FB: USA South Athletic Conference

[scottiedoug]

There are many ways to instill and encourage and demand effort and "toughness" and some are unacceptable even in football, which is the subject here.  There is also the issue of how the student-athletes (not a joke term in D3) do in the student part.  I am only offering that without adequate information from sources other than the man who got fired, perhaps observers should consider that the administrators were acting in the best interests of the school as well as the students.

[scottiedoug]

Here is a link to an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel, which ran the story with many allegations by Maryville College's fired football coach about why he was fired, about the process being used to hire a new coach.  While the AD does not address the coach's statements,  you can read between the lines and, of course, come to whatever conclusions you wish:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/dec/17/maryville-colleges-search-for-a-football-coach/

[Ralph Turner]

Here is a link to an article in the Knoxville News Sentinel, which ran the story with many allegations by Maryville College's fired football coach about why he was fired, about the process being used to hire a new coach.  While the AD does not address the coach's statements,  you can read between the lines and, of course, come to whatever conclusions you wish:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2011/dec/17/maryville-colleges-search-for-a-football-coach/

Thanks, Doug.

[ProudFightingScot]

I've been waiting for sometime since Coach Ierulli was fired to let my feeling be known.  I love Maryville College.  Maryville College did not do this to Coach I, but it is the work of a terrible AD in Kandy Schram and VP of low character in Vandy Kemp.

Thanks to all who have commented on the MC situation during the past few weeks.  It is clear you have seen through the smoke and understand what has developed at MC.

The most recent article is major spin-control by AD Schram who is getting blasted by alums, fans, and (yes Scottiedoug) former Ierulli football players on a daily basis.  Kemp is really behind the removal of Coach I and Schram is her mouthpiece.  Schram has been the AD for 3 years and the department is in great disarray.  Have you wonder why the 2 strong figures in the athletic department, Randy Lambert and Pepe Fernandez, are not on the search committee??  Simple, Schram doesn't want to get them involved in the search for the new head coach because both strongly supported Coach I.

Here's some misleading facts from the article in which Schram implied that Coach Ierulli had not been involved. 

1) She wants someone to be able to speak to the local Kiwanis Club  --  Ierulli is a member Maryville Kiwanis Club and has spoken to the club on several occasions.  In fact, he spoke to the Alcoa Club twice which Schram is a member of the organization.

2) Ierulli had his players get involved with the "Reading is Fundamental" program at the local elementary schools every year.

3) Last March when tornadoes ripped through Tennessee and especially in the Greenback area, Ierulli sent his football team out in the Greenback community for a day helping the residence cleanup from the damages caused by the tornadoes.  Maryville College, the MC community outreach program and the MC Volleyball team never volunteered their time to help out the local residence.  The article is still posted in the hallway of the MC athletic complex....

4) Schram commented there is no reason why the football team can't be as good as the basketball, soccer and her volleyball teams.  Everyone with MC knows that the football program has been association with the USA-South Conference while the rest of MC athletic teams are in the Great South Athletic Conference which is probably one of the worst conferences is Division III.  There are only 4 men's teams in the conference and most of the women's teams are so bad that most average high school teams can beat the GSAC's volleyball teams.  Why do you think Schram has such a good record and was fighting against Maryville joining the USA-South Conference in all sports. 

5)  Finally the implication that Coach I didn't treat his players well is just laughable.  Just ask the many alums, parents and others who watched the practices and games.  Watch Randy Lambert get in the face of his players during a game when they make a mistake, not any difference between the two coaches.

Finally, with an Athletic Director who took her volleyball team twice overseas this past summer to get ready for her season, taken away all concessions revenue from the basketball and soccer teams as a source of revenue for their program and given the running of all athletic concessions to a former volleyball player and her husband, and tearing apart a great enviroment which Coach Randy Lambert put together during his 20+ years as an athletic director – Kandi "Let's Go" Schram should be looking into a mirror to find out what the real problem is......

Scottiedoug, you can email me anytime. 

[scottiedoug]

People with factual information about this can and obviously do disagree.  I respect ProudFightingScot's take on this, although I do not agree with his conclusions.  The opinions of some other people on the board about this, unlike those of PFS, were not based on anything but Coach I's explanation as reported in the paper.

I do not think the basketball or soccer coach should be on the search committee for the football coach. 

The implication that Maryville teams that do well in the GSAC are not any good because the conference is weak is not supported by the evidence of how they do outside the conference.
There are lots of reasons to wish MC had been able to join a league other than the USASouth; a big one is that the time and financial costs for travel for MC to participate in the USASouth are high...higher than if there could have been a configuration involving teams closer to Maryville (Centre, Sewanee, Oglethorpe, LaGrange, Piedmont, Berry, Covenant,...). 

Accusing VP Kemp of "low character" is a cheap shot.

That Randy Lambert gets "in the face of his players during a game when they make a mistake" does not equate to the fact that there is "not any difference between the two coaches."  Coach Schram is not exactly a passive coach and I suspect PFS thinks there is some difference between her and Coach I.

Obviously PFS knows MC people who are unhappy about this.  I know MC people who are not.  I also know MC people who are unhappy and I bet PFS knows some who are not.

My main point all along has been that this is complicated and that Coach I's explanation is nowhere near the whole story.

[D-BAT]

As SU just completed it best season since 2004 but graduated some very talented players (11 seniors) and moving into the ODAC conference will not be friendly to the Hornets in their inaugural year.

If they go 4-6 next year, then that will surprise me.  I look for wins vs. Stevenson, Guilford and Catholic, so 3-7 should be expected.

SU's 2012 schedule and the only really gimmy game is Steveson as the rest of the schedule is a very competitive.  It's probably the most difficult schedule ever in SU football history.

September
Sat   1    at Stevenson         
Sat   8    Ferrum          
Sat   15    Christopher Newport         
Sat   22    at Bridgewater *

October   
Sat   6    Guilford *    
Fri   12    at Catholic *         
Sat   20    Hampden-Sydney *          
Sat   27    Randolph-Macon *          

November   
Sat   3    at Emory & Henry *         
Sat   10    at Washington & Lee *   

[jknezek]

May not be as bad as you think. W&L and H-SC graduated some big names this year and have holes to fill. I expect H-SC and R-MC to both be the class of the ODAC and you get them both at home. R-MC has seemed to be beatable at times on the road the last few years. Bridgewater and Guilford are wildcards. I'm not sure what Bridgewater brings back, but I fully expect Guilford to be much improved next year. Guilford was young, had a new coach, and had injury issues this year, making them appear much worse than they showed the last two games of the season. Catholic I would put toward the bottom and you get them on the road, same with E&H, but you they are always tough at home. W&L has been strong at home the last few seasons, but the Generals have big question marks at QB, center, and defensive back.

I think Shenandoah can pull a 4-3 or 3-4 season in ODAC play, leaving the real question the three non-conf games. Either way, welcome to the ODAC. You'll find our board is congenial, knowledgeable, and fairly active.

[narch]

SU's 2012 schedule and the only really gimmy game is Steveson

hmm....well, they did beat cnu this past season...

[hasanova]

If they go 4-6 next year, then that will surprise me.  I look for wins vs. Stevenson, Guilford and Catholic, so 3-7 should be expected.

September
Sat   1    at Stevenson         
Sat   8    Ferrum          
Sat   15    Christopher Newport         
Sat   22    at Bridgewater *

October   
Sat   6    Guilford *    
Fri   12    at Catholic *         
Sat   20    Hampden-Sydney *          
Sat   27    Randolph-Macon *          

November   
Sat   3    at Emory & Henry *         
Sat   10    at Washington & Lee *

Coach Rusciewicz and staff, here's your bulletin board material for the first week in October. 

[ProudFightingScot]

I have heard that Melvin Burston has transferred out of Maryville and is going to Webber College.  From what I hear he was unhappy with the coaching change and the direction the athletics was going.  That was the freshman player of the year for the conference and the Qb of the future.  Not to mention our only remaining offensive weapon.  I can't help but wonder if this is not the first of many transfers.  All I can say is, if true, that offensively (with the graduation of Idolette and other key wide recievers) this looks like it is going to be a rough season for Maryville's offense.

[scottiedoug]

PFS may be correct,  On the other hand, Burston's sister was killed in an auto wreck over the holidays and he wanted to be at home with his family, which had lost another member in recent years through an accident. 

[scottiedoug]

Maryville Daily Times has a story about the MC coach search:

http://www.thedailytimes.com/Sports_News/story/Maryville-College-coach-finalists-visit-campus-id-019747

[ProudFightingScot]

Here is the link to Burston leaving MC

http://www.thedailytimes.com/Sports_News/story/Scots-QB-transfers-to-Webber-id-019748

It's a tragedy about Melvin's sister, but the word was out before he left to go home that he was looking to leave.  Ierulli recruted him and he's from Ierulli's home town in Florida.

[batteredbard]

Night owls can get it before it prints.

Column on MC coach search and Ierulli.
http://www.thedailytimes.com/Marcus_Fitzsimmons/story/Choosing-the-next-Ierulli-an-epic-decision-for-MC-id-019784

[MCSID]

Maryville College picks Mike Rader to lead football program

http://www.maryvillecollege.edu/athletics/sport/football/news/details/4218/