FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE]

It is a dark dark day for Adrian College football...

http://www.lenconnect.com/sports/x870215258/BREAKING-NEWS-Adrian-College-parts-ways-with-football-coach-Jim-Lyall

Its official, Jim Lyall was terminated at 2pm this afternoon.  As of now I am aware of 5 coaches having been terminated, Lyall, Hancock, Embry, Evans, Johnston.  I do not have word either way as to whether the other two Deere, Haines have been retained at this point but will update when i find out more.

[ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE]

The above article mentions it but it appears that Jim Deere has been named the new head coach, there will be a press release tomorrow morning.

[ADL70]

Looks like Trine will be traveling to Clevelend to take on Case Wester.  I've been trying to find any info on them that I can online, but does anyone have a take on them?  They are obviously very good with a 31 regular season game winning streak and ranked 9 in the nation.

You can watch:

http://www.youtube.com/user/case#p/search/2/oBtoC2xgfnE

[D306]

Adrian Coaching Change

The change in direction and coachs at Adrian is not all that surprising.
The monies spent for the new Stadiums, numerous high ranked recruits coming to the program, the level of talent was high we are told by the reviews each year.
The unexplained flat play during several games this year, poor home record this year.

I also think the sudden success at Trine / Tri-State has lite a fire under the Admin. at Adrian.

I am not close enough to the program to say if these criticisms are fair and accurate, I will leave that to those closer to the team.

I would like to thank the coachs for thier many years of hard work and success in the MIAA. They have had a significant influence on many young men.

I think Trine's success has sent a "shock - wave" through several programs.
The long time founders and members of the MIAA, should be looking hard at themselves and ask are we doing all we can, while staying in the framework of what the MIAA is all about, Academic Performance.

[70_dc_alum]

It is a dark dark day for Adrian College football...

http://www.lenconnect.com/sports/x870215258/BREAKING-NEWS-Adrian-College-parts-ways-with-football-coach-Jim-Lyall

Its official, Jim Lyall was terminated at 2pm this afternoon.  As of now I am aware of 5 coaches having been terminated, Lyall, Hancock, Embry, Evans, Johnston.  I do not have word either way as to whether the other two Deere, Haines have been retained at this point but will update when i find out more.

Wow...i have a lot of respect for coach Lyall and obviously Embry since i played with him.  nothing like letting go of a 20 year Head Coach after back to back 2nd place finishes.  when did Adrian become Notre Dame expecting perfection every year?  especially considering there have been some really bad years that they never took action on.  not much of change foing to someone who has been on staff for 17 years...Rodriguez should be looking for a job in another week after the Bucks leave Ann Arbor

[BoredatWork56]

First, a congratulations to all of the players and families who just played or watched their sons played their last games.  Playing four years of college football is an incredible accomplishment, and all of the memories made will be cherished long after the playing days are through.

I heard the rumblings about the Adrian coaching change shortly after the Trine game.  As a player that went through a complete coaching overhaul at Trine, I can say that a fresh face at the head of the football program can completly turn a program around.  Adrian isnt nearly as low as the Tri-State team was when the coaching staff was replaced, so perhaps the turnaround will be a quick one.

For all of you wondering about Case Western Reserve and the playoff matchup against Trine:  Case has a very good offense, ranked 7th in the nation with 478 ypg.  The offense is lead by a passing attack ranked 7th in the nation.  They put up some big numbers scoring 44 ppg.  Thats good enough for 3rd in the country.  They have a balanced offense as far as ball distribution.  No one player has dominating stats rushing or catching the ball.  the quarter back is ranked 2nd in passing efficiency.  The defense is above average ranked 53rd.

They are impressive statistically, but they have been largly untested this season.  They have only played one team with a winning record.  That was a 14 point win against 5-4 Chicago.  That was also their closest game of the season.  Their opponents winning percentage is very poor, ranked 213th in the nation.  For comparison, Trine had the 98th toughest schedule. it will be interesting to see if the big numbers are a product of a very weak schedule, or the product of a very good team.

[wabco]

Congrats to Trine.

First, Case has a very different and neat stadium ... with dorms integrated into and looking out on the field.  They are good hosts.

Second, Case has an outstanding QB with receivers to match.  Wabash beat them the last two times we met (both times at their field) but it was a barn burner both times.  They are hungry - as we got them out ogf the playoffs each time - so bring your "A" game.  Stop their QB and their "all World" LB and you will have a chance ... but play sloppy and bad things will happen ... they are that good and will take advantage.

Good luck.  Great to see three teams from Indiana in the playoffs.

[ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE]

D306:

"The monies spent for the new Stadiums, numerous high ranked recruits coming to the program, the level of talent was high we are told by the reviews each year.
The unexplained flat play during several games this year, poor home record this year."

The money spent was great but the fact of the matter is that Jim Lyall, his accomplishments and the connections and relationships are a large part of what built that stadium the same goes for the talent without lyall it wasnt going to be there when the stadium was built.  The fact of the matter is that this is Division III football.  Lyall was 55-25 in the  last 8 years a 69% winning percentage, finished second in the MIAA for the last two season after taking Trine to the wire each year.  If Trines success is now going to result in a win at all costs atmosphere than I would hate to see that happen.  Lyall still had the players and still had the program, 100 or so players were there to see him off with much applause.  I may look at it differently but I feel the role of a division III coach should be as a recruiter and molder of men something that coach lyall did in spades.  The reason he is gone is because he did not win a title in the 4 years that the new administration took over, if the MIAA gets in the process of getting rid of coaches for not winning titles in 4 year spans than I for one dont want to be associated with it anymore.  Coach Lyall was the embodiment of what an MIAA and Division III coach should be, he won, he recruited, he shaped the lives of young men, he fund raised, and he made sure we all graduated.  I dont know what more one can realistically expect.  Sometimes you win the big one sometimes you dont, but by the standard set at Adrian Cole, Kreps, Rundle and others wouldnt have a job if they worked at Adrian.

70_dc_alum:

I agree the focus was on winning far to heavily and not on the other aspects that make a coach successful.  There were many lean years, I was part of a couple but coach Lyall was able to recruit and bring the talent in then to turn it around and since then Adrian has been a top MIAA .  I would agree that it seems to be change for the sake of change by bringing someone in that played and coached under Lyall.  I can say that I feel that Deere will do a very good job as he shares the same type of passion that great coaches posses.

[BOYA87]

It is sad to see such a long standing coach at a long standing program have to leave the MIAA.  To coach as long as Lyall did and still be achieving success in the MIAA should not be seen as a failure.  I do understand how a new face can reenergize a program and a campus, but its still sad to see a new administration get rid of an old coach just because he hasnt "won the big one" in 4 years.

As far as Case Western goes, I watched some film on them and they look very quick and talented.  Their QB has an absolute cannon for an arm and seems like he likes to throw on the run a lot.  Trine has always struggled against strong passing teams defensively using a sort of "bend dont break" method of play.  However I feel like they have been much stronger against the pass after moving former DB Matt Curry to outside linebacker.  He adds better speed and coverage in those underneath zones which is helpful and our D line and inside backers always do a good job of stopping the run.  I dont know if I will get to make it to Clevelend this weekend but I certainly cant wait to see how the game goes.  I think Trine has a great opportunity to get a win in the playoffs. 

[CometFan]

First time poster....A little late in the season, I know.  Sorry about that.  Just wanted to get opinions on this d3 senior classic.  As far as I know, 2 young men from Olivet and 2 from Kalamazoo have been selected.  Any thoughts or opinions on this situation.  Congratulations to these seniors. 

[Pat Coleman]

This is the one in Salem on Dec. 5? We're kind of taking a wait-and-see approach ourselves. Depends on who the players are and how good the product is.

[formerd3db]

Coach Lyall is a class coach/gentlemen (even his longtime friend and former staff coach Adrian AD Duffy said the same as quoted in the article).  I am sad to see this change and, while I do not know the particulars of why and how the process was done (i.e. how it was handled by the college administration), as an "outsider", I don't agree with it.  All I can say is that if the new head coach Deere doesn't win an MIAA title in the next 2-3 years, are they going to be consistent and hold him to the same standards?  Nothing personal against Deere since I don't know him and I'm sure he is a fine coach, but while his defense was highly ranked as metioned in the article, Adrian didn't stop some teams to win some games - in that regard, I guess they don't count that as being a part of the need for change.  That is puzzling to me as was the decision also to not open the search for a head coach to the outside intially if they wanted a "big change", although certainly include Deere as a candidate in the intial search.  While rumors were abound around the league about this coming down, still, I'm shocked.  I know some other Adrian alumns are not happy with this decision either.  It will be interesting to see where Lyall may end up if he decides to continue his coaching career.  It will also be even more interesting to see how Adrian fairs next year.  

   

[miaafbfan]

Best wishes to coach Lyall.  It's disappointing to see anybody let go that way.  I also wonder how this changes the tone in the MIAA.  Time will tell.

Good luck to Trine in the playoffs!  It's an interesting matchup.  

[formerd3db]

Hey CometFan, welcome to the board!  You should have joined in earlier this season, unless there was some underlying reason that would have precluded you from doing so i.e. within the rules here!   Anyway, we'll look forward to your contributions.

[ADAWGISADAWG4LIFE]

What Really happened to Jim Lyall:

After the game Saturday night the staff was informed by Coach Rainey and Fogarty that they would need to meet with the head of HR in the classroom under the stadium. At that meeting they were given letters explaining that there would be meetings on Sunday regarding their employment. No one from administration was present and they pawned the job of breaking the news off to the baseball coach (Rainey) and hockey coach (Fogarty). Sunday at 2pm Lyall met with the HR director and athletic director no explanation was given for the dismissal and none was asked for to prevent giving validity to what they were trying to do. The meeting was brief, by 2:15 Lyall was back and cleaning out his office with the help of alumni and some seniors, all the coaches who were let go were also out of their offices and the Merrilat Center by Sunday evening. As Lyall was cleaning his office out they had a campus safety officer present to escort coach Lyall off of college property.  Coach Lyall always taught us as players and as a coach when I worked under him to have character and integrity, something that was lacking in the colleges actions on Saturday and Sunday.  When Coach Lyall finished cleaning out his office he left the offices to find roughly 100 players and numerous alumni waiting for him which he received extended applause from. Through it all Coach Lyall still never lost the players or the team and that is truly the only reason that a coach at the Division III with his success should be let go and left Adrian College with nothing but positive words for the players and a positive attitude despite the misfortune that was heaped upon him today.  Coach Lyall deserved far better treatment than the administration decided to give him.

Part of me wants to be happy for Coach Deere as I have known him to be a good man and an excellent coach who I think has the potential to do good things at Adrian College.  The hire was the best possible outcome of a terrible decision making process that will give the program and the players some stability which is what it is all about.  At the same time I do not know that I will ever be able to forgive Adrian College for what it has done to Jim Lyall, he was and still is Adrian College football.  If there was such a pressing need to be rid of Coach Lyall and wipe the slate clean as they have than I am a bit confused still to this point as to how that was done by bringing in a coach who played for and worked under Lyall.