FB: American Rivers Conference

[NewKnightDad]

Uncle Stan just wasn't the right fit I guess is the best way I can put what I was told by a member of the Luther football team at the time of the interview.

Do they regret that discision today?  I would certainly think so but that player says no.

He is doing a great job at Dubuque and we all know the UD fans are glad Luther didn't hire him.

[badgerwarhawk]

University of Dubuque Football Coaches Show - October 22, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LCzbCoM5hUg

Recaps the UD/Coe game and previews the UD/Wartburg. 

Thanks for posting the link each week.  I've enjoyed the shows.

[notlongago]

Uncle Stan just wasn't the right fit I guess is the best way I can put what I was told by a member of the Luther football team at the time of the interview.

Do they regret that discision today?  I would certainly think so but that player says no.

He is doing a great job at Dubuque and we all know the UD fans are glad Luther didn't hire him.

From an outsider looking in, I would have to concur. Zweifel just doesn't seem to "fit" with Luther and its players. DBQ is a much more fitting situation for him, his personality, the type of players he recruits, and the type of ball he plays. In fact, the only other school I see him being a good fit for in the IIAC would be warty...maybe Simpson. But no to Coe, Central, Luther, Loras, and BV.

[doolittledog]

It turns out our middle school daughter has a school dance Saturday night.  Which means we won't have time to go to the UD/Wartburg game in Dubuque in the afternoon and make it back in time for her to get ready...so I guess warthog will have to tailgate without us.  For the 2nd week in a row I will be "taking one for the team" 

On the bright side, we will be tailgating from our living room in 70 degree weather.  Chili, wings, chips, and I get to watch the Hawkeyes on the big screen and then my Spartans from our computer.

Now, I need to talk my wife out of her thinking she/or we should travel to Dysart and chaperone this middle school dance   

[Willie University]

Uncle Stan just wasn't the right fit I guess is the best way I can put what I was told by a member of the Luther football team at the time of the interview.

Do they regret that discision today?  I would certainly think so but that player says no.

He is doing a great job at Dubuque and we all know the UD fans are glad Luther didn't hire him.

From an outsider looking in, I would have to concur. Zweifel just doesn't seem to "fit" with Luther and its players. DBQ is a much more fitting situation for him, his personality, the type of players he recruits, and the type of ball he plays. In fact, the only other school I see him being a good fit for in the IIAC would be warty...maybe Simpson. But no to Coe, Central, Luther, Loras, and BV.

I find this somewhat amusing. I will agree that I am happy Luther didn't hire him. But, really, IMHO, the only reason he wouldn't fit at any college is if that college (players, coaches, administration) are intimidated or afraid of hard work. He will tell it like it is and some people are scared of that. But, to say "his type of players" wouldn't fit at another school is kind of ridiculous. What are his "type of players"? Disciplined, hard working, strong character kids that just so happen to good be at football  I think you are very mistakenly thinking of players from past Spartan teams and not players that he has recruited. Academics are put first, going to class is put first, and their actions outside of football is more important then what they do on the field.

I seem to recall one of those schools you mentioned in particular (central) being very undisciplined when I watched them this year and at least 2-3 personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Coach Z would not tolerate that and I guarantee it would be addressed on the sideline which would also serve as a warning for other players so it certainly did not repeat itself again much less 2 more times after the initial incident.

Now, I realize that Central players don't normally act like that but I assume you are categorizing UD's players based on what you have observed directly (in games) and the Spartans are VERY disciplined in games and those are also unfair assumptions because you would have no clue what those kids are like outside of a football game.

Now, if you took "types of players" out of your post and just said he wouldn't fit because of the "type of football he plays" or "his personality" then I would agree if the college was ultra conservative and the AD/administration is intimidated by his honesty. I can't imagine ANY college mentioned wouldn't want the type of ball he plays  He's had the best offense in the IIAC since he joined the league. That comment really confuses me.

Willie U

[badgerwarhawk]

Does anyone know for a fact that Luther didn't offer him the job only to have the offer declined?  I do know of at least one head coaching job that was offered to him prior to his taking the Dubuque job (it wasn't Luther) and he declined for various reasons.   

[Phred]

Does anyone know for a fact that Luther didn't offer him the job only to have the offer declined?  I do know of at least one head coaching job that was offered to him prior to his taking the Dubuque job (it wasn't Luther) and he declined for various reasons.   

For a fact, Luther did not offer Stan the job.

[5 Words or Less]

Will they show replays? Stats?

Don't get me wrong in that I have always loved to watch games in Kinnick Stadium, but I have seen some of these Big Ten stadiums change the scoreboards every five years and yet the stats rarely are shown in some places and replays that you really want to see are rarely shown.

It seems like the stadium scoreboard upgrades help more with pregame stuff and advertising.

The bigger deal to me for some of this arms race stuff to me is that Wartburg is still investing dollars in baseball, football, track, etc. and that Dubuque has gone from perhaps the worst facilities for sports in the IIAC in the late 1990s (Coe and Billy Penn were brutal as well) to something much better.  I never would have thought in 1995 that in 2013 the Spartans would be building an indoor practice facility.

I don't want field turf at Carlson Stadium for Luther Football, but an indoor practice facility to be hooked to the Regents Center sounds good to me!   That and new grandstands for baseball and softball, new press box for football, and permanant bleachers for the opposing fans in football seem appropriate for a school with the resources that Luther has.

The scoreboard can stay the same if they do some of the other upgrades.

Regents consider Floyd's wishes tomorrow

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Uncle Stan just wasn't the right fit I guess is the best way I can put what I was told by a member of the Luther football team at the time of the interview.

Do they regret that discision today?  I would certainly think so but that player says no.

He is doing a great job at Dubuque and we all know the UD fans are glad Luther didn't hire him.

From an outsider looking in, I would have to concur. Zweifel just doesn't seem to "fit" with Luther and its players. DBQ is a much more fitting situation for him, his personality, the type of players he recruits, and the type of ball he plays. In fact, the only other school I see him being a good fit for in the IIAC would be warty...maybe Simpson. But no to Coe, Central, Luther, Loras, and BV.

I find this somewhat amusing. I will agree that I am happy Luther didn't hire him. But, really, IMHO, the only reason he wouldn't fit at any college is if that college (players, coaches, administration) are intimidated or afraid of hard work. He will tell it like it is and some people are scared of that. But, to say "his type of players" wouldn't fit at another school is kind of ridiculous. What are his "type of players"? Disciplined, hard working, strong character kids that just so happen to good be at football  I think you are very mistakenly thinking of players from past Spartan teams and not players that he has recruited. Academics are put first, going to class is put first, and their actions outside of football is more important then what they do on the field.

I seem to recall one of those schools you mentioned in particular (central) being very undisciplined when I watched them this year and at least 2-3 personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Coach Z would not tolerate that and I guarantee it would be addressed on the sideline which would also serve as a warning for other players so it certainly did not repeat itself again much less 2 more times after the initial incident.

Now, I realize that Central players don't normally act like that but I assume you are categorizing UD's players based on what you have observed directly (in games) and the Spartans are VERY disciplined in games and those are also unfair assumptions because you would have no clue what those kids are like outside of a football game.

Now, if you took "types of players" out of your post and just said he wouldn't fit because of the "type of football he plays" or "his personality" then I would agree if the college was ultra conservative and the AD/administration is intimidated by his honesty. I can't imagine ANY college mentioned wouldn't want the type of ball he plays  He's had the best offense in the IIAC since he joined the league. That comment really confuses me.

Willie U

I had pretty good information that the players vote went to Zweifel over Durnin, but that it was a close vote.  A couple players that I knew well were grumpy/mad that the players vote was even that close, but they thought Coach Zweifel may have scared some of the players by talking about how hard they were going to work and that he was going to really recruit to the point where the competition for positions was going to be tough.

My non-player source and player sources also thought some of the Norse assistants did not like Coach Zweifel as much because some of them were intimidated by how hard they were going to have to work.  I heard Durnin won the vote of the coaches, but I don't know that for a fact. 

It always bugged me that Zweifel and Durnin had even been on the same football staff (Mankato State, Yankton College) and that Stan was always in a higher position.  Durnin had a good resume, but Zweifel had a better resume in every way.

It seemed like the Norse did better than my expectations under Coach Durnin in the 1st year or so, but he never recruited or grew the program even as much as the Hefty era.  The current roster is down 40 players from some of Paul Hefty's teams.

There is potential that there is always something that we don't know, but on the surface it looked pretty bad to an alum like me if Stan Zweifel wasn't hired because the players, coaches, and school did not want to work hard to commit to football.  Congrats to Dubuque for both hiring him and committing to athletics.

My player sources at the time were really impressed by him and loved his honesty and knowledge of the game!  I loved his resume as he is a winner who even won at Minnesota-Morris!

[Floyd in Iowa City]

Will they show replays? Stats?

Don't get me wrong in that I have always loved to watch games in Kinnick Stadium, but I have seen some of these Big Ten stadiums change the scoreboards every five years and yet the stats rarely are shown in some places and replays that you really want to see are rarely shown.

It seems like the stadium scoreboard upgrades help more with pregame stuff and advertising.

The bigger deal to me for some of this arms race stuff to me is that Wartburg is still investing dollars in baseball, football, track, etc. and that Dubuque has gone from perhaps the worst facilities for sports in the IIAC in the late 1990s (Coe and Billy Penn were brutal as well) to something much better.  I never would have thought in 1995 that in 2013 the Spartans would be building an indoor practice facility.

I don't want field turf at Carlson Stadium for Luther Football, but an indoor practice facility to be hooked to the Regents Center sounds good to me!   That and new grandstands for baseball and softball, new press box for football, and permanant bleachers for the opposing fans in football seem appropriate for a school with the resources that Luther has.

The scoreboard can stay the same if they do some of the other upgrades.

Regents consider Floyd's wishes tomorrow

Really?  All of what I have listed in bold?  In case any of them are following this board, let me know and I can rank them!

Just to let the board members know, I like what the current coaching staff is doing!  The Stan Zweifel moment just haunts the program though until they can start winning.

[Willie University]

I would like to state that I was not comparing Coach Zweifel to Coach Durnin in anyway. I was just addressing the comments that were made about Coach Z and "his type of players", "his personality" and "the ball he plays".

I couldn't be happier that Coach Zweifel and Coach Durnin are coaching together again and without a doubt believe that Coach Durnin has had a significant positive impact on the players and areas that he is coaching (Special Teams and Defensive Line).

I hope they continue to coach together at UD for years to come!  In fact, I hope we keep the entire coaching staff in tact for years to come but I also understand that success also brings opportunities. But I believe they want to be at UD and know they can be successsful here.

[Floyd in Iowa City]

I would like to state that I was not comparing Coach Zweifel to Coach Durnin in anyway. I was just addressing the comments that were made about Coach Z and "his type of players", "his personality" and "the ball he plays".

I couldn't be happier that Coach Zweifel and Coach Durnin are coaching together again and without a doubt believe that Coach Durnin has had a significant positive impact on the players and areas that he is coaching (Special Teams and Defensive Line).

I hope they continue to coach together at UD for years to come!  In fact, I hope we keep the entire coaching staff in tact for years to come but I also understand that success also brings opportunities. But I believe they want to be at UD and know they can be successsful here.

Nor do I want to seem down about who Luther did hire for the 2008 season, but rather my issue was more about who they didn't hire and why they didn't hire him.  It is old news in some ways, but when schools miss chances to hire proven winners it hurts.

Maybe things are turning around for Luther Football!  Sounds like Saturday could be a big day away from the field!

[NewKnightDad]

From what I was told by the former player I know was that the players vote went to Durnin not Zwiefel. 

The players after meeting both candidates decided on Durnin and that was the way the school decided to go.

I think Dubuque has one heck of a coach and Luther might be on to something now as well.  So maybe it will work out for both in the end.

[doolittledog]

It appears the new Luther coach is getting more support from the administration than Durnin did.  New uniforms, new helmet logos every two games.  The Board of Regents meeting to talk facilities improvements...new turf, scoreboard, indoor practice facility are posibilities???  Any coach would love to have all that going on right now...Durnin included. 

For NewKnightDad and others not able to make the Dubuque/Wartburg game tomorrow, you can watch it here... http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/dbq.portal#

[notlongago]

Uncle Stan just wasn't the right fit I guess is the best way I can put what I was told by a member of the Luther football team at the time of the interview.

Do they regret that discision today?  I would certainly think so but that player says no.

He is doing a great job at Dubuque and we all know the UD fans are glad Luther didn't hire him.

From an outsider looking in, I would have to concur. Zweifel just doesn't seem to "fit" with Luther and its players. DBQ is a much more fitting situation for him, his personality, the type of players he recruits, and the type of ball he plays. In fact, the only other school I see him being a good fit for in the IIAC would be warty...maybe Simpson. But no to Coe, Central, Luther, Loras, and BV.

I find this somewhat amusing. I will agree that I am happy Luther didn't hire him. But, really, IMHO, the only reason he wouldn't fit at any college is if that college (players, coaches, administration) are intimidated or afraid of hard work. He will tell it like it is and some people are scared of that. But, to say "his type of players" wouldn't fit at another school is kind of ridiculous. What are his "type of players"? Disciplined, hard working, strong character kids that just so happen to good be at football  I think you are very mistakenly thinking of players from past Spartan teams and not players that he has recruited. Academics are put first, going to class is put first, and their actions outside of football is more important then what they do on the field.

I seem to recall one of those schools you mentioned in particular (central) being very undisciplined when I watched them this year and at least 2-3 personal foul or unsportsmanlike conduct penalties. Coach Z would not tolerate that and I guarantee it would be addressed on the sideline which would also serve as a warning for other players so it certainly did not repeat itself again much less 2 more times after the initial incident.

Now, I realize that Central players don't normally act like that but I assume you are categorizing UD's players based on what you have observed directly (in games) and the Spartans are VERY disciplined in games and those are also unfair assumptions because you would have no clue what those kids are like outside of a football game.

Now, if you took "types of players" out of your post and just said he wouldn't fit because of the "type of football he plays" or "his personality" then I would agree if the college was ultra conservative and the AD/administration is intimidated by his honesty. I can't imagine ANY college mentioned wouldn't want the type of ball he plays  He's had the best offense in the IIAC since he joined the league. That comment really confuses me.

Willie U

Wow.... You really went off on tangents about points I didn't even mention.