Two candidates withdraw from football search
Two candidates withdraw from football search
Thursday, December 18, 2008
It turns out that not everyone wants to be the next Jack Siedlecki.
The two coaches said to be the University’s top choices to take the helm of the Yale football program have withdrawn their names from consideration for the post, and a spokesman for the Yale Athletics Department said Thursday that a new coach will not be announced until next week at the earliest.
A person familiar with the search process, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential deliberations, told the News this week that University of Massachusetts coach Don Brown and Holy Cross coach Tom Gilmore were seen as the two frontrunners to succeed Siedlecki, who last month announced his retirement after 12 seasons as Yale’s head football coach.
But both coaches have since decided not to pursue the Yale position. Gilmore told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette on Wednesday that he plans to remain at Holy Cross, and officials in the UMass athletic department told the Springfield, Mass., television station WWLP on Thursday that Brown has decided to take himself out of the running for the Yale job.
Steve Conn, the director of Yale Sports Publicity, said by telephone Thursday that the announcement of a new football coach would not be made this week. He did not say who was under consideration for the post, nor did he confirm or deny whether Brown and Gilmore were the University’s top choices.
"We're waiting to announce it and nothing is going to happen this weekend,” Conn said. “We're not sure when it's going to happen, but we hope it's going to happen soon so that everyone will know who the coach is. Hopefully it will be sometime next week, or it might be the following.”
For weeks, Brown had been seen as a top contender for the head coaching job, a position for which Siedlecki beat him out 12 years ago. Brown was the defensive coordinator under legendary Yale coach Carm Cozza from 1987 to 1992, and rumors began circulating among football players shortly after Siedlecki’s resignation that Brown might be tapped to return to Yale.
It is unclear who remains under consideration for the position now that Brown and Gilmore have withdrawn from the search. Citing unnamed sources, the New Haven Register reported Wednesday that three other candidates have been interviewed by the Yale Athletics Department: Steve Addazio, the offensive line coach at Florida and the former head coach at Cheshire (Conn.) High School; Jim Fleming, the defensive coordinator at Akron; and Dave Shaw, the offensive coordinator at Stanford.
Another rumored candidate for the position, Yale defensive coordinator Rick Flanders, told the Register last week that he was not interested in succeeding Siedlecki. “I like the job I have,” he said.
Jorge Castillo contributed reporting.
Comments
None 3 years, 5 months ago
Well, Addazio can be scratched off the list. He was promoted to Offensive Coordinator at Florida and is no longer interested in Yale. His 3 predecessors in that position at Florida are all Div 1 coaches now.
So I guess its back to the drawing board.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
I was shocked when Yale dumped Siedlecki, since the Yale/Penn games in the last few years have become tremendous contests with Yale winnning a lot more than it ever did before. Penn's last two games with Yale were thrilling, particularly the triple overtime loss (by Penn) at Franklin Field. That kind of intensity doesn't come out of thin air- you have to have stellar coaching. Apparently, Yale is so obessessed with beating Harvard it has become the only thing that matters.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
You commenters are fools.
Yale football is not as prestigious as your Yale diploma.
This is a crap job aside from the excellent pay for a lower tier football school and the job security (if you can beat Harvard).
Yale is where coaches go to finish their careers, NOT to jump to BCS schools.
Turner Gill has NO interest in coming to New Haven.
We will most likely end up with another retread from a NESCAC, Patriot or Ivy school.
Yale students- you know nothing about college athletics so please be quiet.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
Can't Yale do better than the coaches of Holy Cross and UMass? Surely we can leverage the Yale name to find someone from more respectable football programs?
None 3 years, 5 months ago
Steve Addazio from Univ. of Florida, has Ct ties and has coached HS in Cheshire and will be able to get good area kids to play close to Home. Can't believe Yale didn't take the Raggone Kid from Cheshire. One of the best players I've seen in years.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
when are they announcing the job!!!!!
None 3 years, 5 months ago
How about making a 2 year offer to Turner Gill? It'll give Yale some immediate publicity and credibility as a "football school" and may help with recruiting. When Gill inevitably goes on his way, there may be some other higher profile coach whose interest is piqued. At one point (long ago) Yale was something of a factory for college coaches. It might not be impossible to restore a bit of that former glory.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
Tyrone Willingham would be the ultimate DISASTER.
Can't recruit (didn't even want to offer Brady Quinn!)
Can't coach (mediocre at every job he ever took)
All his stoic posturing masks a well known reputation for being lazy, overwhelmed and timid.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
Jack was a good coach.From a fan who has not missed a game in 25 years.Offer him a raise and bring him back,
None 3 years, 5 months ago
Siedlecki is horrible. I have never seen a coach accomplish so little, with so much talent on his squad. As an ardent Yale fan myself, it appears clear that Siedlecki knows only about three offensive plays - two of which involve running Mike McCleod up the middle, and the other involving the punter.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
TYRRRRONNNEEE WILLLLINGGHHAMMM!!! :) :) :)
I love that guy. Recruit him!!!!! PLEAAASSEE!
None 3 years, 5 months ago
I can't see why we're having such trouble finding somebody. After all, the job's not so tough; the football coach only has to win one game a year … against Harvard.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
I would not at all be surprised if Yale fails to find anyone as qualified as Siedlecki and ends up re-hiring Siedlecki for the job. Yale has a strong team but Harvard has a stronger team, and changing the coach will not make Yale win. Yale could win by recruiting more star athletes each year.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
How about Tyrone Willingham? He can obviously recruit (see Weis' first year) and he has impeccable personal qualities.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
How about bringing back Cozza? He'd younger than Joe Paterno, isn't he?
None 3 years, 5 months ago
Dear everyone, particularly those posting over four paragraphs:
Get a life.
None 3 years, 5 months ago
"Please", stop belaboring your point. If someone doesn't get what you're trying to say by now, they never will. I share your skepticism of secret societies. I think they are ridiculous for many of the reasons you do.
However, while dismissing everything other than mathematics and physics, perhaps you should delve into a little psychology and analyze why you feel the need to: 1. set yourself above others with comments like "you people are hopeless". 2. Do so on a college board newspaper. These actions reek of desperateness. Is this the only way you can get the attention and validation you seek?
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