The new coach: what credentials would you like to see?

[kforbs126]

I don't know why anyone would root against YSU.  While I may not agree with the coaching or the game strategy I will always root for YSU to win!   I've been watching every game I can online because I haven't been able to see a game live in many years.  You local guys are lucky.  I'd be at every game if I could! 

[IAA Fan]

I don't know why anyone would root against YSU.  While I may not agree with the coaching or the game strategy I will always root for YSU to win!   I've been watching every game I can online because I haven't been able to see a game live in many years.  You local guys are lucky.  I'd be at every game if I could! 

This post is the definition of a fan!! Great post kforbs.

[YSU_Penguins17]

I am not a big fan of this coaching staff but I still watch or listen to every second of every game regardless of the score because I grew up around YSU football. I went to every home game from 1997 to 2008 only missing four. I've been out of state for six years now and envy everyone who is local and gets to go to the games. I drove 7 hours to the Pitt game in 2012 and 6 hours to the South Dakota State game last season and will be making the trip to Illinois State this season regardless of the weather or our record.

Beat Southern Illinois

[Lets_Talk]

This post is in defense of Wick250. I do not know Wick250 personally, but from my years of reading this board, and from what I have been able to learn about Wick250, this poster is NOT the kind of person who wants ANY team at YSU to lose. And, this is regardless of whether or not Wick250 likes/dislikes the coach or members of the coaching staff.

This is year #5 for Wolford. He came in talking brash. He said many, many, many negative things about the former coaching staff, and also about players recruited by the former coaching staff. Several of those players he made negative comments about PUBLICLY were players that were still on the team when Wolford took over. That is much different from a coach that comes in, and when asked about how how long it will take to get "his/her" players into the program, says "my players are sitting right here in the press conference."

This is also a coach who in his first season, made a ridiculous comment about YSU not being respected because of being predicted to finish at the bottom of the MVFC, and then made a comment about how disrespecting people where he comes from can get a person shot. YSU then proceeded to win a grand total of ONE game in the MFVC that season.

The myriad ways in which YSU has lost games under Wolford is highly impressive. It seems they find new and more creative ways to lose every season. The ONLY reason Wolford has not been fired is because YSU lacks the resources to buy ought his contract.

Fans at Montana wanted Bobby Hauck fired after his 7th season, even though Montana won/tied for the Big Sky Title all 7 years, made the playoffs all 7 years, and played in the NC game 3 times. His problem? Failing to win the NC games. A 7year record of 80-17, 47-6 in the Big Sky, 3 NC Title Games and Montana fans wanted him fired after the 09 season because Montana lost in the NC game for the 2nd year in a row. Montana was 14-0 entering the NC game in 09. Hacuk left on his own to go to UNLV.

Mike Sewak was HC at Georgia Southern from 02-05. His teams compiled a record of 35-14, and made the playoffs 3 of 4 years. The only non playoff team went 7-4 in 2003. Ga Southern rebounded and made the playoffs in 04 and 05, yet Sewak was FIRED after Ga Southern lost in the 1st round of the playoffs in both 04 and 05.

K.C. Keeler went 86-52 in 11 season at Delaware(02-12). His teams made the FCS playoffs in 03,04,07 and 10. UD won the FCS Title in 03, the ONLY time UD has won an FCS Championship. 2003 was also the first time UD made it to the FCS Title game since 1982. UD lost in the FCS Championship game in 07(App State) and 10(EWU)..UD had a playoff record of 11-3 under Keeler.... UD won 3 conference titles...  Keeler was fired after the 2012 season, when Delaware finished 5-6, after going 7-4 in 2011 and missing the playoffs. UD had 3 losing seasons in 11 years under Keeler.

UD did make the playoffs 7 times in the final 11 years under Tubby Raymond. But, they NEVER advanced to the Title game in any of those 7 appearances, let alone win an NC. The best the Bluehens did was Semi-Final appearances in 92,97 and 00.

All 3 of these schools are examples of programs that YSU was as good as, or better from 89-90. ALL 3 fired HC's that head lead the team to MULTIPLE playoff seasons. And, some people want to deem Wick250 and others as people who want YSU to lose just so Wolford will possibly be replaced. That is absurd. Meanwhile, several people on this board think it is premature to start discussing possible replacements for Wolford. Seriously?

Face it, YSU showed many of the trademarks of the previous seasons under Wolford in the loss to WIU. Inability to get key stops on defense... Blowing a halftime lead.. Having an opposing QB at the bottom of the MVFC statistically look like a possible First Team MVFC selection... costly penalties, including THREE Unsportsmanlike penalties that resulted in 2 players being ejected...Questionable use of timeouts and clock management... An opponent that ran a vanilla offense score 30 points... a home loss to a team that will likely finish in the bottom half of the MVFC standings... highly questionable play calling on offense...(others can add to the list if they choose). Add all of this up, and it is hard to see YSU making the playoffs.

The ONLY team that YSU will play in the final 6 games that is worse the MSU and WIU is South Dakota. I understand being optimistic, but it is very, very, very hard to see how YSU can go 4-2 in the final 6 games. That is what it will take for YSU to finish 8-4/5-3 and have ANY chance at a playoff spot. The argument that this was just one bad game is not valid at this point in Wolford's tenure and what we have all witnessed the previous 4 years, plus the 3 real games of this year..
Loss @ Illinois(3-4/0-3)
Ugly win @ MSU(3-3/0-2)
Loss at home to WIU(3-4/1-2..wins over Valpo, Drake and at YSU)

[seanbryan3]

I agree, I would love to not have to fly home and watch my brother and the Penguins on Saturdays. Being able to drive a couple minutes to an hour to watch them play would be awesome.

[penguinpower]

Last evening marked the end of Eric Wolford's attempt to be a head coach at the collegiate level.  We won't win more than two more games and the poor record, coupled with low attendance for the remaining home games, will force Tressel to enact the buyout clause.  And making a major sports-related move is something that I am sure that Tressel hoped to avoid for a least a few years.

So in what direction do we turn?  Would it not be best to hire a successful head coach from the ranks of the lower scholarship divisions?  No more on-the-job training that might never succeed.  And Wolford is the poster boy for that.  Hire someone who can utilize the Watts and the high assistant coach salaries to our advantage.  Also something at which Wolford failed miserably. 

The national media loves to trash Tressel, but he is nearly universally respected within the coaching profession.  I have confidence that he will use his network to secure a replacement who can take full advantage of our many strengths.  Who better to find the "next Tressel" that the original Tressel.

Wick I completely agree with your post and fell the exact same way.  Well said as usual.

[Dmorton]

I don't think anyone is rooting against YSU, just unhappy that the program continues to make the same stupid mistakes repeatedly.

[JFootball2]

one who doesn't allow Shane Montgomery to step foot on campus ever again?

[JFootball2]

This thread is the reason why a lot of people in the tailgate lots make fun of this board and don't post

Didnt you run off and cry like a baby when you didnt get your way and threaten to leave? you should keep that promise. you already made a big enough fool out of yourself

[KilrpengWin]

Rick Shepas would still welcome the opportunity.

[ysufan0505]

DJ DURKIN

[ohiofootball]

Durkin makes $500K at Florida. He is not coming here for 1/2 of his present salary. Keep dreaming!

[Lets_Talk]

I notice everyone seems to be mentioning names of people with ties to either YSU or the Ytown area. Here is something to consider.

Eric Wolford is a graduate of Ursuline High School. Taking the YSU job was a homecoming of sorts. To date, his attempts to return the program to a consistent playoff team have not come to fruition, and there are legitimate reasons to believe YSU is headed toward yet another non playoff season.

Jon Heacock is a native of Beloit, and graduate of West Branch High School. He was defensive backs coach at YSU in 1991, and then DC from 92-96 and again in 2000. His teams played hard, the program did not have much in the way of issues off the field, but YSU only made the playoffs 1 time in 9 years.

Jim Tressel had NO direct ties to the Youngstown area or to YSU. While he was a native of Ohio, and attended college at BW, very few people in the Ytown area had heard of him when he was hired. The first season(2-9) was ugly, except for that AWESOME win over Akron in the last game of the season. The 2nd season, YSU won the OVC Title and made the playoffs. The 3rd season was another WTF season. I still remember YSU using 3 QB's on the same possession at times. And, the result was a 4-7 record, including losses to Kent and Akron.

Then, in 1989, YSU made the playoffs, won a 1st round game at EKU, and the rest as they say is history.

My point, hiring a person with ties to Youngstown or YSU may not be the way to go. YSU has tried that with Heacock and Wolford, and the result has been 1 trip to the playoffs in 13 years. Unless Wolford is able to channel Jim Tressel circa 1989, it could be 1 playoff appearance in 14 years at the end of this season.

The way for YSU to go should a change be made might be with a current FCS Head Coach who is having success at a program in a lower tier conference, or a current D2 Head Coach with a history of success. YSU would be a step up for coach's like this, and even with a lower salary than Wolford is making, it would likely be an increase in pay. I'm thinking paying a new HC(if one is hired) no more than $150,000 per year in their initial contract. There can be incentives for winning the MVFC, making the playoffs, advancing to the Championship Game, Winning a Championship.

$150,000 plus all the benefits would be an increase in compensation for HC's in low level FCS conferences and HC's at the D2 level. The facilities at YSU, especially WATTS would be a huge draw for potential coach's. So would having an opportunity to coach in the MVFC, which is consistently one of the Top 1-3 conferences in FCS. And, this new coach would also have the possibility of building NEW traditions of success at YSU.

Just something to consider.

[Wick250]

Talk,

I agree completely.  A Mahoning Valley pedigree is irrelevant.  The problem with Heacock and Wolford was their lack of head coaching experience.  Tressel grew into the position; these two did not.  That is a gamble we just can not afford to take.

We are so angry and frustrated that we forget just how attractive this job could be to a young, ambitious lower division HEAD coach.  More money, plenty of funds to hire quality assistants, a quality stadium, a state-of-the-art training facility, tradition, overwhelming media attention (compared to lower divisions,) and location in a quality recruiting zone.  Ohio and Western Pennsylvania might have fallen behind Florida, California, and Texas but this sure ain't the Dakotas.  Oh, and add the chance to work for coaching icon Jim Tressel.

Hey, maybe we will get a miracle, hold serve in the remaining home games, and actually beat a quality opponent on the road.  But if the administration and trustees are not thinking ahead like you are, they are not doing their jobs.

[ysuguins4]

There are certain members on this board openly cheering against ysu. Dan asked me not to attack them on the board. I've posted a private message to one. He coward and never replied. Stop hiding behind the computer. If you root against ysu you are the enemy. Wick250 I'm staring right at you.

Wick250 has been posting on this board for as long as I've been following it, and I've never been under the impression that he is rooting against the Guins.  I believe he even follows the Olympic sports quite closely.  He, like many others on here, has grown frustrated that we haven't been able to attend a playoff game since 2006.  The longest such streak since 1980-1986.