FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[smedindy]

Big time congrats to CJ. Well deserved!

[gobash83]

WallyWorld - from my perspective and from helping with recruiting over the years, if we lose a guy because of the all-male thing, they were missing quite a bit.  In other words, they were likely not the right fit in the first place.  Do guys go to the Naval Academy because of chicks?  How about West Point?  Does a guy go to Harvard for women?  Those are extreme examples but hopefully make a point.  It happens, no knock to the recruits, but it's not a super common thing.  I also think the more a recruit looks at Wabash, the more they "get it" and the lower the all-male factor weighs in.

I agree with BB and would add that in my experience if we can get the recruit to step foot on campus, the odds increase in our favor signficantly.  I suspect that most of the ones we lose due to being all-male are lost before they even take the time to learn about Wabash.  Of course, we lose some afterwards, but probably for other reasons (good or bad) than being single sex.

[smedindy]

BB16 is right, there has to be a fit for the campus otherwise you're going to be miserable. And if you choose or disqualify a college based solely on a criteria such as gender (or social scene) you're not a good fit for that college anyway.

Besides, one of the rites of passage at Wabash are the road trips to get the girls for the parties. Those trips are just as fun as the parties themselves. Well, except the hung-over, 2/3 asleep trips to drop them back to IU, Purdue, Butler or DPU when you're the driver and can't turn on the stereo in the car because everyone has a headache...

[WABCOL86]

BB16 is right, there has to be a fit for the campus otherwise you're going to be miserable. And if you choose or disqualify a college based solely on a criteria such as gender (or social scene) you're not a good fit for that college anyway.

Besides, one of the rites of passage at Wabash are the road trips to get the girls for the parties. Those trips are just as fun as the parties themselves. Well, except the hung-over, 2/3 asleep trips to drop them back to IU, Purdue, Butler or DPU when you're the driver and can't turn on the stereo in the car because everyone has a headache...

And this.  Of course, there was always the buses to take the girls back to St. Mary of the Woods...   LOL

[wally_wabash]

BB16 is right, there has to be a fit for the campus otherwise you're going to be miserable. And if you choose or disqualify a college based solely on a criteria such as gender (or social scene) you're not a good fit for that college anyway.

Besides, one of the rites of passage at Wabash are the road trips to get the girls for the parties. Those trips are just as fun as the parties themselves. Well, except the hung-over, 2/3 asleep trips to drop them back to IU, Purdue, Butler or DPU when you're the driver and can't turn on the stereo in the car because everyone has a headache...

And this.  Of course, there was always the buses to take the girls back to St. Mary of the Woods...   LOL

Oh my....the Woodsies.  I just had a horrid flashback. 

[FightinScot]

http://www.battlingbishops.com/news/2011/12/12/FB_1212110713.aspx


Came across my FB feed. I'm guessing this will come as good news to some OWU fans out there.

[aueagle]

and so the search begins........

[formerd3db]

You've been waiting for this to happen.  Do you think the process will take a long time; will they go outside the program for a fresh start; will they keep Delaney; and who do you see (in your own opinion) as potential leading candidates?  I'm sure there will be a ton of applications - I heard that even at Olivet College (MI) they had 120 applications, which they've now narrowed down to three finalist candidates.  It will be interesting to see what happens.  Also, will Hollaway be staying on in a teaching and/or administrative capacity and/or perhaps even an assistant coach in the future?

BTW, nice new OWU website.  I like it.

[smedindy]

Did he jump or was he pushed?

Anyway, I would hope OWU goes and grabs a coordinator at a powerhouse team or an up-and-coming coach that's rebuilt a program. The NCAC needs the Bishops to improve!

[Bishopleftiesdad]

Who they pick will probably say a lot on how badly they want to win. Hopefully the new coach will be able to keep kids for 4 years, instead of always srarting over.

[wally_wabash]

Talking to the UMU guys in Alliance last Friday, we agreed that OWU was a place that a lot of good coaches can win. They have the facilities, they have a good athletics program, and they are in a sweet location. I think this is an attractive position. I have no doubt that Coach Hollway is an important and positive figure at Ohio Wesleyan, but talking strictly football this is an exciting moment for the Bishops and the NCAC. The right guy in that spot can do really great things there. Will be interesting to see who winds up there.

[smedindy]

Who they pick will probably say a lot on how badly they want to win. Hopefully the new coach will be able to keep kids for 4 years, instead of always srarting over.

That is the key. You have to have 15+ seniors make it through the program to get that continuity. Those seniors don't have to start, just be there for four years and give the team wisdom, leadership and experience. Senior reserves can really stabilize a team, much like senior starters.

[ExTartanPlayer]

I'm sure there will be a ton of applications - I heard that even at Olivet College (MI) they had 120 applications, which they've now narrowed down to three finalist candidates.

I agree that there will be a ton of applications, but I'm guessing that there will only be a dozen or so applications from REALISTIC candidates (see below*).  I think that a lot of people out there may underestimate how serious a Division III football coaching gig is.

*As an outgoing senior at CMU, I served as a "student representative" on a search committee to hire a third full-time assistant coach (our offensive and defensive coordinators were already full-time; we were adding a "jack-of-all-trades" position for someone to serve as video coordinator, recruiting coordinator, and strength & conditioning coach).  We got about 75 applications, but many of those came from people that weren't even CLOSE to the qualifications that we were seeking (we asked that applicants have a graduate degree, collegiate coaching experience, and some level of strength-coaching certification).

We actually got applications from junior high coaches, high-school volunteer assistants, or even some guys that had never even BEEN a football coach on any level.  One application actually came from someone that had never coached OR played football - in his cover letter, he extolled his virtues as a huge football fan and assured us that he could learn the game.

I know that some junior-high coaches and high-school assistants know the game very well; but the point is that those people weren't even remotely qualified for the job description.  If you get 100 applications, I'm guessing that you'll throw away at least 50 of them without a second glance, and you might actually get 10-15 from guys that will be legitimate candidates for the position (guys with prior head-coaching experience somewhere, some veteran collegiate coordinators, and maybe a few up-and-coming grad-assistant-types that haven't been a coordinator yet but can really sell you on a program vision).

[ExTartanPlayer]

Who they pick will probably say a lot on how badly they want to win. Hopefully the new coach will be able to keep kids for 4 years, instead of always srarting over.

That is the key. You have to have 15+ seniors make it through the program to get that continuity. Those seniors don't have to start, just be there for four years and give the team wisdom, leadership and experience. Senior reserves can really stabilize a team, much like senior starters.

I also want to second this comment.  A large senior class really means a lot on the Division III level, especially for mid-level programs that are trying to take a step "up" (i.e. from 4-6ish to 7-3, or from 7-3ish to 9-1).  Obviously you have the powerhouses that are good every year because they constantly reload, but for the "rest" of Division III the best way to take a step "up" a level is to bring in two or three straight classes of good recruits and KEEP a large portion of them.

I know that CWRU took a lot of flack this year re: their playoff worthiness, but check out what happened there from 2007-2011.  In the 2005-06 campaigns, they were pretty mediocre, but they brought in large recruiting classes.  In 2007, they broke through with an undefeated season, which kept the recruiting momentum going, and provided the fuel for sustained success.  Now, even after the graduation of stud QB Dan Whalen, they have put together an 8-2 season and a 9-1 season.  IMHO, pre-2007 CWRU would never have sustained this kind of success after graduating a star player like Whalen.  But now that they have kept a lot of seniors in the program for a consistent five-year period, the depth has improved to the point where they can lose a key player and still have a successful season the next year.

[aueagle]

The Bishop program has been in the basement for a long, long time and after averaging 3 wins a season the last 6 yrs, the (and I quote the 2011 media guide) "Continue the momentum"....and.."the 2010 Bishops became one of the most entertaing teams" sound-bites just folded like a house of cards. In reality, there was no momentum..and if I want to be entertained...I'll sit through the halftime show. We are all football people...we want to WIN...The how & why of the events of the period between the last game and a few days ago, don't matter anymore.
It is a special time in Ohio Wesleyan football...the canvas is blank. Prez Rock, AD Ingles, the football brain-trust, W Association
/Alumni/players/etc. must come together to create a new era.
In the past, I've mentioned "expectations"....OWU, in this process, will reveal what they really want from the program. An old coach named George Allen had a theme for his team...it was "The Future Is Now."
There are 61 Battling Bishops that return for 2012...They want a leader...to win championships...they're waiting & ready....
Everyday since Monday is the Bishops foundation...the future.
GO BISHOPS