Mark Dantonio
How do you say no to a Big 10 job and triple your current salary? Answer: You don't. Do not begrudge Mark Dantonio who, barring an 11th-hour miracle that the current athletic administration at UC seems woefully unprepared to deliver, for leaving Clifton for Michigan State. On the other hand, feel free to fret over the future of UC's aspirations to the football big time.
This is a stepping-stone job. It's a better job than it was three years ago, when Bob Goin hired Dantonio. Better facilities, clearer direction, better league. But it will probably never be more than a bus stop for bright, ambitious people seeking bigger lights. The challenge, then, is for the athletic department to make the program and the job attractive enough to continue hiring smart coaches on their way up, much as Xavier has done in basketball. That requires a solid foundation, which Goin started to provide, salaries competitive w/those in the rest of the Big East (not there yet) and an obvious commitment from fans, boosters, alums etc. (not even close.)
The fact UC got Dantonio to coach here shows talented people want the job. To keep the momentum rolling that Dantonio built, the athletic administration needs to continue what Bob Goin started. We'll see.
posted by Paul Daugherty at 8:08 AM
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Post a Comment*Happy for Coach D now maybe UC will finally get the message they are in the Big East and they need to pay for a quaility coach.
Doc...
You definitely can't blame Dantonio here... its the nature of the business.
My questions center mainly around the AD's office. Was Thomas really this in the dark about Dantonio's Michigan State overtures as it seemed in yesterday's article or does he have his marching orders that UC just won't pay the type of money necessary to keep someone like Dantonio.
This is the second coaching situation at UC where Thomas has ended up looking like he's "not ready for prime time". I am not talking about Hugs either. I am referring to the "I will hire the next basketball coach then all of a sudden we need an outside consultant fiasco."
Michigan State has been open since the middle of the season. Dantonio has big time ties there, why not offer him something after the Rutgers game to keep. Sadly, I doubt we will ever know the "real scoop" on that one.
The true tragedy here is that just when it looked like a fan base may emerge with the Rutgers win the man responsible for that emergence has gone elsewhere. Looks like its back to 15,000 fans a night.
For all of us who have followed UC football, we knew Dantonio was leaving the day he said, "I am committed to staying here". Whenever a college coach makes such a statement, it means that he has already made contact about another position. UC lost the opportunity to be any more than they are when the Bengals hired Marvin Lewis. If Dantonio would have been here during the Lost Decade, UC may have picked up some football fans. However, now as you said they are the football version of XU b-ball - bring on the next Prosser...
If Nancy cannot, or chooses not to "take out the checkbook" for a great coach, this will always be an "also ran" school when it comes to football. Heck, we are that way for hoops now as well. UC will always be just another rung below all the "big time" programs. Thanks Nancy!
Nice post Paul. Right on the mark as usual.
Here's the thing though. UC had a guy who cared about both the university and the city, probably loved both. Had an extremely successful career here, with perennial teams ranked in the top 10 and playing for national championships. He turned down numerous superior offers, both in terms of money and prestige, to stay here. The man had a few flaws to be sure, but he cared about UC and would have retired a Bearcat coach, whenever that time came. So what did UC do? They ran Bob Huggins out on a rail.
They reap what they sow in terms of loyalty.
Karl Kauffman
Hyde Park
Good analysis as always. I wish coach Dantonio the best and I hope UC gets another good coach. Also I always love how you find creative and clever ways of sticking a knife into the side of those "Saints" over on Victory Parkway and making sure they know their place is at the bottom of the totem pole. Keep up the good work!
Hey, Mike Shula's available
Rationally, I don't blame Dantonio. The truth is, though, that I have enough local yokel in me to wish that UC would honor the memory of B Schembechler by advising coach D that a "Cincinnati man" (Narducci) would handle the team for whatever Bowl game it gets invited to.
I think you are going WAY too easy on UC's Athletic Director and President. Why was Coach Dantonio ever left in this position, where he was so easy to sign away? Wouldn't this have been a much tougher decision for Dantonio if he was CURRENTLY making $1 million per year on a five-year deal, if the buyout was $500K, and if he had the other type of perks that long-term coaches receive (ala Huggins)? Did the Rutgers win wake them up? And isn't it the job of the AD to recognize this stuff first and beat MSU to the punch?
As premature, decisive, and heavy-handed as they responded in the Huggins termination saga, they were too-little/too-late, equivocal, and too soft here. Shouldn't you be holding them responsible for yet another administrative mistake?
What a cop out! I agree that Mark Dantonio should take the job at MSU and go to where the money and the "rebuild" challenge exists. I do not agree with his challenging the city to take ownership of a football program that he just abandoned. Dantonio stated “I hope the people understand that I love UC and I love my players, But the people of Cincinnati need to take ownership of their football team." According to one of the articles, UC matched the money offered by Michigan State. If so, then Dantonio did not live up to his challenge by taking ownership in the team he built.
Paul - How about dropping the name of Ohio boy and protege of the Stoops boys (and current LSU DC) Bo Pellini for us? We need a local, fiery charasmatic guy and Pellini fits the bill.
Keep up the good work!
Dave in Omaha
I blame the community! I think he also left because the city does not support UC enough too. Who wants to coach in a empty stadium? It's time for the City of Cincinnati to stand behind their teams, and not be fair wether fans. (Like they do with the Bengals) It's time for fans to go to games WIN OR LOSE, it's time for the business community to support the Bearcats. They need to make more donations to the program, hang up UC Football posters in the windows, and let the players and recruits know the City supports them!
And most importantly it is time for NANCY TO GO..... We have lost three of the best coaches in the country while she has been our school's president. Thanks again Nancy!
I will always regret shaking your hand at graduation.
The position of head football coach at UC will never be anything more than a stepping stone job.
Chip Lapp
Kenwood OH
I think UC is going to have lots of problems getting fan support as long as Nancy is the president here, that being said we may be headed back into the Tony Yates years with both major sports. I also beleive that show will wear thin with the Big Eight quite rapidly.
I think UC will have lots of difficulty getting fan support for any of it major sports as long as Nancy is President. I beleive that we are quickly headed back to the Tony Yates era, with small crowds for any of the athletic functions. Nancy and the alums forgot what built those wonderful facilities. I don't think it will be long before the Big Eight understands that we cannot sustain the high level that they are accustome to for their sports programs.
Are you guys kidding? UC is NOT a major football job...period. Who in their right mind would NOT go to be the head guy at a Big Ten school that packs the house each game, EVEN WHEN THEY ARE DOWN! Dantonio would not have stayed if UC would have offered him 2 million...this was a rare case that it truly was NOT about the money...Let's see...Michigan State or UC?...Big Ten or Big East Football? Please...AND they're gonna give me more than I'm making now? That's just icing, but he'd of left town anyway...Cincinnati is NOT--for whatever reason--a college football town...never has been. Period.
I'm happy for Coach Dantonio getting to go back to his alma mater that great but i am saying this as a UC student and Cincinnati native. But I think the right thing to do is hire Narduzzi as head coach and (hold your breath) hire Colerain coach Kerry Coombs. For real, he churns out defenses very year and he will bring that same fire and passion to UC, ask his former players on the UC roster. Look at Arkansas when they hired their first year local offensive coordinator, they went from pretender to BCS contender in 1 year and have a legit Hesman in McFadden and possible Mustain. But I'm Jus Sayin
Right, it's Nancy. Everything that happens bad is her fault and everything good at the U is a coincidence and not of her doing.
She's good at her job. Huggins needed to go. Basketball will recover. Football will hire a good coach. But hey, trying to get her fired is a lofty goal - just try not to look like a fool while doing it. You are not subtle, your motives are obvious, and they don't even tie in to this discussion.
UC fans should take heart in the fact that the job is a stepping stone to the likes of Michigan State and not Harvard anymore. Or better yet, that other schools actually WANT to hire our coach.
Look at Boise State. Last year, Colorado hired away Dan Hawkins, in a couple years, someone will hire away their current coach, and a couple years after that, someone will hire away his replacement. But Boise State is going to a BCS game this year and will probably go to others in the future. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't care who comes and goes if UC was in the Fiesta Bowl!
And because Dantonio left, that doesn't mean we're back to 15,000 fans a night. If they hire a competant coach that can keep the momentum going (see Xavier), they'll get MORE big wins, and when big wins happen, people show up.
Rome wasn't built in a day, and 50 years of apathy weren't eliminated overnight.
Someday, columnists will write about UC as the little program that could, just like Xavier.
Dear Paul Daugherty,
I picked up the Enquirer today because I saw Mark Dantonio on the front page. I read that article then turned to the Sports section and read the Dantonio related articles there. After reading yours I was nearly sick.
The entire second half of your article is irrelevant where you begin to compare UC football's coaching job to that of Xavier's basketball. You may recall a guy named Rick Minter that used to be here from '94 to '03... what program was he recruited away by? Oh, that's right, he was fired.
I'll tell you why Mark Dantonio left, and the first part is no secret as you can imagine. It broke his heart to look into the stands and see the lack of fan support, which you cite in your article, and you're correct about that. He left because his good friend Tom Izzo came down to try to convince him to come back 'home' to East Lansing. I'm sure Izzo reminded him of all the great times there, and the better times he'll have when he's a Spartan once again. He probably thought to himself 'Who in Cincinnati would come and do this for me?' Once that question couldn't be answered, the eventual answer came. Time to go. At this point, I will ask you to look into the mirror.
What you probably didn't think of is the other reason Dantonio left. Cincinnati plays a tough first half against the number 1 team in the nation. While they ran out of gas and were eventually outmatched, they gave that game their all in Columbus. They come home to read an article entitled something along the lines of There's number one, and then there's UC. Wow. UC beats hopeful a BCS team in stunning fashion at home by a blowout, in the Cincinnati Dispatch (as I now refer to it) the Buckeyes over Michigan is the lead article. What a way to treat your home team. Who would stick around being treated like that?
Our stands may not be filled at home games, but our local newspaper hasn't done much to improve the situation, or even recognize our great accomplishments for that matter. We don't live in Columbus, we live in Cincinnati. Be proud of where you're at - and if not - Columbus is just a straight shot up I-71, and I promise nobody will come recruit you back.
UC Student
It's very simple Cincinnati- if you just forget about Ohio State and root for your own school (which many of you went to) the coach stays. But NO, everyone just hops on the OSU bandwaggon because they are "from Ohio" well how about those "from Cincinnati"? Root for your city, buy season tickets and go to the games. Let Columbus worry about OSU.
The most interesting thing about Dantonio leaving is the comment he made about the people of Cincinnati "taking ownership" of the UC football team. The reason it's interesting is because it raises the question of whether or not that will or even ever could happen.
Paul made the point in today's column about this being a pro football town. So is there room left for UC football? There would be if it wasn't for the borderline unhealthy obsession the people of Cincinnati have with high school football. Elder, Moeller, LaSalle, St. X, Colerain, the list goes on. It just seems like that there is too much interest in football extraneous to UC's program, and there's no room left. It's the same reason why the arena teams don't last here. We don't need more football. We have more than enough.
So Dantonio's beef is legit because it's indisputable that no one is showing up to UC games. But when have the people ever showed up? They never have. They probably never will. Because there is a game at the Pit for all the marbles Friday night, and we aren't going to miss that. And because Chad's going to dance for us on Sunday, and we surely aren't going to miss that. It's something with which every coach who comes to UC is going to have to deal.
Chris
Goshen, OH
I can't believe that people are suggesting that Dantonio should have been making $1 million a year at UC this season.
What had he done prior to this year, let alone prior to the Rutgers game to justify getting paid $1 million a season?
UC stepped up to the plate and offered to pay him the big bucks and they should be commended for that.
Dantonio was going to leave no matter what.
Hire Colerain Head Coach Kerry Coombs for UC's new defensive coordinator... Look At How His Players And Especially The Community Admire Him.... You See What Happen 2 Arkansas??? They Hired A Local High School Coach As The Offensive Coordinator and They Went From No Name To BCS participant... I Think UC Can Do The Same... Just Think About It
The difference was the Arkansas hired Gus Malzhon to be offensive coordinator to lock up the prodigious talents of Mitch Mustain, not because he was really and truely deserving of the job. Unless Kerry Coombs is bringing along Eugene Clifford along with him I don't want to see it happen.
Hire Coombs? As Coordinator? Tell me, does he know anything about college recruiting? How bout NCAA rules and regs? And the college game as opposed to the high school game?
Why would you do him the disservice of elevating him that fast? He would fail miserably, not because he doesn't have the ability, but because he doesn't have the experience. You don't just sit down for a week and drill the information into you, it's stuff you learn over YEARS. The guys at the college level breathe the stuff they learn, they don't even think about it anymore, it is underlying every move they make on the job.
I'm always amazed at how the average joe thinks he can make these decisions because he coaches youth football and watches several football games a year. I'm not a doctor even though I watch E.R., and I'm not a lawyer even though I watch L.A. Law. I wouldn't suppose to tell another person who is a professional in their field how to do their job, but in sports, either coaching or administration, everyone's an expert if they watch it on tv.
I'm not against a college hiring him or Specht at a low entry level job, but just because you know the x's and o's doesn't mean you know the minutia you need to know to do the college job even adequately. There's a world of difference between high school and college coaching.
What about Coach Huber from Mount Saing Joseph? They're something like 30-4 the last three years under him...he turned around an NCAA III program that was God-awful for years. I know that DI and DIII are two different animals, but the gulf is probably just as wide as Tressel leaving Youngstown State to one of the biggest animals out there in Ohio State. He's familiar with recruiting, NCAA rules, etc...unlike any of the high school coaches mentioned. Coombs is an awesome HIGH SCHOOL coach...but c'mon, does everybody forget Gerry Faust? Arguably the greatest h.s. football coach in the NATION during Moeller's hey-day. His leap to college was catastrophic.
I think the joke is on MSU. They will be looking for another guy in three years....
Dantonio rode the wave of a bunch of close losses and one quality win and was hot at just the right time...his past connection at MSU was another variable that sealed the deal.
MSU isn't going to be tickled just to be in a bowl game in three years, they are going to expect to compete for the Big 10 championship year two at the latest.
See the "Peter Prinicple."
I'll bring it up again; Paul, you think your buddy Rod Huber would want to put his hat in the ring? Is the gulf between UC and Mount St. Joe much greater than Youngstown State and Ohio State University? THAT was a jump, as Huber's would be, but I don't know that Huber's would be a bigger jump.
Maybe I'm too much a Romantic, but I love it when small time Joe's get a shot at the big-time (if anyone wants to call UC "the big time"...)
Anyway, about him as a UC possibility...what think you?
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