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After Heacock
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Strollo Press Conference
YSU's Athletic Director Ron Strollo addresses the resignation of YSU's Head Football Coach, Jon Heacock, at a press conference Monday afternoon. Heacock announced his resignation Sunday. The following video is the press conference in its entirety. Strollo addresses issues like expectations, the search for a new coach and answers other questions from the media.
MEETS THE PRESS: Ron Strollo, YSU’s athletic director, talks to reporters after Jon Heacock’s resignation as football coach. Strollo said Monday he is immediately launching a national search for a successor.
Former YSU coach Jon Heacock durng 11-14-09 game with Illinois State.
SEARCH PROCESS: Youngstown State University Athletic Director Ron Strollo will make a hiring recommendation for the university’s next head football coach to President David Sweet who would make the appointment. The university trustees would have to approve that hiring.
The search for a new head football coach comes as YSU also looks for a new president.
By Harold Gwin
The Youngstown State University Board of Trustees will not have a role in selecting the school’s next head football coach. The president of the board said that decision will be left to the athletic director and the president.
And it probably will happen very quickly, Scott Schulick said, explaining that he expects the university to appoint a new coach within two weeks.
Jon Heacock, who has been at the helm since 2001, announced his resignation over the weekend, and Ron Strollo, YSU athletic director, said he was immediately launching a national search for a successor.
Strollo will make a hiring recommendation to President David C. Sweet who would make the appointment, Schulick said. The trustees ultimately will have to approve that hiring, he said.
Strollo said the two-week timetable suggested by Schulick might be too quick, but he said things will happen fast, and it is possible to have a new coach in place by Christmas.
The search for a new coach comes at a time when the university also is searching for a new president.
Sweet is retiring as of June 30, 2010, and a search for his successor also has begun.
Sweet may be a lame-duck president, but decisions still must be made, and the hiring of a coach is one of them, Schulick said.
A university president might typically offer input into the selection of a head football coach, but it is unlikely any presidential prospects being considered by YSU will get that opportunity, Schulick said.
The university will have a new coach before finalists are in place for the office of president, he predicted.
The presidential search committee is reviewing applications now and tentatively hopes to set up some interviews in early December to continue the narrowing process.
Schulick said the search committee wants to have a list of eight to 10 semi-finalists identified by the first week of December. Those individuals will be invited to meet with the committee for interviews near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport.
The plan is to have three to five finalists to be presented to the board of trustees by its Dec. 16 meeting. The board will then invite the candidates it is interested in to visit campus for interviews.
The goal is to name a new president at the board’s March 12 meeting.
Timing for selecting a new football coach is much tighter, he said, explaining that it must be done quickly as the coach can choose his staff and get busy on recruiting. Prospective students will be signing commitment letters during the first week of February.
Intercollegiate athletics at YSU is an integral part of university life for it students, its supporters and the community, Schulick said.
Football is “a point of pride” that extends beyond campus to the community It’s something the community can rally around, Schulick said.
The rallying around YSU’s program has dropped off somewhat since 2000 when the Penguins under former Coach Jim Tressel pulled in more than 18,000 fans per game.
That number was down to under 14,500 per game in the 2008 season.
It has never been a profit-making venture.
For example, revenues in 2000 brought in $1,309,679 while expenditures that year totalled $1,484,544.
Revenue has grown since then, reaching $1,943,745 in 2008, but so have expenses growing to $2,461,608 over that period.
The football program has expanded its number of sponsors over the years, from 57 in 2000 to 83 in 2008, but that money doesn’t go into programming. Instead, it is reserved for scholarships.
YSU football had 92 sponsors in both 2006 and 2007 but lost 21 of them in 2008. However, it picked up 12 new ones in that same period.
Schulick said the trustees recognize that to sustain all of the athletic programs, investment will be required. The board is prepared to do that and recognizes the value of intercollegiate athletics to the entire campus and the strategic investments required, he said.
gwin@vindy.com
Comments
I felt that Strollo expressed a conflict of interest regarding Coach Heacock during the press conference (a longstanding personal relationship). I do believe that Strollo needs to be held accountable for the renewal of Heacock's contract in 2005. It concerns me that such continued errors in judgment could lead to a Heacock-like replacement for Heacock. If that happens, I'll be an old codger before I'll again hope to see a dominant Penguin squad.
Strollo can redeem himself by landing either Bob Davie or Mark Stoops.
Find the best available assistant coach on Jim Tressel's OSU staff who YSU can afford, and hire him for the job. We need YSU to return to those glory days of national championsships and every season playoff appearances. As a YSU alumni, I am tired of our losing ways.
If Tressel will assist Strollo, let's hope he will make a better recommendation than Heacock or Robic lol.
It would be nice to get Davie or Stoops but we are all dreaming if we think they will to come here. Davie has it made at ESPN and that's a tough job to give up. We need a winner though.
We are all looking to get somebody from a high profile organization to come to Youngstown - a position coach from an Ohio St. or Mich. St. perhaps but an offensive or defensive coordinator would be taking a step down - is there any chance of getting somebody from a smaller school (Mt. Union)?
I'm not ruling out Pat or Mark coming back to their roots but I think Mark Stoops is being considered for a head coaching position by more than one Div. 1 school.
Unfrotunately for Heacock he is not a very dynamic personality and toward the end started losing control over his players. With all the connections his brothers have he will have no trouble getting a job. Anyone know how John Klacik is doing at Lock Haven?
Westsider, John Klacik? Are you kidding me??? I sure hope that's not an endorsement for him. He was part of the problem, just as was Brian Wright. HORRIBLE OFFENSIVE COORDINATOR!!!!!!!! Both of them.
I agree that Mt. Union's coach Larry Kehres would be a great option if he's interested. Of course, they're in the middle of the playoffs AGAIN, so this "two week" timeframe may ruin that.
How about Luke Fickell co defensive coordinator at ohio State. Young, Ohio native. Knows Ohio football high schools well. Would do a good job in getting Youngstown Area players , as well as out of state players.
Listen there is no way Strollo should be picking anything but his nose. The entire regime must go and go now. He looked like a deer in the headlights at the news conference and I hope he doesn't move from in front of that semi. He will not think outside of the box. he will not even consider inviting anyone to apply that may be bigger then life in his headlight eyes. Bob Davie would be perfect, bet you lunch Strollo would laugh at the thought. The soon to be available Charlie Weis with much to prove and no need for money, won't even get a thought. Stoops? Strollo will think you said poops and go take one. This is a predictable joke. Fire Strollo, make Jon Heacock AD, no I'm not kidding, and let him pick the next coach and give him the big game bucks to pay or it. Heacock knows that the big game will be the biggest challenge to the new coach and that it will probably continue to destroy this program. Heacock knows whats wrong in the locker room, what's wrong with recruiting and team academics, what's wrong with scholarships and why we can't or don't recruit locally and I believe he's now got good reason and that he would be man enough to change our ways. The big game destroyed Heacock as a coach but not as a man. His resignation proved that to me. Think about it, Heacock has gone through enormous personal evaluation and has accepted his responsibility. The best people usually fail at something before succeeding. Heacock is an asset to this University and the University should recognize it immediately. They're going to pay him for next year anyway, right? Strollo should learn something from Heacock and resign now and let the right man make the next coaching choice.
I myself think that this program should think YOUNG! Young coach, young assistants, Youngstown community connection, the fearlessness of youth, the boldness of youth, the yes I can of youth, the opportunity that youth brings to rebuilding this program. They should look to guys like DJ Durkin, Boardman '01' native, Bowling Green player, 26 or 27 years old, Stanford special teams coach, rated #1 special teams coach in the nation, fearless and bold and coaching at a University where academics come first. He could easily attract young bold coaches perhaps YSU former players, and could really appeal to local high school talent to stay home and play here. Think outside of the box YSU! You need to be like George on Seinfeld when he became opposite George. Because everything you think up there sucks. I bet you lunch they screw this one up too. Especially if it's up to Strollo.
10 years ago they could of gotten a bigger name now YSU is an average FCS program that loses a bunch of seniors I believe.
I say go after Kehres from Mount with everything you got. He has a lot of very successful young men who coach for him and has gotten more out of local talent then Heacock could dream about...plus he has won a few games. He has developed an impressive coaching tree, its about time those guys STAY IN YOUNGSTOWN!!
Kehres will never leave MU. Dream on....
Relax SoupCity85 - I only mentioned Klacik because if Strollo has a heavy hand in this process YSU will get a coach of that caliber - someone with ties to the YSU program. I was sincerely asking the record because I don't know it and that might make a difference. The chance to get a marquee coach left with Tressel and the decision to hand the job to an insider.
Westsider, ok. You had me a lil scared for the moment. I do agree with you though about Strollo and getting a coach of that caliber. That would be a huge debacle. My apologies!!!
Bringing with him 18 years of Division I and I-AA coaching experience, John Klacik enters season number five at the helm of the Bald Eagle football program. In his four years at LHU he has a record of 5-39.
This is from Lock Haven's athletics homepage. www.lhup.edu follow links to football.
They went 0-10 this year, so make it 5-49.
But I am sure they will bring him in for an interview out of "professional courtesy". Maybe he will walk out again like he did on Tress. Yes true, left right before summer camp for Wake Forest assistant job
I just hope that if one of Tress's former assistants get the job, they don't hire JK as an assistant...good grief
HHHMMMNNN???
Too bad THE REAL COACHES are not available:
JoePa {PSU}, Urban Meyer {GNV-GATORS}; on and on.
So it goes with YSU????