FB: North Coast Athletic Conference

[short]

With Cap's Coach moving on I only of 9 of 10 Coaches so here is a new Name

# 10 Erik Raeburn (Coe, 36 years old) Has a good record and is from Ohio. I also think he will be trying to get the Capital Job but would think that Wabash is a better job than Capital.

[LG Alum]

Hery Smed, are you implying that Ward isn't a great footbal l"Coach" along with recruiter?  His resume as an assistant, and as one of those Coordinators  you mention under Creighton would suggest he is nothing but an equally impressive "on the field" coach.  However, you bring up a point I would like to touch on.  I think it will be important that they bring in some type of consultant to prove how knowledgeable a candidate is.  Wabash has many knwledgeable alums that are coaching, why not bring in Metzleaars to be part of the search committee?? That would ensure that Wabash would bring in a god x's and o's guy.
Hacklin? Why bring in an administrator to coach a football team??So what ifhe coached RB's at a terrible football school?

I agree with you Smed, I think it is going to be someone that is completely under the radar though.  I think  because of my loyalty and reasoning that Ward would be awesome, but I think it will work out like it did last time. Everyone expected Mohr, or Sirianni., or a name guy. Those guys interviewed, flopped or weren't a good fit, and Wabash got the guy no one heard of.  Which turned out to be perfect!

[wally_wabash]

Is it?  How many championships has he won?

That would be zero.

What he has done is walk into a very difficult situation and do things that few people thought he could or would. He is recruiting exceptionally well...last year's class probably one of the best in school history (certainly in recent memory)...three fresman played significant minutes on the DL and freshmen and sophomores were key contributors on both sides of the ball. And it's still early, but I'm hearing that
this year's recruiting class should continue the trend. He also has the Monon Bell after an 8-2 sophomore season. So I would say things are working out...certainly headed in the right direction.

Walker's mandate was to "adequately manage" the program.  The bar wasn't exactly set high there.  

[Ryan Tipps]

Joe Hacklin...wow................................?

Living as far away from Wabash as I do, I'm rarely in the loop when it comes to hearing what alumni and others are thinking. And the first time I post something that I've heard along those lines, I get wow-ed.....twice.    Run away! Run away!

[wabco]

Lets put Hacklin to bed.

His years as BB Coach were marked with mediocre returns plus a rep for getting technicals for outbursts.  I recall one memorable one at Hope College ... reminicent of the best of the IU outbursts.  If my information is correct, his longevity at K may have been ended not by him.  I think the phrase is something like "determining to move on to other challenges".

Not to have a problem with Joe personally ... I have met him several times and he is a very personable man.  I suspect if we were (hmmmm) to look for a replacement for Vern ... he may be a good selection.  I am sure hisa is a positive AD force where is is (given his longevity in college athletics) BUT ... I think the demonstrated coaching demeanor is not what Wabash wants.

[Ryan Tipps]

Then I will move on to comment on a name that I have a more personal knowledge of: Pedro Arruza. He was mentioned on someone's Top 10 list earlier.

I would be surprised if he left the program at Randolph-Macon that he has worked so hard to build. He's a great coach and an even better person. Which is why I was dismayed to see someone poo-poo his record. If people knew the full extent of what he has done to get R-MC's team and culture on track, that comment wouldn't have been made.

Yes, he has Midwestern ties, but he has a lot invested in his current job and has told me that he is happy where he's at, and more importantly, that his family is happy, too.

I don't see him leaving, but of course, never say never.

[smedindy]

Come on smeds, injuries aren't an excuse.  Injuries happen to everybody.  Great teams overcome them and still accomplish goals. 

Great teams with depth at the position overcome them. It can be argued that the SCAC was ripe for the taking, and injuries sapped DPUs depth.

Ok, now I need to stop this line of thinking. Must think of all of the co-eds we stole from Danny men....

[smedindy]

Hery Smed, are you implying that Ward isn't a great footbal l"Coach" along with recruiter?  His resume as an assistant, and as one of those Coordinators  you mention under Creighton would suggest he is nothing but an equally impressive "on the field" coach. 

I didn't mean it totally that way. Many great coordinators aren't cut out to be head coaches. Many great recruiters aren't cut out to be head coaches. Ward has proven that he is an excellent recruiter, and his special teams at Wabash were top notch. Does that translate into being a successful head coach? The jury is out on Ward, with only one season under his belt. If Ward had a few more seasons as a head coach, with a good record, then I'd think he'd be a top candidate.

I had been thinking a top-notch coordinator would be good to step in, but the more I think about it the more I think Wabash needs to get a coach with a track record of sustaining excellence and can attract top notch assistants and coordinators.

[wally_wabash]

Hery Smed, are you implying that Ward isn't a great footbal l"Coach" along with recruiter?  His resume as an assistant, and as one of those Coordinators  you mention under Creighton would suggest he is nothing but an equally impressive "on the field" coach. 

I didn't mean it totally that way. Many great coordinators aren't cut out to be head coaches. Many great recruiters aren't cut out to be head coaches. Ward has proven that he is an excellent recruiter, and his special teams at Wabash were top notch. Does that translate into being a successful head coach? The jury is out on Ward, with only one season under his belt. If Ward had a few more seasons as a head coach, with a good record, then I'd think he'd be a top candidate.

I had been thinking a top-notch coordinator would be good to step in, but the more I think about it the more I think Wabash needs to get a coach with a track record of sustaining excellence and can attract top notch assistants and coordinators.

To be fair, I don't think anybody had a problem with the job being offered to Coach Neathery and I don't think anybody would have had any problem whatsoever had he accepted.  Coach Neathery would have been a first time head coach...were Wabash to make a play at Coach Ward, I think the program would still get every advantage it would have had if Neathery accepted (continuity, familiarity with Wabash and how to sell the College to recruits, etc. etc. etc.). 

[Pat Coleman]

To add another log to the fire, the name I'm being told that has come up in discussion among some of the Bash bigwigs is Joe Hacklin.

It's like hiring Larry Brown to coach the Colts. Does not compute. I hope this is just someone throwing out alumni names and isn't actually serious.

Unless, in either a cost cutting move or to replicate the DPU/Matt Walker model, we are going to hire him as both the Head Football Coach and Head Basketball Coach!

This is not even close to funny.   

I disagree. It's close to funny.

[Pat Coleman]

For all the discussion of Joe Haklin, let's spell his name right.

[joepieters]

Happy New Year, fellas!

[smedindy]

For all the discussion of Joe Haklin, let's spell his name right.

I did!!

[Stinger]

For all the discussion of Joe Haklin, let's spell his name right.

Thanks Pat, was just going to correct that. 

Wabco,  Haklin was an excellent coach, excellent recruiter at Kalamazoo and had excellent teams.  Wabash would be lucky to have an alumn like Joe Haklin. He's a Wabash Hall of Famer, 2 sport Academic All-America with a passion for small college athletics.  He's probably more intelligient than half of Wabash's faculty. 

That being said, I think he is very happy at Marian.  He and his family seemed to have settled nicely in Indianapolis and really enjoy it there. I can't see him on the sidelines at this point.

[wabco]

Stinger

Not sure where you are coming from.  I was not being negative about Joe Haklin as a person or as an athlete from Wabash.  I was just remarking that he does not have the credentials to come in as a head coach for the Wabash football program.

Your comment regarding Hornet BB and Haklin:  "excellent coach, excellent recruiter, and had excellent teams".

The record in fact is this:
1.  lifetime over 15 seasons ... 218-166
2.  last 5 years:  10-15 and 5th in conference (97-98), 11-14 and 6th in conference (98-99), 10-15 and 6th in conference (99-00), 9-16 and 5th in conference (00-01), 17-10 and 2nd in conference (01-02) for record the last 5 years of 57-70.
3.  reported in Kalamazoo Gazzette and in D III Basketball as dismissed by Kalamazoo College as head coach on March 6, 2002 as "an internal personnel matter".
4.  no college football head coaching experience that I have been able to find.

Not trying to cause Joe any angst ... but your comment was simply an accurate.  I am sure he worked very hard and did as well as one can expect trying to make a silk purse as may be allowed at K College.