Changes Underway at Liberty

[Sly Fox]

With the worst season in school history about to be completed on Saturday at Norfolk State, reportedly the coaching staff at Liberty was informed today they are being let go after the season finale. The staff is believed to have told the team the news this evening.

In a related note, the AD who came on board back this past spring has reportedly resigned with a few of his assistant ADs in tow.

All this coming just a day after Lou Holtz was on campus speaking at the school and then speaking with our administrators about the future of our athletic program.

Our board has been lit up all night and specualtion is running wild.

Bottomline, we're not going to put up with being one of the laughingstocks of I-AA any longer. Expect some major announcements on our AD and coaching positions to come in the new few days.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Lou Holtz is going to be involved in some way? If not as head coach, or AD - maybe some sort of executive role?

[Sly Fox]

Here is the story from the fishwrap (co-written by a certain AGS poster):


Falwell gives 2 weeks to name new coach, athletics director

Ron Brown and Chris Lang
The News & Advance
November 18, 2005

With Liberty University’s football team mired in one of the worst seasons in program history, the Rev. Jerry Falwell shook up the school’s athletics department Thursday, severing ties with head football coach Ken Karcher, athletics director Thom Park and two associate athletics directors.

The departures - which essentially gut the school’s sports administration - come two days before the Flames’ season finale at Norfolk State.

“We have not been happy with the general direction of athletics at Liberty,” said Falwell, the school’s chancellor. “We don’t feel that Liberty has been keeping pace, particularly in football.”

The school’s athletics program lost $7.4 million in 2004, the biggest drain by any department on LU’s overall budget.

Falwell said Karcher will be on the sideline Saturday. The fate of the rest of his staff lies in the hands of the new head coach, who Falwell hopes to name within the next two weeks.

He has set the same timeline for hiring a new athletics director. Falwell said he will make the decision on both positions and won’t use a university committee in the search process.

Former athletics director Kim Graham and Larry Hubbard, both associate athletics directors at the school, were among those whose employment ended Thursday.

Karcher declined comment Thursday. Park, who sent a letter of resignation to Falwell on Thursday afternoon, declined comment as well.

Karcher, who is 21-45 in six years at LU, was given the news before

practice Thursday afternoon and he told Flames players afterward. No players were available for comment.

Falwell said Liberty Executive Vice President Dave Young was to meet with the rest of the school’s coaches Thursday evening to discuss the day’s events.

Falwell said no matter who the new head football coach is, four members of the current coaching staff will remain: strength and conditioning coach Bill Gillespie, his assistant Dave Williams, assistant head coach Pete Sundheim and director of spiritual development Ed Gomes.

Falwell said he has already talked to three “bona fide” head coaching candidates.

“I’m 72,” he said. “I don’t have much time to get the football program in the Top 20.”

Mickey Guridy, an assistant athletics director, has been named interim athletics director. He was LU’s director of football operations from 2002-04 before becoming the assistant A.D. for business operations in July.

Liberty enters Saturday’s game 1-9, and its current nine-game losing streak ties a school record. The only victory was a 17-6 win over Concord, a Division II team that finished its season 4-7.

Karcher was on the first year of a four-year contract. He signed the extension last December despite struggling through three losing seasons in his first five years, but the new contract didn’t take effect until July 1.

Falwell said he extended Karcher’s contract despite being advised not to do so.

“I don’t blame anybody but myself,” he said. “I take responsibility for the change.”

Falwell said Karcher’s contract calls for him to receive full salary and benefits for the next 12 months and 50 percent of his salary for the balance of his contract. If he gets another job, his new salary will be deducted from the amount LU owes.

Falwell said the school’s evangelical Christian emphasis should be a drawing card in recruiting athletes nationwide.

“There are 80 million evangelicals in the United States,” he said. “That should give us a great big fishing pond.”

Park, Karcher’s former agent, was hired in March to replace Graham. He was brought in to help build a fundraising base to support LU athletics.

“Obviously, we would not be making this move if we had not been unhappy,” Falwell said. “It’s disappointing.”

Park, Graham and Hubbard will be paid through June, Falwell said.

“These are good men who will no doubt do well in other settings,” Falwell said. “We are very sensitive to the families of these men. For that reason, we have chosen to be sensitive with our severance packages.”

Still, Falwell said the bottom line is the school’s board of trustees wants a financially sound football program heading toward Division I-A status.

“The board expects the management team of Liberty to be prudent with its budget,” Falwell said. “They do not think it’s good stewardship to invest multimillions in a losing program. For two years, we have gone backwards.”

Liberty started last season 2-5 before rallying to close the year with four straight wins to finish 6-5. It was Karcher’s only winning season.

Falwell said the responsibility for moving the program ahead will fall to the new athletics director.

“We are looking for an athletics director and head coach who will cast a vision for the program and tell us how they plan to go to Division I-A and how quickly,” Falwell said.

“Liberty has made it clear that we’re ready to take the next step and will support the new head coach and athletics director in achieving that vision. Liberty has an aggressive vision. The leadership at Liberty has been dissatisfied for quite some time.”

http://www.newsadvance.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=LNA/MGArticle/LNA_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1128768228569&path=

[blur2005]

Ah, my favorite person in the whole world...Jerry. Having 80 million evangelicals will not help them a bit until they actually play in a decent conference. Plus, they aren't going to get great exposure because they are I-AA. And they won't get a shot at playing in a decent conference until they are good...which they won't become.

[dungeonjoe]

Ah, my favorite person in the whole world...Jerry. Having 80 million evangelicals will not help them a bit until they actually play in a decent conference. Plus, they aren't going to get great exposure because they are I-AA. And they won't get a shot at playing in a decent conference until they are good...which they won't become.


maybe having 80 million evangelicals and a great football team are mutually exclusive ;)

[rokamortis]

I definitely see if Liberty gave the team the proper resources and attention that they could be a contender pretty quickly. If they can get a big name AD and/or head coach then you will see them getting recruits based solely on name recognition. They certainly have a lot of resources available too - I don't see many schools buying whole mountains :D

[Sly Fox]

blur sure seems to have a short memory. It wasn't that long ago we were beating the Dukes on a very regular basis. There is no question the 6-year tenure of Karcher has had a extremely adverse impact on our football program from where it was under Rutigliano.

As for the decent conference, you won't hear us denying that albatross around our necks. But its all we have now so along with CCU we're goping to make the best of our situation.

As for our budget, we're spending plenty of money already. Particularly for a private school. We're in the midst of building a new Football Operations Center that should be finished by next season (if construction stays on course).

As far as Holtz' involvement, that is yet to be determined. There's a great deal of speculation that he might come in an official capacity. One way or the other, he has Jerry's ear and a great deal of influence as a result.

[CCU2003]

I’ve been to Liberty a number of times and I don’t think the solution is going to be an easy one…..Its going to have to be a combination of I-A class facilities and a coaching staff that is not only great but has strong name recognition. You have to admit that Liberty is a tough sell to a recruit, not just because of the losing but factor in Location, the Big South Conference, facilities, religious affiliations……I mean you have to be great at something to eventually reach I-A status…..we are stuck in the BS together and we have the beach location working for us….I think the priority should be in building a world class weight training /healthcare/ student-athlete resource center and land yourselves a big name coach. In two or three years we’re smoked…..It sounds like Jerry is willing to spend the money before he goes, build it and they will come…… :nod:

[grizband]

blur sure seems to have a short memory. It wasn't that long ago we were beating the Dukes on a very regular basis. There is no question the 6-year tenure of Karcher has had a extremely adverse impact on our football program from where it was under Rutigliano.

As for the decent conference, you won't hear us denying that albatross around our necks. But its all we have now so along with CCU we're goping to make the best of our situation.

As for our budget, we're spending plenty of money already. Particularly for a private school. We're in the midst of building a new Football Operations Center that should be finished by next season (if construction stays on course).

As far as Holtz' involvement, that is yet to be determined. There's a great deal of speculation that he might come in an official capacity. One way or the other, he has Jerry's ear and a great deal of influence as a result.
You're all time record against JMU is 5-9. The last time you beat them was in 1990.

[MarkCCU]

I think it will be a combonation of getting the proper facilities, coaches, the right AD. Name recogonition will only get you so far. Yeah,i'd love to play football for a good coach,but if his team isn't up to par, and has been the laughing stock of its division, then i'm going elsewhere. With Lou Holtz, you never know what you will find. Every team he has left, the NCAA has found violations, the most recent came out from USC a few days ago. Liberty could be a major contender with a lil TLC.

[Paladin1aa]

Football and Falwell ?? :p :p :p

Wish Liberty luck, but I don't see a I- A ( or much of a I-AA) future here. Maybe at D-III.

[henfan]

Ah, I read the headline and got excited. Not the change I was hoping for.

http://www.lupiga.com/vijesti/slike/20021005203631Jerry_Falwell.jpg

[Punchykky]

The last time I visited LU, it was called Liberty Baptist in 1983 or 84. I was going to Va State U then. They beat us 14-2 in 1983 and 16-3 in 1984. I remember the game vividly because the people were so friendly. :nod:

[Cap'n Cat]

Ah, I read the headline and got excited. Not the change I was hoping for.

http://www.lupiga.com/vijesti/slike/20021005203631Jerry_Falwell.jpg


Thinkin' the same thing, hennie. Thought the old bum got arrested, died or left the country.


:rolleyes: