FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Gregory Sager]

Looks like IWU70 picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue. 

Or he spent too much time in that Turkish prison!

It's my fault. I goaded him into posting over here in the CCIW football room. My bad.

[iwu70]

Clearly your fault Greg.  I should stay over in the basketball rooms where I belong.

Good luck to all the teams, players, and coaches for the upcoming football season.  I hope it is an exciting one with very few injuries.

Go TITANS!

'70

[Gregory Sager]

Here's the CCIW sked for Saturday:

Elmhurst @ Loras, 1 pm
Franklin @ Illinois Wesleyan, 1 pm
Millikin @ Greenville, 1 pm
Coe @ Wheaton, 1 pm
St. Norbert @ Carthage, 2 pm
Augustana @ Mount St. Joseph, 5 pm CST
Concordia (WI) @ North Park, 6 pm

North Central does not start play until September 13.

[79jaybird]

**Reminder** To get your picks loaded on the Pick Em's board.  All picks must be entered prior to the kickoff of the 1st game of (X) date.   Looking forward to another fine season.   

[AndOne]

Daily Herald article on North Central expectations, including comments re Wheaton & Elmhurst:

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20140902/sports/140909670/

[79jaybird]

The thing that I liked the most about Planz's comments was the fact he wants to stay here and not use EC as a stepping stone like some of his predecessors have.  For EC to build up a consistent year in/year out force i.e. NC/WC/IWU now, Augie in the 80's etc.  they need a coach to stay for a journey.   Win or lose a coach that can establish a reputation of consistency and success with strong recruiting classes, graduation rates, etc. all the key ingredients to make people want to don a Bluejays jersey.  Hopefully he is not just all talk and can start putting those visions in actions.

[Gregory Sager]

Interviewing a prospective head coach at this level has a problematic twist to it in terms of anticipated tenure. Does he view your school as a stepping stone or as a destination? Does he have an honest affinity for the virtues of D3 football -- genuine student-athletes, family atmosphere, hands-on coaching from the top dog on down, no outside distractions, no money-driven moral compromises -- or does he just pay them lip service in the interview? Does he give you an unimpeachable vibe that he's sincere about building your program for the long haul, or is he hiding the fact that in his heart of hearts he wants to be where the bright lights shine and the big paycheck is cashed -- and the sooner the better?

There are some pretty good "tells" that indicate that a candidate is likely to be invested enough in your school and/or D3 to stay if you hire him. The best one is if he's an alumnus of your school (e.g., Norm Eash, Patrick Etherton, and Mike Swider). A somewhat less certain "tell" is if he's a D3 product himself; I wouldn't be surprised if Ron Planz's background as a former Carthage football player counted in his favor in that regard when he interviewed for the Elmhurst job. If a coach is a local product, has kids in a local school, and/or a wife who has a good job in the area, he's probably a good bet in terms of a commitment. If he has a special affinity for your school (i.e., religious background, personal ties to the president or the AD, relatives who are students or alumni), that's another positive "tell" in his favor. And I think that older coaches are a better bet to stay put if you hire them, because they're more likely to feel that bouncing around from school to school every two or three years is a young man's game.

But, really, there are no guarantees. It's a crapshoot at this level. You can't read a man's mind, and I don't know of any schools that have allowed search committees to use a polygraph machine during a hiring interview.

[emma17]

Interviewing a prospective head coach at this level has a problematic twist to it in terms of anticipated tenure. Does he view your school as a stepping stone or as a destination? Does he have an honest affinity for the virtues of D3 football -- genuine student-athletes, family atmosphere, hands-on coaching from the top dog on down, no outside distractions, no money-driven moral compromises -- or does he just pay them lip service in the interview? Does he give you an unimpeachable vibe that he's sincere about building your program for the long haul, or is he hiding the fact that in his heart of hearts he wants to be where the bright lights shine and the big paycheck is cashed -- and the sooner the better?

There are some pretty good "tells" that indicate that a candidate is likely to be invested enough in your school and/or D3 to stay if you hire him. The best one is if he's an alumnus of your school (e.g., Norm Eash, Patrick Etherton, and Mike Swider). A somewhat less certain "tell" is if he's a D3 product himself; I wouldn't be surprised if Ron Planz's background as a former Carthage football player counted in his favor in that regard when he interviewed for the Elmhurst job. If a coach is a local product, has kids in a local school, and/or a wife who has a good job in the area, he's probably a good bet in terms of a commitment. If he has a special affinity for your school (i.e., religious background, personal ties to the president or the AD, relatives who are students or alumni), that's another positive "tell" in his favor. And I think that older coaches are a better bet to stay put if you hire them, because they're more likely to feel that bouncing around from school to school every two or three years is a young man's game.

But, really, there are no guarantees. It's a crapshoot at this level. You can't read a man's mind, and I don't know of any schools that have allowed search committees to use a polygraph machine during a hiring interview.

And sometimes sincere intentions or circumstances just change.

[AndOne]

Does he have D1 assistant level experience, and is he "dropping down" to the D3 level due either to being dismissed (possibly along with the entire staff), or as a result of his feeling he'll never ascend to the head position? In both cases it would seem the probability of his using the D3 job as a springboard back to the D1, or minimally the D2 level, would be much more likely than someone possessing the associated D3 attributes previously delineated by Mr. Sager.   

[Gregory Sager]

Interviewing a prospective head coach at this level has a problematic twist to it in terms of anticipated tenure. Does he view your school as a stepping stone or as a destination? Does he have an honest affinity for the virtues of D3 football -- genuine student-athletes, family atmosphere, hands-on coaching from the top dog on down, no outside distractions, no money-driven moral compromises -- or does he just pay them lip service in the interview? Does he give you an unimpeachable vibe that he's sincere about building your program for the long haul, or is he hiding the fact that in his heart of hearts he wants to be where the bright lights shine and the big paycheck is cashed -- and the sooner the better?

There are some pretty good "tells" that indicate that a candidate is likely to be invested enough in your school and/or D3 to stay if you hire him. The best one is if he's an alumnus of your school (e.g., Norm Eash, Patrick Etherton, and Mike Swider). A somewhat less certain "tell" is if he's a D3 product himself; I wouldn't be surprised if Ron Planz's background as a former Carthage football player counted in his favor in that regard when he interviewed for the Elmhurst job. If a coach is a local product, has kids in a local school, and/or a wife who has a good job in the area, he's probably a good bet in terms of a commitment. If he has a special affinity for your school (i.e., religious background, personal ties to the president or the AD, relatives who are students or alumni), that's another positive "tell" in his favor. And I think that older coaches are a better bet to stay put if you hire them, because they're more likely to feel that bouncing around from school to school every two or three years is a young man's game.

But, really, there are no guarantees. It's a crapshoot at this level. You can't read a man's mind, and I don't know of any schools that have allowed search committees to use a polygraph machine during a hiring interview.

And sometimes sincere intentions or circumstances just change.

Quite true.

Does he have D1 assistant level experience, and is he "dropping down" to the D3 level due either to being dismissed (possibly along with the entire staff), or as a result of his feeling he'll never ascend to the head position? In both cases it would seem the probability of his using the D3 job as a springboard back to the D1, or minimally the D2 level, would be much more likely than someone possessing the associated D3 attributes previously delineated by Mr. Sager.   

Maybe, maybe not. But I was looking at the positive angle, since the unspoken premise of the post is that it's a follow-up to 79jb's musings as to whether or not Ron Planz will stay at Elmhurst long-term. You're taking the negative angle. Po-tay-to, po-tah-to.

[AndOne]

Yes, bringing the entire realm of possibility into focus by highlighting the fact that there can be more sinister reasons involved as well as those grounded in positive reinforcement.     

[Langhorst_Ghost]

Does he have D1 assistant level experience, and is he "dropping down" to the D3 level due either to being dismissed (possibly along with the entire staff), or as a result of his feeling he'll never ascend to the head position? In both cases it would seem the probability of his using the D3 job as a springboard back to the D1, or minimally the D2 level, would be much more likely than someone possessing the associated D3 attributes previously delineated by Mr. Sager.   

Fair question, AndOne, but not at all the case with Coach Planz. 

He GA'd in the UW league, coached professionally overseas, then back to the states as a D3 DC in Indiana.  At his most recent position, DL coach at D2 Mankato, Coach Planz recruited the Chicago region and coached a top tier D on a championship-level program - his job was completely secure in Minnesota and he was highly respected in coaching circles.  He has coached across multiple levels.  Had he chosen to stay the D2 course and climb the ladder, his opportunity to lead a national program would have certainly come.

But that's not what he wanted.  He chose to come back home - both to his football roots and to his loved ones.  He chose family and stability.  He chose the purity and unique passion of the D3 experience.  He chose to find a balance between life and football.  He chose to lead a program that he believes can win, on a campus that he believes supports his vision.

From Coach Planz: "I grew up in Bensenville so I wasn't taking this job to do something else. It was to come home. It was a job I wanted.  Elmhurst has historically been a great place for a head coaching job, and then you move on to bigger and better things. I view this as an end job. I want to coach football and raise my family and Elmhurst provides that."

Really looking forward to the new era of Bluejay football under Coach Planz - IT'S A GREAT DAY TO BE A JAY!

[AndOne]

Ghost--

Just want to make it clear that my comments were certainly not specifically directed at EC or its new coach, but rather pertained to one possibility applicable to D3 hires in general, be it football or any other sport.
Also, I would think this happens only a small percentage of the time, especially when due diligence is done by the concerned search committee and athletic administration. 

[Pat Coleman]

Does he have D1 assistant level experience, and is he "dropping down" to the D3 level due either to being dismissed (possibly along with the entire staff), or as a result of his feeling he'll never ascend to the head position? In both cases it would seem the probability of his using the D3 job as a springboard back to the D1, or minimally the D2 level, would be much more likely than someone possessing the associated D3 attributes previously delineated by Mr. Sager.   

Fair question, AndOne, but not at all the case with Coach Planz. 

He GA'd in the UW league, coached professionally overseas, then back to the states as a D3 DC in Indiana.  At his most recent position, DL coach at D2 Mankato, Coach Planz recruited the Chicago region and coached a top tier D on a championship-level program - his job was completely secure in Minnesota and he was highly respected in coaching circles.

No football coaching job at Mankato can be considered secure with the circus the head coaching job has been the past 24 months.

[Gregory Sager]

Yes, bringing the entire realm of possibility into focus by highlighting the fact that there can be more sinister reasons involved as well as those grounded in positive reinforcement.     

Again, though, I'm not conceding your assertion that the negative reasons outweigh the positive ones. I'm not at all convinced, for example, that D1 assistant-level experience is the toxic indicator that you've made it out to be. Perhaps it is for a guy like Carthage's Mike Yeager, who played for Miami (OH) and spent six years on the staff at Indiana. But then there's Mike Conway, who was the defensive ends coach for Purdue for a year or two back in the early '90s. And that's not an indication of anything at all. He was a small-college guy before that brief Purdue stint, and he's been a small-college guy ever since he left Purdue to go to Olivet Nazarene.

As is true in so much of life, context is everything.