Jon Heacock resigns as YSU football coach

Thanks Jon, for all your efforts these nine seasons. Best wishes on your next step in your career!

Thank You Jon. You will make a great D.C. somewhere.

Go YSU!

It's time for a change. Coach Heacock did a decent job but the program has been in a lull for a few years. YSU belongs in the playoffs and let's hope the next coach will get us back there. Best wishes to Heacock and his family.

A new era in the outstanding tradition of Youngstown football begins today. Go Penguins.

I hope this long awaited opportunity is not squandered. I hope the athletic department grabs one of the many BCS assistant coaches with Y-town connections:

Mark Stoops (Arizona)
Tim Beck (Nebraska)
Carl Pelini (Nebraska)

Strollo renewed Heacock's contract after 2 woeful seasons in '03 and '04. Obviously an error in judgment that was costly to the community and the University. Strollo should be held accountable for this whopper of a mistake and should resign at Mondays press conference.

Nonsocialist... Strollo is not the problem. You do realize from 2005-2007, we went 26-10?

If YSU doesn't raise the pay-scale that would attract a high-level HC ...the team will still be doomed.

Valleyred,

How is Strollo not the problem? He was the AD when the contract was renewed. The buck stops with him. Who's fault is it for the renewal of Heacock's contract in your opinion?

I knew when his contract was renewed in 2005 that the program was doomed for the rest of the decade. If I knew it, the AD surely should have seen it. It was wild ineptitude.

The combined record of 9-14 in the '03 and '04 campaigns was a huge red flag. The '01 and '02 records were, in large part, a product of Tressel's recruits. You've selected out Heacock's three best seasons. The combined record of the last two seasons is 10-13.

My concern is that the same person who thought Heacock's contract should be renewed will now select the next coach. Youngstown needs and deserves a team to cheer for and believe in...lets give it to them.

OSUYSU, I thought people wanted YSU employees to take pay cuts, not up the pay scale.

northsideperson:
Not when assistant coaches in the same class football programs are earning a lot more than YSU's HC.

Heacock was clueless, never understood how he lasted 9 years. Never knew a thing about offense.

It's quite sad how far this program has fallen. 15 years ago we were beating Boise State. Now they're competing for bcs bowls, while we can't even win our own conference in 1-aa.

Just get a qualified guy in here. Could careless if he has Ysu ties. I read someone wants Carl Pelini?? What has he ever done as a head coach.? Guy couldn't even make much of a difference at Fitch.

Just my 2 cents.

Nonsocialist: You seem to know so much, maybe you should take over as head coach. Wait, how about you just hold off until tomorrow when the AD follows your recommendation and resigns himself. Then, you can be king of the hill.

Best of luck, Coach Heacock. Your hard work and dedication to YSU is much appreciated.

P.S. Nonsocialist aside, the rest of us cheered on the Penguins every game.

I am writing this late and somewhat remorseful, unable to sleep thinking about what I have done, or wished for. However, as a man, I felt it was essential to be honest and apologetic when wrong, even wrong in an acceptable way. I am sorry. I admire and love and respect Jon Heacock. I was wrong to demonize him but right to expose him for his failures. However, he has done what the unrepentant and never remorseful Ron Strollo, should do. Resign. I say to Jon Heacock, be proud, you tried to accomplish the impossible, to fill Tressel’s shoes, and to win the big game, you know, the one Tressel never had to coach at YSU. You played the big game well, knowing you couldn’t win. And Youngstown, my Youngstown loves you. And you admitted you were wrong by resigning. But were you? Everyone in Youngstown in the nineties thought we should play OSU, but we all know now that it was a fantasy to fulfill. And so it has been. Yet unfulfilling And we were wrong. And coach, it was a burden, maybe also self invited, but a burden. It cost you. And we are sorry. It was all of us together. Let’s start over. I invite you to stay. Repentant. Remorseful. And born a new. Improved and reformulated. Because I know you have looked in the mirror and said “What have I done wrong and what can I do to be better? I believe you love Youngstown. And since we need a new Athletic Director, (because of what I said about our current one), I invite you and encourage you to stay and become the perfect AD for YSU. I honestly think you to be the perfect person: to pick the next coach, to deal with and end the big game nightmare, to schedule and monitor the next scholarship students with the understanding that scholarship, even athletic, means scholar + learning experience, to see that the community comes first, to schedule our games, to define winning and tradition in a new way. I think you understand what’s wrong with this program, and that given the opportunity to be AD and to not coach yet to advocate for this forgiving and grateful community, that you could kick the butt, that needs kicked. You’ve been on the inside, you know what’s wrong, and if you recognize the forgiveness of the community and the respect we have for you, you will stay and be part of the big fight. Saving the soul of YSU. Ron Strollo should resign now and we have the right man to replace him. Period! Now hear this: this is how to think outside of the box. Is anybody listening? Who should replace Dr. Sweet?
To be continued.

Good News! WE need a fresh approach to get back to those national championship playoff days of Jim Tressel.

Coach, I think you did the right thing. I hope that you resigned for the right reasons and not because the fans forced that decision on you. I, for one, was one of your biggest critics and yet, one of your biggest fans. You walked into a situation that very few would even think of. I don't believe anyone will question your love and devotion for YSU football. I wish you and your family the absolute best in your future endeavors. You are a fine man, Jon Heacock. Thank you!

I am sure at some point Jon Heacock was a fabulous coach and a great defensive mind but great assistants dont always make great head coaches. He was a below average head coach and up until the last game he coached in, his kids seemed to play uninspired football, especially in big games...I can't remember a big win although a lot of heartbreaking losses do instantly come to mind. I dont know who the head coach will be but i do know that none of the big name assistant coaches mentioned above will take a step back to be the head guy at YSU...