An article from SI's Mandel (who attended NW'ern) discussing the possible successors to Randy Walker.
si.com
Moving forward
Northwestern has difficult task in replacing Walker
Posted: Thursday July 6, 2006 8:16PM
Family, friends and fans of Randy Walker gathered at a church in Evanston, Ill., on Thursday morning to remember the Northwestern head coach who died of an apparent heart attack last week at the age of 52. Afterward, guests were invited to attend a tailgate in his honor in a parking lot adjacent to Ryan Field, the Wildcats' home stadium. "It's the kind of thing he would have wanted," said a Northwestern administrator.
Sadly, there's no way of knowing who Walker would have wanted to become his successor. Out of respect to Walker's family, Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy declined to name a new coach prior to Thursday's service, but with the team's annual preseason camp in Kenosha, Wis., set to kick off in just over a month, a decision on a new coach could be made within the next few days.
"I've met with the staff a couple times since Randy passed away, and we're all sensitive. It's a devastating loss for everyone, and we want to support the players and help them get through this," said Murphy. "But we're also quite aware that we need to get this [coaching search] going."
In seven seasons at Northwestern, Walker compiled a seemingly modest 37-46 record, but recently his program had achieved a level of stability unprecedented in the school's mostly dreadful football annals. Over the past three seasons, the Wildcats went a combined 14-10 in Big Ten competition, finishing tied for third place last season and fourth the year before while reaching bowl games in both 2003 (Motor City) and '05 (Sun). This in addition to a conference co-championship and Alamo Bowl bid in 2000. His teams also became synonymous for the explosive spread offense they've run the past six seasons. In an attempt to maintain both momentum and identity, Murphy likely will focus on candidates with ties to Walker and/or the program.
"We want to hire the best person for the program," said Murphy, a former Washington Redskins safety and attorney who spent 11 years as the athletic director at Colgate, his alma mater, before coming to Northwestern in 2003. "But obviously, one of the considerations is we're on the eve of the season, and there's an advantage to having some continuity, someone who's familiar with the program. We're looking for a strong leader who can bring everyone together and through this."
Because of the timing, it it's unlikely an active coach at another school would jump ship so close to the start of a season. Therefore, it's been widely assumed that, at least for this season, Murphy will appoint a member of the current coaching staff to take over on an interim basis. The problem, however, is there's no obvious candidate.
The elder statesman of Walker's staff is assistant head coach/defensive backs coach Jerry Brown, 56, a Northwestern alum whose tenure dates back to Gary Barnett's second season in 1993. Brown, a former NFL assistant with the Minnesota Vikings, took over the program briefly in 2004 when Walker first suffered health problems. His appointment would likely be well received by the players, and he would become the Big Ten's first black head coach since Michigan State's Bobby Williams was fired in 2002.
Pat Fitzgerald, star of the 1995 Rose Bowl team and current linebackers coach, is a popular choice to succeed Randy Walker.
"I believe that Coach Brown will be the best candidate because he's the most experienced, he knows the game, and he has paid his dues,'' Vikings linebacker Napoleon Harris, who played for the Wildcats from 1997-2001, told the Chicago Sun Times.
From a football standpoint, however, Brown may not be the most desirable choice. After serving as defensive coordinator from 1999-2001, during which the Wildcats ranked 81st, 89th and 107th nationally in total defense, he was relieved of those duties at the same time he was given the assistant head coach title. If given the interim job, Brown would most likely be viewed as a temporary caretaker. A more popular choice among Wildcats fans would be linebackers coach Pat Fitzgerald, one of the stars of Northwestern's 1995 Rose Bowl team and the program's top recruiter. Fitzgerald, however, is only 31, with just six years of coaching experience. It's widely assumed he will become a head coach one day, but is he qualified as of today? Currently, the youngest head coach in Division I-A is Wisconsin's Bret Bielema at 36.
Among other in-house candidates, defensive coordinator Greg Colby, 54, seems an unlikely choice, seeing as his defenses have fared as poorly as Brown's (Northwestern ranked 117th in Division I-A last season -- worst among all teams -- in total defense), and offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, 33, was just appointed to that position in February.
Going through an entire season with an interim coach could also have potentially disastrous long-term effects on the program -- which Murphy acknowledged during a phone conversation this week -- due to the uncertainty that would hover over potential recruits. For example, the Cincinnati men's basketball program spent all of last season in limbo over the status of interim coach Andy Kennedy (he was eventually hired by Ole Miss) and was unable to sign any recruits during the critical fall signing period. "Not knowing who the coach is [going to be after the season] could affect couple different [recruiting] classes," said Murphy. "Also, with an interim, you worry about the stability of your staff. Guys start to look for other opportunities."
The question, then, is whether Murphy is confident enough in one of the aforementioned in-house candidates to promote one permanently? If not, might he be able to convince someone else to leave his current school on such short notice?
One way to maintain Walker's legacy without going the interim route might be for Murphy to lure back Mike Dunbar, the Wildcats' highly regarded offensive coordinator of the past four seasons, who left in February to take the same position at Cal. Dunbar, 57, has head coaching experience, going 29-15 in four seasons at Division I-AA Northern Iowa (1997-2000), and Northwestern produced the nation's fourth-ranked offense last season (500.3 yards per game) under his direction. His defection a month before the season might not sting Cal as much it would some schools, since Bears head coach Jeff Tedford calls his own plays, and Dunbar might jump at the opportunity to become a I-A head coach. On the other hand, one reason he took the Cal job was to get closer to his native state of Washington.
Another option might be Dunbar's predecessor, Kevin Wilson, now the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, whose ties to Walker date back to his days as a graduate assistant at North Carolina in the mid-'80s (he would go on to become Walker's coordinator at both Miami of Ohio and Northwestern). Wilson was instrumental in the original installation of the spread offense the Wildcats run. It's highly unlikely, however, he would bolt a potential national-title contender at Oklahoma a month before the season.
If Murphy gets rebuffed by Dunbar and/or Wilson due to the timing, he may find it best to tab Brown, Fitzgerald or Colby as interim coach and hold off until after the season to name a permanent coach. At that point, his pool could expand to include such names as Eastern Michigan head coach Jeff Genyk, 45, a Northwestern staff member from 1994-2003, and Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon, 50, a member of Barnett's staff in Evanston from 1992-98 whose teams run a similar version of the spread offense as the Wildcats. Penn State linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden, who served as the defensive coordinator for Northwestern's Rose Bowl team, has been mentioned as a possibility, but his rocky four-year stint as Maryland's head coach (going 15-29 from 1997 to 2000) likely would discourage Murphy.
Of course, depending on how the Wildcats do this season, Murphy, who has often tapped his East Coast roots in making other coaching hires at the school, may decide by then to open the job to all outside candidates. A logical target would be Colgate head coach Dick Biddle, whom Murphy hired there 10 years ago and has since gone 84-35. Harvard's highly successful head coach Tim Murphy, whose teams have posted two undefeated seasons since 2001, would be a highly attractive candidate as well.
Sadly, this is not Murphy's first experience in handling this type of situation. In December 1997, while at Colgate, revered head basketball coach Jack Bruen died from pancreatic cancer. After playing out the season under an interim coach, Murphy hired Emmett Davis, then an assistant at Navy. Davis remains in the same job today, his teams consistently placing in the upper half of the Patriot League standings. If his next hire goes as successfully as that one, the Wildcats can continue building the foundation Walker started.
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si.com
Moving forward
Northwestern has difficult task in replacing Walker
Posted: Thursday July 6, 2006 8:16PM
Family, friends and fans of Randy Walker gathered at a church in Evanston, Ill., on Thursday morning to remember the Northwestern head coach who died of an apparent heart attack last week at the age of 52. Afterward, guests were invited to attend a tailgate in his honor in a parking lot adjacent to Ryan Field, the Wildcats' home stadium. "It's the kind of thing he would have wanted," said a Northwestern administrator.
Sadly, there's no way of knowing who Walker would have wanted to become his successor. Out of respect to Walker's family, Northwestern athletic director Mark Murphy declined to name a new coach prior to Thursday's service, but with the team's annual preseason camp in Kenosha, Wis., set to kick off in just over a month, a decision on a new coach could be made within the next few days.
"I've met with the staff a couple times since Randy passed away, and we're all sensitive. It's a devastating loss for everyone, and we want to support the players and help them get through this," said Murphy. "But we're also quite aware that we need to get this [coaching search] going."
In seven seasons at Northwestern, Walker compiled a seemingly modest 37-46 record, but recently his program had achieved a level of stability unprecedented in the school's mostly dreadful football annals. Over the past three seasons, the Wildcats went a combined 14-10 in Big Ten competition, finishing tied for third place last season and fourth the year before while reaching bowl games in both 2003 (Motor City) and '05 (Sun). This in addition to a conference co-championship and Alamo Bowl bid in 2000. His teams also became synonymous for the explosive spread offense they've run the past six seasons. In an attempt to maintain both momentum and identity, Murphy likely will focus on candidates with ties to Walker and/or the program.
"We want to hire the best person for the program," said Murphy, a former Washington Redskins safety and attorney who spent 11 years as the athletic director at Colgate, his alma mater, before coming to Northwestern in 2003. "But obviously, one of the considerations is we're on the eve of the season, and there's an advantage to having some continuity, someone who's familiar with the program. We're looking for a strong leader who can bring everyone together and through this."
Because of the timing, it it's unlikely an active coach at another school would jump ship so close to the start of a season. Therefore, it's been widely assumed that, at least for this season, Murphy will appoint a member of the current coaching staff to take over on an interim basis. The problem, however, is there's no obvious candidate.
The elder statesman of Walker's staff is assistant head coach/defensive backs coach Jerry Brown, 56, a Northwestern alum whose tenure dates back to Gary Barnett's second season in 1993. Brown, a former NFL assistant with the Minnesota Vikings, took over the program briefly in 2004 when Walker first suffered health problems. His appointment would likely be well received by the players, and he would become the Big Ten's first black head coach since Michigan State's Bobby Williams was fired in 2002.
Pat Fitzgerald, star of the 1995 Rose Bowl team and current linebackers coach, is a popular choice to succeed Randy Walker.
"I believe that Coach Brown will be the best candidate because he's the most experienced, he knows the game, and he has paid his dues,'' Vikings linebacker Napoleon Harris, who played for the Wildcats from 1997-2001, told the Chicago Sun Times.
From a football standpoint, however, Brown may not be the most desirable choice. After serving as defensive coordinator from 1999-2001, during which the Wildcats ranked 81st, 89th and 107th nationally in total defense, he was relieved of those duties at the same time he was given the assistant head coach title. If given the interim job, Brown would most likely be viewed as a temporary caretaker. A more popular choice among Wildcats fans would be linebackers coach Pat Fitzgerald, one of the stars of Northwestern's 1995 Rose Bowl team and the program's top recruiter. Fitzgerald, however, is only 31, with just six years of coaching experience. It's widely assumed he will become a head coach one day, but is he qualified as of today? Currently, the youngest head coach in Division I-A is Wisconsin's Bret Bielema at 36.
Among other in-house candidates, defensive coordinator Greg Colby, 54, seems an unlikely choice, seeing as his defenses have fared as poorly as Brown's (Northwestern ranked 117th in Division I-A last season -- worst among all teams -- in total defense), and offensive coordinator Garrick McGee, 33, was just appointed to that position in February.
Going through an entire season with an interim coach could also have potentially disastrous long-term effects on the program -- which Murphy acknowledged during a phone conversation this week -- due to the uncertainty that would hover over potential recruits. For example, the Cincinnati men's basketball program spent all of last season in limbo over the status of interim coach Andy Kennedy (he was eventually hired by Ole Miss) and was unable to sign any recruits during the critical fall signing period. "Not knowing who the coach is [going to be after the season] could affect couple different [recruiting] classes," said Murphy. "Also, with an interim, you worry about the stability of your staff. Guys start to look for other opportunities."
The question, then, is whether Murphy is confident enough in one of the aforementioned in-house candidates to promote one permanently? If not, might he be able to convince someone else to leave his current school on such short notice?
One way to maintain Walker's legacy without going the interim route might be for Murphy to lure back Mike Dunbar, the Wildcats' highly regarded offensive coordinator of the past four seasons, who left in February to take the same position at Cal. Dunbar, 57, has head coaching experience, going 29-15 in four seasons at Division I-AA Northern Iowa (1997-2000), and Northwestern produced the nation's fourth-ranked offense last season (500.3 yards per game) under his direction. His defection a month before the season might not sting Cal as much it would some schools, since Bears head coach Jeff Tedford calls his own plays, and Dunbar might jump at the opportunity to become a I-A head coach. On the other hand, one reason he took the Cal job was to get closer to his native state of Washington.
Another option might be Dunbar's predecessor, Kevin Wilson, now the offensive coordinator at Oklahoma, whose ties to Walker date back to his days as a graduate assistant at North Carolina in the mid-'80s (he would go on to become Walker's coordinator at both Miami of Ohio and Northwestern). Wilson was instrumental in the original installation of the spread offense the Wildcats run. It's highly unlikely, however, he would bolt a potential national-title contender at Oklahoma a month before the season.
If Murphy gets rebuffed by Dunbar and/or Wilson due to the timing, he may find it best to tab Brown, Fitzgerald or Colby as interim coach and hold off until after the season to name a permanent coach. At that point, his pool could expand to include such names as Eastern Michigan head coach Jeff Genyk, 45, a Northwestern staff member from 1994-2003, and Bowling Green head coach Gregg Brandon, 50, a member of Barnett's staff in Evanston from 1992-98 whose teams run a similar version of the spread offense as the Wildcats. Penn State linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden, who served as the defensive coordinator for Northwestern's Rose Bowl team, has been mentioned as a possibility, but his rocky four-year stint as Maryland's head coach (going 15-29 from 1997 to 2000) likely would discourage Murphy.
Of course, depending on how the Wildcats do this season, Murphy, who has often tapped his East Coast roots in making other coaching hires at the school, may decide by then to open the job to all outside candidates. A logical target would be Colgate head coach Dick Biddle, whom Murphy hired there 10 years ago and has since gone 84-35. Harvard's highly successful head coach Tim Murphy, whose teams have posted two undefeated seasons since 2001, would be a highly attractive candidate as well.
Sadly, this is not Murphy's first experience in handling this type of situation. In December 1997, while at Colgate, revered head basketball coach Jack Bruen died from pancreatic cancer. After playing out the season under an interim coach, Murphy hired Emmett Davis, then an assistant at Navy. Davis remains in the same job today, his teams consistently placing in the upper half of the Patriot League standings. If his next hire goes as successfully as that one, the Wildcats can continue building the foundation Walker started.
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