Marla Ridenour Weighs In

[Blue & Gold]

Marla Ridenour for the ABJ.

I always appreciate her work and wish she would cover the Zips more often.

From the article:

After spending 15 years at Youngstown State, Tressel can also remind UA that there are deserving candidates from the ranks of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). One who took his program from worst-to-first is Liberty's Danny Rocco, a former assistant head coach under Al Groh at Virginia. The Flames were 1-10 the year before Rocco arrived at Liberty and have won four Big South Conference titles in six years, averaging better than 35 points per game during those four.

Interesting candidate. It's nice to see she's put some thought into this.

Liberty is a Christian university and I know some of their coaches, being Christian men & women, consider it a destination job. I don't know if Danny Rocco is one of those guys or not.

[johnnyzip84]

Marla Ridenour for the ABJ.

I always appreciate her work and wish she would cover the Zips more often.

From the article:

After spending 15 years at Youngstown State, Tressel can also remind UA that there are deserving candidates from the ranks of the Football Championship Subdivision (formerly Division I-AA). One who took his program from worst-to-first is Liberty's Danny Rocco, a former assistant head coach under Al Groh at Virginia. The Flames were 1-10 the year before Rocco arrived at Liberty and have won four Big South Conference titles in six years, averaging better than 35 points per game during those four.

Interesting candidate. It's nice to see she's put some thought into this.

Liberty is a Christian university and I know some of their coaches, being Christian men & women, consider it a destination job. I don't know if Danny Rocco is one of those guys or not.

Rocco looks like a solid candidate. Of course, Sam Rutigliano once coached at Liberty.

[Dr Z]

Interesting candidate. It's nice to see she's put some thought into this.

I agree. Wouldn't be my choice, but his resume would suggest that Akron HC could be a possibility.

After watching this video, he sounds like someone familiar.

Rocco made $228,253 in base salary in the 2007 fiscal year

[InTheZone]

http://www2.newsadvance.com/sports/2010/ja...2014-ar-214682/

Based on this article, Rocco's going nowhere anytime soon. He's had plenty of FBS suitors, and simply said, "No thanks."

Ridenour has the right idea though. We don't need a head coach who has simply been successful by walking into a situation where there was already talent and success and either keeping it going or expanding it. That's not the situation here. We need a head coach with experience in taking over an absolute diaster of a football program and building it from the ground up.

Danny Rocco has done a great job of that, but he's still never even made the FCS playoffs. Paul Winters on the other hand has taken one of the worst programs in the country in a horrible location where most kids (and most kids moms!) wouldn't want them to go, and is now competing for a national championship! The ultimate turnaround, from the bottom of the barrel to the a national powerhouse. Couple that with his love for Akron, his local ties, his MAC experience, and his offensive genius, and he's the perfect candidate.

[Dr Z]

The ultimate turnaround, from the bottom of the barrel to the a national powerhouse. Couple that with his love for Akron, his local ties, his MAC experience, and his offensive genius, and he's the perfect candidate.

If he did it at Liberty, I would agree. Winters may end up here, but I would not use the word "perfect" to describe him. A perfect candidate will win and create a buzz locally that will put butts in the seat immediately. How many potential Akron fans are going to get excited to read that "Akron has just hired Paul Winters, who previously coached at Wayne State"? I would guess that more than three quarters of the potential fans that Dr P would like to see in the Info have no idea who Winters is, or that Wayne State even exists. If you told me I had to hire Paul Winters, I would put together a massive marketing campaign around the idea that "Akron is Bringing one of it's own home" I would put his face everywhere. But judging by the history of our football marketing (excluding Waddell who got it), it won't happen.

[ZipRoo]

RE: If you told me I had to hire Paul Winters, I would put together a massive marketing campaign around the idea that "Akron is Bringing one of it's own home" I would put his face everywhere. But judging by the history of our football marketing (excluding Waddell who got it), it won't happen.

Yes, the wisdom in sticking Ianello's (shall we say) "questionable" mug on a billboard or schedule--in hindsight, foresight, or any other version of SIGHT you wanna mention--was, uh....lacking any form of intelligence. Better leave it at that. :/

[mes102]

To be completely honest, when I was a senior in high school, I was considering Liberty University as a possibility. Went there in October 2008, and it was really beautiful down there. Stayed the weekend down there, and was able to catch them play against Charleston Southern. Liberty dominated the game and won 42-0. Everything was great down there, and I really enjoyed it that weekend.

Being there that weekend, I learned a lot about the university. For Rocco to do as well as he has in recruiting, with the very high standards of the code of conduct there( google "The Liberty Way code of conduct").

You need to read a little bit about the university's code of conduct policy in order to understand how difficult it has to be for Rocco to recruit. For Rocco to be able to recruit players that were good, and fit the university's guidelines, is amazing. Here's a couple articles explaining Liberty's code of conduct:

2008 article explaining a couple of them

Start reading after the Glenn Beck-Falwell highlighted quotes

Here's two pages about someone that spent a semester at Liberty with this code of conduct, and wrote a book about it.

Remember, he was 1-10 before his first year. His worse record in 6 seasons there, is his first year where they went 6-5. It's amazing that he was able to do what he was able to do.

By the way, if you look at Liberty's 2010 football schedule(Ianello's first season), they beat Ball State in Muncie 27-23. They also beat Gardner-Webb that year 40-14.

Since Liberty is in the same conference as Gardner-Webb and VMI, our last two FCS opponents, if Rocco doesn't come to Akron to be our head coach, I expect him to come here and coach on the visitor's sideline for the Flames pretty soon...

[GP1]

Winters may end up here, but I would not use the word "perfect" to describe him. A perfect candidate will win and create a buzz locally that will put butts in the seat immediately.

Like Faust? He won seven games his first year. And then......I'd love to see a JZ84 graph on that record.

Nobody is going to be perfect, but Paul is as perfect as it gets. The move to Paul would be perfect for marketing. There is real buzz and there is contrived buzz. Winning is real buzz and Paul will bring real buzz to the program. The contrived buzz is that of a football program that sounds like a Japanese Zero crashing into the Pacific during WWII.

Akron isn't going to draw fans until it starts to win regardless of how many bus-backs they put Paul's face.

[Dr Z]

Akron isn't going to draw fans until it starts to win regardless of how many bus-backs they put Paul's face.

You and U of A need to get out of the 80's with your marketing. Plenty of firms can create a great campaign for minimal cost. I'm not laying out a plan here for free, but it has been done successfully PLENTY of times with a lot worse product (believe it or not).

[ZipRoo]

Akron isn't going to draw fans until it starts to win regardless of how many bus-backs they put Paul's face.

You and U of A need to get out of the 80's with your marketing. Plenty of firms can create a great campaign for minimal cost. I'm not laying out a plan here for free, but it has been done successfully PLENTY of times with a lot worse product (believe it or not).

How about a billboard with a series of B&W mug shots ("The Usual Suspects"): Faust, Owens, JD, Ianello.

[Dr Z]

How about a billboard with a series of B&W mug shots ("The Usual Suspects"): Faust, Owens, JD, Ianello.

Add Winters, put it in Ken+ with the Ken+ schedule under it with the Akron game highlighted. Good idea.

[GP1]

Akron isn't going to draw fans until it starts to win regardless of how many bus-backs they put Paul's face.

You and U of A need to get out of the 80's with your marketing. Plenty of firms can create a great campaign for minimal cost.

And we'll get what we pay for. I'll match what I know about sales and marketing against anyone on this board.

Toledo packs in their stadium with winning. OU is packing in their stadium with winning. We pack our stadium with free tickets...and you know who I'm talking about. The Athletic Department needs to get people to pay to watch the team play, not contrived buzz backed up with free tickets.

[Lee Adams]

Point being,if the AD and Proenza do a REAL search there are plenty of possibilities out there who have some sort of track record as a head coach. They are not all going to be interested but pick up the phone and talk to more than just a few people this time.

[K92]

I like a lot of Dr. Zs marketing ideas. I wish UA would <<at least>> try something <<somewhat>> similar <<at least>> once. Just for shits and giggles.

[skip-zip]

If I read this correctly, he coached one level down from I-A, and had a 1-10 season followed by 4 straight league titles?

What would NOT be intriguing about that kind of candidate? If we end up deciding to go down a level to I-AA, that's the type of guy that I would pursue.

[lance99]

I like a lot of Dr. Zs marketing ideas. I wish UA would <<at least>> try something <<somewhat>> similar <<at least>> once. Just for shits and giggles.

Thats TOO EASY

[eguins]

K.C. Keeler from Delaware

Mickey Matthews from James Madison

Two coaches I think would be terrific for you guys. Both have been successful in the FCS ranks.

[ZachTheZip]

Keeler graduated from Delaware. I doubt he'd ever leave.

[eguins]

Keeler graduated from Delaware. I doubt he'd ever leave.

He is often brought up in FBS coaching discussions.

Matthews has his James Madison team in Fargo to take on #2 North Dakota State tomorrow on ESPN3. I think he is one to consider, especially if he loses this weekend which is expected. However they are expecting to go to FBS in two seasons with their massive new stadium:

[GP1]

I drove by this stadium yesterday. It is absolutely beautiful in person.

[Doug Snyder]

Akron isn't going to draw fans until it starts to win regardless of how many bus-backs they put Paul's face.

You and U of A need to get out of the 80's with your marketing. Plenty of firms can create a great campaign for minimal cost.

And we'll get what we pay for. I'll match what I know about sales and marketing against anyone on this board.

Toledo packs in their stadium with winning. OU is packing in their stadium with winning. We pack our stadium with free tickets...and you know who I'm talking about. The Athletic Department needs to get people to pay to watch the team play, not contrived buzz backed up with free tickets.

OU average attendance for 2011 = 19,890 I guess that is pretty good for where they are located. But I would hope for more when we “pack” the Info..

I agree that wining is the only way we will get butts in seats (other than signing Tressel...and that would only be a one year phenomenon). The biggest group that needs to be addressed are the students. Come up with ideas that get students involved enough to actually attend games and I will be very impressed.

[Lee Adams]

Akron isn't going to draw fans until it starts to win regardless of how many bus-backs they put Paul's face.

You and U of A need to get out of the 80's with your marketing. Plenty of firms can create a great campaign for minimal cost.

And we'll get what we pay for. I'll match what I know about sales and marketing against anyone on this board.

Toledo packs in their stadium with winning. OU is packing in their stadium with winning. We pack our stadium with free tickets...and you know who I'm talking about. The Athletic Department needs to get people to pay to watch the team play, not contrived buzz backed up with free tickets.

OU average attendance for 2011 = 19,890 I guess that is pretty good for where they are located. But I would hope for more when we “pack” the Info..

I agree that wining is the only way we will get butts in seats (other than signing Tressel...and that would only be a one year phenomenon). The biggest group that needs to be addressed are the students. Come up with ideas that get students involved enough to actually attend games and I will be very impressed.

Maybe free beer. But students at Akron have never attended in significant numbers. I go back to 1970 as a student. Thats when the program was a winner. Never saw too many of us college kids on a regualr basis.

[Zipsrifle]

Rocco does seem like a good candidate. I took a glanced at their records, and I wonder what happened in 2005? the two years prior to that they had 6 wins and then, bam, 1 win. Maybe they were very young that season? So maybe the team wasn't as much of a project as WSU was...hard to say. Anyway, Rocco intrigues me and I like the fact that he has been winning in DI-AA whereas Winters has been winning in D-II.

[g-mann17]

Maybe free beer. But students at Akron have never attended in significant numbers. I go back to 1970 as a student. Thats when the program was a winner. Never saw too many of us college kids on a regualr basis.

The campus atmosphere is quite a bit different now, then it was in the 70s.

[Lee Adams]

Maybe free beer. But students at Akron have never attended in significant numbers. I go back to 1970 as a student. Thats when the program was a winner. Never saw too many of us college kids on a regualr basis.

The campus atmosphere is quite a bit different now, then it was in the 70s.

So they don't show up in 2011,why? Winning or not in our case apparently is the variable. Point was that students still don't come out in any significant number just to watch football. More might show up if there is a winner. But just to watch a football game? Obviously not. Well,time to go unhitch the buggy and head for the general store y'all.