FB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[BoBo]

Mankato Free-Press article from 1/11 on their vacancy.  The article indicates some candidates "have been interviewed," while others, including LL "are being pursued"...interestingly, Curt Wiese, who is the coach at Marietta College and played QB at both UWSP and Mankato and a WW finalist last year, is also on that list. (flash, another guy you can run up the flag pole!)

A couple other tidbits...In the Mankato job description it says that they are looking for someone with a commitment to D-II.  The fact the LL left D2 to go to D3 a year ago might work against him...officially the search committee won't meet until next week, as they are waiting for classes to resume, as there are at least 2 professors and 2 student athletes on the search committee. My source tells me that the timeline is probably open ended, and will drag deep through the recruiting window, if not beyond...however, there seems to be considerable debate over the lack of scholarships available for this year - there may be little or no money to give out to potential recuits this year and whoever gets the job will have a huge coaching task turning around a sub-500 team...one guy to keep an eye on who wasn't listed in the Free-Press article is Spence Nowinsky, currently coaching DL at Emporia State.  He played at MSU & coached at MSU. He began his collegiate coaching career as a defensive graduate assistant at Wisconsin form 1999-2002. Of course, the Badgers won the 2000 Rose Bowl over Stanford. He also coached at Wittenberg-Birnamwood ( Wis.) HS from 1997-99.  Nowinsky was a four year letterwinner for Minnesota State from 1991-94 as a defensive lineman.  Seems to be a favorite of a lot of people there.

[Goal Line Stand]

BoBo- Sorry to hear you wouldn't like me for a boss. I like people who have some sense of loyalty. LL said when he was hired how this was his dream job, and how lucky he was, and how he wanted to retire from WW. A year later he is job hunting? How great is that for recruiting? What good recruit will want to come to WW knowing the coach is wanting out? I say let him go right now and try to find someone who wants the job.

I agree.  Everything he said a year ago to get the job seems to have been a line of bull!  Seems his plan was to drop in for one year taking over an elite program that was built by a previous coaching staff, one that prided itself on stability, only to pad his resume and split. Yes, he closed the deal but come on!  He was standing on Brez's, Zweifel and Borland's, etc shoulders at the Stagg!

[stealth]

What I and many want to know is why LL is so quite about all this ? Pisses me off about the rumor but now I'm getting more pissed because he hasn't said anything. Should we now call him Lance Petrino or the head coach of the National Champions ? Does make for some good banter amongst us. Let's start another one, Raebel, Beaver, Jones, Griz and company come back to coach !!

BoBo- Sorry to hear you wouldn't like me for a boss. I like people who have some sense of loyalty. LL said when he was hired how this was his dream job, and how lucky he was, and how he wanted to retire from WW. A year later he is job hunting? How great is that for recruiting? What good recruit will want to come to WW knowing the coach is wanting out? I say let him go right now and try to find someone who wants the job.

I agree.  Everything he said a year ago to get the job seems to have been a line of bull!  Seems his plan was to drop in for one year taking over an elite program that was built by a previous coaching staff, one that prided itself on stability, only to pad his resume and split. Yes, he closed the deal but come on!  He was standing on Brez's, Zweifel and Borland's, etc shoulders at the Stagg!

[Klopenhiemer]

Hey boys WW won a national title and congrats.  Why are we arguing over reloading vs. rebuilding?  Do you not think the boys on Collegville, MN are gunning for your positing next year?  You lost Beaver and a load of other starters.  I hope you have the luxury of reloading, but on the surface this looks like rebuilding.  Plus you have a coach who is supposedly looking to leave for another schools.  Looks like a staff that moped up on the talent and inspired a national title run, only to take their rings and hed elsewhere. 

BoBo, you are always quick to do two things, defend WW on reloading, and post a sweet graphic in your profile.  Keep up the good work. 

PS:  Bobo I would like to know where you get those graphics, they are pretty cool.  +k. 

[Klopenhiemer]

Flash +k again another day and you make me laugh.  Good work. 

[janesvilleflash]

Ok, a day to digest the LL saga, and here's where I landed...I was all for hiring him, and think he did a great job pulling everything together last season. I wish he would stay for the "long haul" like he said he would.

I also understand people should strive to improve themselves, and he must think the National Championship is his spring board to do that. Ok, that's fine.

Having said that, if he doesn't get a different job, I don't want him back. Every good recruit in the midwest now knows he's either out or wanting out. Three years of going to the Stagg, and getting all the publicity to lure recruits will be basically down the drain if he stays now. The best case is to get a new coach in and established asap.

If we have somehow misunderstood this whole thing, and he has no intentions of leaving, I think he should dispel the rumors right away and put an end to it.

Think I have it right? or what are others thoughts?

[kubiack78]

Also just for BDB... rare footage of the "SWAMP" that stouts field was back in 92'

OK kubiak, let's see it! 

I'm working on it,  I'm a security guy not a computer guy

[warhawkclownshow]

It doesn't matter who the head coach is, the hawks will still be the team to beat in the WIAC.  It's not like he recruited any of these kids or even coached them, what position does LL coach again?  As long as the core staff stays on board they will be fine.

[dawarhawksrock]

However he was the one who answered the phone when Danny Jones called. He might have not recruited many of the players, however you have to give him credit for the current freshman class,and keeping the team and coaching staff together throughtout the transition period from coach Brezowitz to him.
The hawks are  team to beat not only in the WIAC but in all of division three football.
Hopefully someone comes out and says something oen way or another as I would hate to see other WIAC teams using this against the Hawks in recruiting.
Whether it is true or not I don't see Mankato State making something like this up,and then a newspaper putting it in their paper if it wasn't true.

[KitchenSink]

You know, I could be wrong, but the Mankato article makes it sound like they have called LL.  He may have said anything from buzz off to lemmethinkaboutit to ohyeahhowmuch$$.  I'm not yet convinced that phone call that seems to have happened was anything more than a courtesy call.

I'm not throwing LL under the bus.  Not based on what has been bantered about so far.

[dawarhawksrock]

Kitchensink,
I am with you what if it was just a courtesy call,as they were looking to see if the former UNO OC and current division three national champions head coach would be interested.
If thats the case which my gut feeling thinks it is then a lot of people on here saying that he should be fired are over reacting.
It is a Division 2 school and therefore would be a step up in terms of scholarships being given out and everything.
However until he is a finalist I am not worried about it. However it is hard to believe that it's not true as I know newspaper reporters have a tendency to make things sound the way they want them to. However to make something up is a whole another thing which I think is called unethical, and could result in that writer getting fired. So there has to be some truth to it. Whatw as said is between Mankato state and coach Leipold.

[BoBo]

You know, I could be wrong, but the Mankato article makes it sound like they have called LL.  He may have said anything from buzz off to lemmethinkaboutit to ohyeahhowmuch$$.  I'm not yet convinced that phone call that seems to have happened was anything more than a courtesy call.

I'm not throwing LL under the bus.  Not based on what has been bantered about so far.

I tend to agree with you on this, KitchenSink. I think it's wise to throw caution to the wind and let any facts become known before making snap judgements about the man's character or loyalty. All that is really known at this time is a lot of inuendo The coaches just had their convention also, and you know a lot of talking about jobs goes on there, in not only well-lit corridors, but darkened lounges of the convention hall or down the street at the Motel 8 with piranha-like AD's swarming over coaches like they are nothing more than fresh meat.  It brings up an interesting dilemma, on one hand, you have a small number of AD's trying to hang on to a relationship they have with their coach and on the other hand, other AD's trying to pry them apart.  One year or another, they have to reverse roles.  I think they are as much to blame for the many sudden changes coaches have gone through in recent memory as the coaches themselves...or boosters, ala the University of Washington news last week. BTW, the way I view it, loyalty, honor, committment - those are rare commodities these days in the new generation of coaches and players alike. Looking out for #1 is far and away the priority - generally confused with greed - but either way, it's the reality of the day...take it or leave it.

Oh, one last thing...saying that it's up to LL to confirm or deny the rumors amounts to acknowledging that he is aware of the issue being discussed on this or any other message board.  I seriously doubt he reads this stuff, so it's quite possible it's not even on his tongue.  I say give him the benefit of the doubt until the facts are in.

[janesvilleflash]

Wrong on the coaches reading the board. They do, for sure.

[BoBo]

Wrong on the coaches reading the board. They do, for sure.

Ok, I stand corrected...I thought these message boards were for people like me with nothing better to do with my limited spare time. 

[rookie11]

So who is going to be Whitewaters QB next season?