dooms. There is too much secrecy in the hiring process. As matter of fact, what is the process? Is it open for applications or does the University perform a national search and ask potential prospects to come in for an interview? At least a short list of finalist would help our curiosity.

[SHB2K]

doomsday said:

Carr is a running back coach isn't he? So is Jordan. Do you really want to entrust your alma mater's program to a running back coach that has never been a head coach?

Carr is RB/Assistant Head Coach (I don't really understand how those go together... but Assistant Head Coach sounds like he's being groomed ala Dave Wanndstett in Miami) Jordan is a RB coach, but we could get the hype machine going and make him one of those John Gruden/Lawrence Frank/Jeff Capel/Avery Johnson type young, eager head coaches that skips the ranks. We could either get a great thing before anyone else notices it, or we could have the next Curtis Hunter (A&T Basketball)

About the secrecy of the whole thing... I agree that it should be at least a little more publicized than it is. Coaching is obviously a public office that has always been subject to public ridicule (especially at a state school), so keeping it under wraps serves no purpose for the University... But for some strange reason, I think it may have something to do with the NCAA rules, and offending the coaches' present schools at a time when many of them are fighting for or have attained post season births.

Speaking of playoff births... are you saying that a coach that can coach in/win a BOWL GAME cannot win 1-AA playoff games?? I'd agree that the playoffs mean taking your game to new levels and employing different playing time/play-calling strategies, but I think any coach worth his salt has got to be able to elevate their game just as the players have to and coach in a post-season environment.

[DOOMS]

Last comment on who we pick versus the secrecy: If you can choose somebody that has done something versus somebody that could learn how to do something, who are you going to spend your money on?

My ultimate gripe is this. If the pick isn't a much better pick than hiring Hayes back would be, we shouldn't make it. Small was several steps down when we should've been trying to go several steps up. That's why the athletic dept as a whole is currently sheeet. We replace people with people that are lateral or worse moves. That needs to stop with this hire.

As far as secrecy and NCAA rules, not a violation in any way, shape or form.

An article from last year:

Stephen F. Austin Applicants Listed
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
SFA Applicants Reviewed
Five new applicants added to list at SFA
By KEVIN GORE, Sentinel Staff

A former SFA assistant coach who is now serving as offensive coordinator for a Southland Conference school, and an offensive coordinator for a Southeastern Conference school have applied for the head football coaching position at SFA.

Since Wednesday, five new applicants have joined the mix in the job search.

The job became open Nov. 22, when SFA officials dismissed former coach Mike Santiago, who was 39-27 in six seasons.

As of Friday, thirty-two coaches in all had applied for the job.

Jimmy Ferguson, a former SFA assistant coach, is an applicant.

Ferguson is currently the offensive coordinator at SFA's rival Sam Houston State, which shared the SLC championship this season and played Eastern Washington in the second round of the Division I-AA playoffs Saturday.

Ferguson coached at SFA under former coaches Jim Hess and Lynn Graves.

He served as an assistant under Hess at New Mexico State, coached three years at John Tyler and has been at Sam Houston since 2000.

Sam Houston led the SLC in total offense and scoring offense this season.

John Latina, who has served as Mississippi’s offensive coordinator since 2000, has also applied.

Latina also served on staffs at Clemson, Temple, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech.

Other recent applicants are Jack Welch, head coach and athletic director at Copperas Cove High School; Reginald Jones, a former NFL player with the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns; and Daniel Burn, the football and baseball coach at Green Hill School in Carrollton.

Other applicants include:

— Todd Whitten, who played quarterback for the Lumberjacks in the 1980s and is 45-23 in six seasons as head coach at Division II Tarleton.

— Robert McFarland, a former SFA assistant whose last two coaching stops have been at Central Florida as offensive coordinator and at East Carolina as offensive line coach, respectively.

— Curtis Luper, a former SFA assistant who is New Mexico’s special teams and running backs coach.

— Bradley Peveto, a former SFA assistant who is the defensive coordinator and linebacker coach at Middle Tennessee State.

— Dave Roberts, former offensive coordinator at South Carolina. He has been a head coach at Northeast Louisiana and Baylor.

— Gary Darnell, former head coach of Western Michigan.

— Dana Dimel, former head coach at Houston.

— Tim Albin, offensive coordinator at North Dakota State. He was head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State, which won a NAIA national championship.

— Gary Reasons, head coach of the Oklahoma City Yard Dawgz, an expansion team in arenafootball2.

— Mick Dennehy, who was recently dismissed as head coach at Utah State. He was 39-12 at Montana before his Utah State stint.

— Shawn Slocum, the son of former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum. He has served on staffs at A&M and USC.

— Dale Carlson, head coach of Ohio Dominican University.

— Clint Conque, head coach of the University of Central Arkansas.

— Daniel “Sonny” Dykes, wide receiver coach at Texas Tech. He is the son of former Texas Tech head coach and SFA graduate Spike Dykes.

— Scott Wachenheim, offensive coordinator and line coach at Rice.

— Ross Els, defensive coordinator at New Mexico State.

— Thomas Mueller, head coach at Texas Lutheran University.

— Jeffrey Hays, former kicking coach at Air Force.

— Daryl Hobbs, a former NFL player with the Los Angeles Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks.

— Chris Lundy, offensive and defensive coach at Lynbrook High School.

— Bill Maskill, head coach at Division II Midwestern State.

— Randy Pippin, former head coach at the University of West Alabama.

Bob Stitt, head coach of Colorado of Mines.

— Bob Best, quarterback coach at the University of Buffalo.

— Richard Cundiff, head coach at Texas A&M-Kingsville. He has won four LSC titles.

— Mike Schultz, offensive coordinator and running backs coach at TCU.

— Steven A. Smith, who has served as offensive and defensive line coach of the Detroit Fury of the Arena Football League.

SFA athletic director Steve McCarty said at least six other candidates who have not officially applied “are inside the loop.”

McCarty said those six coaches are currently under contract at other school and don’t want the publicity of being in a job search.

He said he hopes to have the list narrowed to five by Dec. 11 and to name a new coach by the time the school breaks for Christmas

[JayBee]

That's a lot of work for an AD to go thru all of those resumes. I would think that some of those get tossed in the ash can immediately!

[Maxell]

The point is that the list is public! Hell, put out a list just to create a buzz now that most teams' seasons are over.

[trues]

Dooms some candidates for what ever the reason may not want there business to be expose that they are interested in the A&T Job and therefore if Dee Tod were to say to all the potential candidates that your name would be publicized before a coach is chosen you may loose some good candidates who would otherwise put there name in the hat.

[DOOMS]

I would buy that, but for the fact that 26 people didn't have a problem with their name being put out there in connection with the Stephen F. Austin job. I would also buy that but for the fact that it hasn't been stated. There's been total silence. Nothing stating "some people didn't want their name out there." Nothing. It just smacks of unfounded, foolish, and self-important secrecy. No other school in the world does this. Why is A&T so grand that we have to?