[Sly Fox]

They appear to be serious about making football work at ODU even though they seem to be looking to former ACC coaches (shouldn't they be aiming a little higher?):

George Welsh & Dick Sheridan To Serve As Advisors For ODU Football

Press Function on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 11:30 am

Sept. 7, 2006


George Welsh

NORFOLK, VA--College football coaching greats George Welsh and Dick Sheridan, who together took their respective teams to 19 bowls and earned national coach of the year honors, will serve as advisors for Old Dominion University in its development of a football program, which will kickoff in 2009.

Welsh and Sheridan, along with ODU president Roseann Runte and athletic director Jim Jarrett, will be on hand for a press function on Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 11:30 a.m. in the hospitality rooms at the Ted Constant Constant Convocation Center.

Former University of Virginia and Navy coach George Welsh was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. Welsh was responsible for returning Navy and Virginia to national prominence during his 28 years as a head coach.

While at Navy from 1973-81, the Midshipmen compiled a 55-46-1 record and three bowl appearances before leaving as the school's all-time winningest coach (a distinction he still holds).

Prior to his arrival at Virginia, the Cavaliers had managed just two winning seasons in 29 years. His Virginia teams posted a 134-86-3 record (.608) in 19 seasons and his 85 ACC wins and 36 conference road victories were also league records at the time of his retirement. Welsh completed his career 24th in Division I-A history in wins with 189-131-4. In addition he earned National Coach of the Year recognition in 1989 by the Washington Touchdown Club, in 1991 by College and Pro Football Newsweekly, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year and in 1998 by the Pigskin Club of Washington DC., and was named the Joseph Sheehan Division I-A Coach of the Year by the Metropolitan New York Football Writers Association. Welsh was named ACC Coach of the Year five times and he was the first coach in ACC history to win 100 games. His 1998 team was ranked in the AP top 25 for 17 consecutive weeks.

Welsh took Virginia to ten bowl appearances and ACC Championships in 1989 and 1995. A native of Coaldale, PA, Welsh graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1956 and finished third in the 1955 Heisman Trophy balloting after leading the nation in passing and total offense as a senior.

Dick Sheridan led the North Carolina State football team to national prominence as he compiled a 52-29-3 record in Raleigh which included six bowl appearances in seven seasons. Prior to coming to NC State in 1986, Sheridan compiled a 69-33-2 mark in eight seasons at Furman University. Furman won six Southern Conference championships and played for the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA championship. He was named National Coach of The Year in 1985 by the American Football Coaches Association.

In his first year at NC State, the Wolfpack went 8-2-1 and he was named Bobby Dodd National Coach of The Year, also earning National Coach of the Year awards from CBS television, Pro Football Weekly and Athlon Publications. His 1988 team wend 8-3-1, defeating Iowa in the Peach Bowl. Overall, his teams were 25-16 in games decided by 10 points or less. Sheridan was inducted into the South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2004.

A graduate of the University of South Carolina, Sheridan began his head coaching career in 1969 at Orangeburg High School and later Orangeburg-Wilkinson High and compiled a 28-6-1 record over three years. His 1971 team went 13-0 and captured the school's lone Class 4-A football championship.

Sheridan served in a similar consultant capacity for Coastal Carolina University when they began their 1-AA football program four years ago. He also has a successful real-estate business in South Carolina.

"We are excited about having the combined football expertise that Dick Sheridan and George Welsh provide," said athletic director Jim Jarrett." We look forward to their assistance as we move forward with our football program."

http://odusports.cstv.com/sports/m-foot ... 06aaa.html

[PeterParker]

Hopefully they get it up and running and don't hit any snags, then hopefully the CAA will invite a team to make a symmetrical 14 teams, 2 divisions or see a split of the league and maybe, if the stars align, LU can work on getting a potential invite to the conference. For fun, if a split happened, it would be cool to see the southern teams from the CAA plus a few additions:

Also, discussed here: http://flamefans.com/viewtopic.php?t=1925 and in many threads on here during the offseason, but ODU football is looking more and more like a reality than a pipe dream, so more speculation may be warranted (especially since the Fieldturf is done and the majority of the operations center is also.)

JMU
W&M
Richmond
Delaware
Towson
ODU
Liberty

What others would be a good fit for the CAA if the CAA Northern Schools split to form their own league for financial benefits of reduced travel costs?

[ATrain]

In answer to your question Peter: VMI, and the on again/off again rumor at George Mason is they're going to go up to DI from a club team. However, Hofstra will stay...they're CAA for all sports.

[PeterParker]

I was reading up about George Mason this week for work. They have some great things going on up there at that school...they're only 34 years old as a stand alone school and not more thatn 50 years old total. The NCAA cinderella run in the '06 basketball tourney served to provide a spotlight for the University's already in progress plans.

[bigsmooth]

nice dig on a hall of fame coach sly....give it up already. welsh will do a good job in that capacity. heck anyone who can win at navy, and then turn a virginia program that was awful back in the early 80's is great for this position.

[Sly Fox]

What took you so long to respond?

[bigsmooth]

i am swamped with work.

[Innocent Bystander]

At what point do Welsh and Sheridan arm wrestle to see who gets to be the coach. I know when Florida Atlantic and Florida International were starting teams they brought in Howard Schnellenberger and Don Strock as "advisors". Imagine the surprise when each was named head coach at their respective school. Seriously though, both of these guys would do a good job although Welsh does have quite a few years behind him.

[Libertine]

It's happened before. In 1990, Long Beach State hired George Allen at the age of 72 to keep the administration from cutting the program. He died following his first season there and the program was killed shortly thereafter. Schnellenberger was "only" 64 when he took the FAU job.

[TIMSCAR20]

I remember when coach Allen died. 2 days before his players gave him a gatorade shower. You just don't give a 70 plus year old man a gatorade shower unless you know his health history. He died from Pneumonia I think but I could be wrong. Parcells and Gibbs are getting close to that age though aren't they? I think those guys could survive that but coach Allen looked sickly when he was coaching that year.

[Libertine]

I remember when coach Allen died. 2 days before his players gave him a gatorade shower. You just don't give a 70 plus year old man a gatorade shower unless you know his health history. He died from Pneumonia I think but I could be wrong. Parcells and Gibbs are getting close to that age though aren't they? I think those guys could survive that but coach Allen looked sickly when he was coaching that year.

Yeah, that's the story. I believe that he had some other health things going on though even prior to taking the Long Beach job. On the other hand, how would you like to be known as the team that actually killed your coach?

[Sly Fox]

Here's the latest on ODU ... they seem to really be pushing this along quickly:

ODU expects to name coach in January
Athletic director Jim Jarrett will have two good sources as he looks to hire a coach: George Welsh and Dick Sheridan, who know what it takes to win.

BY DAVE JOHNSON
247-4649
September 13, 2006

NORFOLK -- Old Dominion arranged a press conference to announce the addition of former coaches George Welsh and Dick Sheridan to its football transition team. But the big news came when Monarchs athletic director Jim Jarrett announced that he hopes to have a head coach onboard by January.

That's more than two full years before Old Dominion is scheduled to play its first game as a Division I-AA program. But Jarrett said the Monarchs are speeding up their timetable in order to get better organized.

"We want to have somebody with football expertise at Old Dominion to begin recruiting the 2008 graduating class early on," Jarrett said. "The '08 class, of course, will come to Old Dominion a year before our first game. They'll be here and redshirt the year. They'll be able to practice, and we'll have a coaching staff in place to work with them."

Jarrett said he wants somebody with head-coaching experience but added that won't necessarily be a deal-breaker.

"We'll look at anybody who applies," Jarrett said. "We'll be interested in coaches who understand we'll have a budget that can strongly support playing Division I-AA football."

As he evaluates candidates, Jarrett won't have to look far for wisdom. Both Welsh and Sheridan say they are not interested in the coaching job, but they know plenty about the profession. In a combined 43 seasons as head coaches, they won 310 games - 21 in the postseason. In one way or another, each had a hand in building a program.

When Welsh arrived at Virginia in December of 1981, the Cavaliers had finished above .500 only twice in the previous 29 seasons. They never had been to a bowl game, and the coaches were working out of trailers. But during his 19 seasons, U.Va. went 134-86-3 and made 12 postseason appearances. Scott Stadium evolved from a glorified hole in the ground to the 61,500-seat facility it is now.

Welsh also helped revive Navy's program, which had won 28 games in nine seasons when he took over. The Middies won 55 games during Welsh's nine seasons.

"I've been privy to the drawings of the practice fields and the stadium and what they're doing, and they're off to a better start than what I had coming to Virginia," said Welsh, who turned 73 last month. "I think it's a success story waiting to happen."

Sheridan went 52-29-3 from 1986-92 at N.C. State, where he led the Wolfpack to six postseason appearances. Before that, he was 69-33-2 at Division I-AA Furman. Sheridan retired from coaching after the 1992 season, but four years ago he was asked by Coastal Carolina to help with its creation of a I-AA football program.

Coastal has progressed rapidly in three seasons. But Sheridan sees Old Dominion as being farther along than Coastal Carolina at this stage.

"The similarities are that both presidents - Roseann Runte at Old Dominion and Ronald Ingle at Coastal Carolina - were the moving forces," he said. "Without that, nothing's going to happen. But the differences are that Old Dominion already has a stadium and a conference to go into. And they're right in the middle of a great recruiting area. I predict great success here, and I'm just happy to help any way I can."

Jarrett said he is currently putting together a multi-year schedule. ODU, which will begin competing in the Colonial Athletic Association in 2011, will play its home games in refurbished Foreman Field.

Sheridan, 65, will focus more on the day-to-day operations of starting up a program while Welsh handles fundraising. Each will commute a few times a month - Welsh from Charlottesville, Sheridan from South Carolina.

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-253 ... &cset=true

[Sly Fox]

Here's an update on the ODU time table:

ODU resets timetable for football coach
Published October 24 2006


Dave Fairback

VIRGINIA BEACH -- As Old Dominion University football slowly moves from the Concept Phase to the Contusion Phase, it's helpful to remind people periodically that the program, or at least the idea of a program, exists and deserves your attention.

Toward that end, athletic director Jim Jarrett and consultant George Welsh parachuted into the Norfolk Sports Club gathering Monday and provided an update that was more stump speech than unveiling.

ODU plans to hire a head coach early next year.

Welsh will not be the first head coach.

A search committee from the university community has been formed, but has not met.

The committee isn't likely to start interviewing candidates until November or December, after the current season is complete.

The Monarchs will begin play in 2009 and will be a full, competing CAA football member in 2011 (Atlantic 10 Conference football becomes CAA football in 2007 for reasons that will make your eyes glaze over).

Schedules the first couple of years will be a bit of a mixed bag as the Monarchs gain footing.

Football will cost a potful of money, but the mechanism is in place to pay for it.

Jarrett said how excited he is about ODU football. Sometimes, you'd swear he almost means it.

Just kidding. Actually, Jarrett seems energized about football, as well as the accompanying women's sports that will be added and several building projects taking place around campus.

Without question, football will transform ODU athletics much as the Constant Center did several years ago - part of the makeover from commuter school to full campus experience.

Welsh said the only reason he signed on as a consultant is because he thinks ODU can be successful. There's commitment from the top down and the state's best prep talent base, he said.

Playful old salt that he is, Welsh, 73, told the assembled lunch crowd what a great gig this is with ODU.

"I don't have a job description," he said. "I don't have any responsibilities. I don't have to win any games, and I'm still getting paid."

For the moment, Welsh is essentially a public-relations figure, talking up the program's potential to anyone who will listen.

He expects to have at least some input as the athletic department begins to talk to architects and planners about a football support building. He will spend three or four days a month in the area through next spring.

"I think I can help, I hope I can," said Welsh, who then cracked, "But I need a title. Assistant to the President or something."

ODU moved up its timetable for hiring a head coach to next January or February. This accomplishes two things.

First, it gives the new guy and his assistants a chance to evaluate and recruit talent from the high school Class of 2008.

Those kids, along with assorted walk-ons, transfers and junior-college types, will practice and prepare during the entire 2008 season. They will be joined by the recruiting class of 2009, which gives ODU two recruiting classes for its inaugural tailgate in September 2009.

The other thing that hiring a coach next January does is goose interest.

It provides ODU football with a face and voice that doesn't belong to Jarrett, president Roseann Runte or Board member and drum-beater Sonny Stallings.

Never to be discounted in this equation, athletic fundraisers also hope that introducing the coach will prompt the next round of check-stroking from the masses - sign of progress, next step in the process, that sort of thing.

Jarrett said he leans toward someone with head coaching experience at some level, but discourages no one from applying.

There figures to be a ton of candidates, and why wouldn't there be?

The first head coach at ODU is guaranteed to go undefeated for two seasons, which ain't bad, even in theory.

http://www.dailypress.com/sports/column ... columnists