Russ Huesman to be named next UTC coach

[utcfan]

After a coaching search that lasted nearly nine weeks, Richmond defensive coordinator Russ Huesman is returning to his alma mater.

Huesman was offered the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga job by athletic director Rick Hart on Sunday and will be introduced as the program’s 22nd coach at a 2 p.m. news conference Monday at Finley Stadium, a source with knowledge of the coaching search told the Times Free Press on Sunday morning.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2008/dec/21/huesman-be-named-next-mocs-coach/?sports

[ur2k]

Friday night was a pretty good job interview, I guess.

Good for him. We definitely miss him but he deserves to sit in the big seat. You guys got a heck of a coach.

[mcveyrl]

Friday night was a pretty good job interview, I guess.

Good for him. We definitely miss him but he deserves to sit in the big seat. You guys got a heck of a coach.

Seriously, you can't beat having your potential employer watch your side of the ball whip the other guys' tail...

Congrats to him and wish him success.

[catamount man]

Good hire. Looking forward to watching Wagner and Huesman match wits next year over in 'nooga. Should be a good one.

GO CATAMOUNTS!!!

[BigHouseClosedEnd]

Congrats to Russ! We will miss you! Thank you!

[phoenixphanatic21]

Best of luck to him. He's gonna need it to turn around that program, but I hope he can do it. I'll be pulling for you Russ!...except for the days you play Elon.

[utcfan]

I think he is the right hire. He truly wants to improve UTC. He will have the backing of former players, his hiring should also help with fund raising. So we got a great coach, who can help raise money.

[Tribe4SF]

xthumbsupx

I thought Russ would get the Richmond job last year, and I'm glad he's landing at his alma mater. He's been outstanding wherever he's coached, and seems like the right guy to bring UTC back from the dead.

[spdram]

Congrats to Russ and UTC. I hope it works out well for both, but you get him ready to come bck and take over the Richmond program after someone hires Coach London away.

[DTSpider]

Congrats to Huesman. He'll really be missed at UR. He showed just how much class he has when he interviewed for the head job this past year, didn't get it, and never held a grudge. He's a great coach and will do a good job at UTC.

[cmaxwellgsu]

Good luck to 'nooga. As bad as things appear, I think UTC has the resources to get back to competitive quickly.

[chattanoogamocs]

The good news is...the football alum base is totally re-energized...and many of them have already opened their checkbooks.

A couple of them have made donations to ensure that they have the funds to properly pay the assistants...and within a year, look for UC to announce plans for a new building for football (offices, film rooms, meeting rooms, etc, etc...something has been sorely needed for years, actually, decades).

It has been a long time since moc fans have been excited and optimistic about the future...UR's defense on Friday was the exclamation point.

The Mocs have always had the rep of having some great players, but never a great team...Russ seems like the kind of guy that can really instill teamwork in his players.

It will still a be a long haul to reach even respectability...but at least we now feel like there might be a little light at the end of the tunnel.

xthumbsupx
(sorry, there has not been much to be enthusiastic about lately, so you gotta get it in while you can :))

[FCS_pwns_FBS]

I'll have to be honest, I can't help but think of the time a certain SoCon school hired a very reputable defensive coach as a head coach that was a total disaster. I'm not saying this hire will turn out as bad as that one, but it does sort of seem like rolling the dice. Should've gone with UTM's Simpson, IMO.

[MacThor]

Congrats to Huesman. He'll really be missed at UR. He showed just how much class he has when he interviewed for the head job this past year, didn't get it, and never held a grudge. He's a great coach and will do a good job at UTC.

It's amazing how much better your interview goes when you give up 50 points over four playoff games (and 7 in the final), than when you give up 55 points in one! xeyebrowx

Seriously, I completely agree....and best of luck to Russ. xbowx

[utcfan]

very reputable defensive coach

If it is the coach and team I am thinking about, I do not think Huesman is cut from the same type of cloth as a person. Russ has tended to stay in one place, while the other seems to always be looking for the next job. Russ will not be trying to change a successful offensive system to something else--with players built for the Triple Option. He will bring at least one offensive coach (rumor has it) with him from Richmond--Spiders had a successful FCS offensive. Unlike the school the other DC came to, UTC had no success on either side of the ball last year. Our players are ready for a change. One told me what they wanted was a change in culture on the football team. Huesman will bring a winning attitude to UTC. He will unite alumni and boosters. Give him a couple of years and you will see a difference in the UTC Mocs football program.

[MacThor]

Rumor has it he will bring Will Healy, senior QB and Chattanooga native, who served as Ward's backup for 3 years and almost a "player-coach" this year.

[utcfan]

I have heard that Healy might be an assistant, but also another offensive coach on the current staff--I think he came from Lehigh or Fordham. Young guy. That's the rumor anyway.

[jaxstatealum]

Great hire!! I hope it works out well for UTC. Guess we will find out in 2010 xthumbsupx

[paward]

I am sure Coach Mac will join him. We will miss them all but wish them the best.

[eaglewithabus]

wonder what TO thinks about this hire?:)

[Biff]

I'll have to be honest, I can't help but think of the time a certain SoCon school hired a very reputable defensive coach as a head coach that was a total disaster. I'm not saying this hire will turn out as bad as that one, but it does sort of seem like rolling the dice. Should've gone with UTM's Simpson, IMO.

Who are you talking about? Don Powers at The Citadel? If not who? Why the secrecy. I like Don Powers and he kept a team mentality that is replacement lost, but Powers wasn't a good recruiter.

[bostonspider]

well UR last year hired "a very reputable defensive coach" and look how it turned out for them. Best of luck to Coach Huesman and UTC

[NashMoc]

I have heard that Healy might be an assistant, but also another offensive coach on the current staff--I think he came from Lehigh or Fordham. Young guy. That's the rumor anyway.

If Healy comes to Chattanooga it will be as as Grad Asst. and not a full-time staff assistant. Kid will have to pay his dues.

[Spiderman]

Great Hire for UTC and wish Coach Huesman immediate success! The program has a lot of potential and if he can take a few top recruits from Appy State, all the better for Spider Nation! :-) RE: London leaving, I think London will stay at UR as will Huesman at UTC. Nothing like coming home! The question is not whether Clawson will make a run at London's asst's who stayed on, the question is will they stay at UR.

[Reign of Terrier]

Who are you talking about? Don Powers at The Citadel? If not who? Why the secrecy. I like Don Powers and he kept a team mentality that is replacement lost, but Powers wasn't a good recruiter.

He's talking about Van gorder, and when you look at things Chattanooga is worse than GSU was so that shouldn't be a problem.

[jaxstatealum]

wonder what TO thinks about this hire?:)

I don't think TO gives a crap about his Alma Mater xeyebrowx

[DTSpider]

I am sure Coach Mac will join him. We will miss them all but wish them the best.

I was thinking that he may get an offer from Clawson at Bowling Green.

[Biff]

He's talking about Van gorder, and when you look at things Chattanooga is worse than GSU was so that shouldn't be a problem.

xoopsx, that would have been the logical thought had I given a few more seconds of thought.

[utcfan]

Huesman expects to have his first staff meeting this Sunday. Expects to have 4 to 6 assistants on board by then.

[GATA]

xoopsx, that would have been the logical thought had I given a few more seconds of thought.

Yeah...BVG isn't really a bad football coach...he just really made a fatal decision in deciding to scrap the option.

I can see why he did it, but that's the main reason we went 3-8 during his year in the boro. He is actually a really good defensive coach and our defense kept up in a lot of games. However, our complete inability to actually score points lost us a ton of games.

If BVG had kept Mike Sewak's offensive coordinator (Mitch Ware) and allowed him to continue running the offense that was putting up 350+ rushing yards and 35+ points per game...he would have been OK. It's like cutting off your nose to spite your face. You don't really need to scrap an offense putting up those types of numbers.

It's an ego thing. BVG wanted to be running some type of pro style offense because that's what he's used to and I guess he thinks that's the kind of offense you need to win football games. He was also probably worried about how his resume would look when he decided to eventually jump ship for a bigger program...running an option offense was beneath him. damn shame.

[catamount man]

Who are you talking about? Don Powers at The Citadel? If not who? Why the secrecy. I like Don Powers and he kept a team mentality that is replacement lost, but Powers wasn't a good recruiter.

Don Powers was so lost in Cullowhee in 2006 and 2007 as our DC that he actually was sending in signals from his El Cid days and our players didn't have a clue what he was trying to do. xnonono2x xnonono2x

[hawkeye]

I'll have to be honest, I can't help but think of the time a certain SoCon school hired a very reputable defensive coach as a head coach that was a total disaster. I'm not saying this hire will turn out as bad as that one, but it does sort of seem like rolling the dice. Should've gone with UTM's Simpson, IMO.

UTM came up with more money for Simpson. Glad to keep him aboard. If anything it helped him and the coaches at Martin. We have some good recruits coming so Martin glad to see him stay.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Holy cow are there a lot of video links here...

http://www.championshipsubdivisionnews.com/?title=russ-huesman-named-mocs-football-coach&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1


CHATTANOOGA (WRCB) - Three days after Russ Huesman helped Richmond win a national championship at Finley Stadium, the same venue played host to Huesman’s introduction as UT-Chattanooga’s next head coach

The Richmond defensive coordinator officially became the 22nd head coach at his alma mater during a press conference Monday at 2:00 p.m. in the Stadium Club at Finley Stadium.

The Spiders won their ninth straight game in the FCS Championship Game on Friday to finish the season 13-3 overall. Huesman’s defense held Montana to its lowest point total of the season in a 24-7 title game victory that included two forced turnovers and seven sacks.

All video links courtesy of WRCB Chattanooga

Huesman New UTC Coach Press Conference - Part 1
Huesman New UTC Coach - Part 2
Confirmed: Huesman New UTC Coach
One-on-one with UTC athletic director Rick Hart
One-on-one with new Mocs’ head coach Russ Huesman
Huesman Promises Bright Future for Mocs’ Football
Huesman Not Stressed about Recruiting
Huesman Already Working on Completing Coaching Staff