Published: October 20, 2007 11:51 pm            

ISU’s search continues for new football coach

TERRE HAUTE — Indiana State alumni who returned for homecoming this weekend probably have some catching up to do on the status of the Sycamores’ football program.

The condensed version goes something like this:

• On Sept. 24, ISU director of athletics Ron Prettyman announced that head coach Lou West would be reassigned to a different position at the university. West, who posted a 1-25 record in two-plus seasons, now works for Hulman Center director Charlie Potts. West is in the third year of a five-year contract.

• Also on Sept. 24, 61-year-old Dennis Raetz was named interim head coach to finish out the season. Yes, that’s the same Raetz who roamed the Sycamores’ sideline when many of you attended ISU in the 1980s and 1990s.

n With three games to go in 2007, Indiana State is 0-4 under West and 0-4 under Raetz. Five of ISU’s opponents have topped the 50-point mark. Its losing streak has reached 11 games, dating back to last season.

• Prettyman is searching for a long-term head coach to take over for the 2008 season. So far, he’s received about 40 resumés and he expects to receive about 20 more.

That brings the situation to the present.

“No doubt about it, this is my A-No. 1 priority right now,” Prettyman told the Tribune-Star. “We’re working very hard to make sure we find the right person for this job.”

Prettyman, who said he traveled “a great distance” to visit with a potential candidate last weekend, mentioned some of the primary attributes he’s seeking in a new coach.

“We’ve got a great slate of candidates already,” he said. “I’m looking for someone who has a high level of experience, not at any particular level. We’ve already got interest from the pro level all the way down to the high school level.

“We need somebody who understands our mission and our goal for excellence in the athletics department and in this university. We need somebody who also understands budgets and the challenges they’ll be facing as they take over this program. But I do believe, with the slate of candidates we’ve got, we’re going to be able to find the right person for this job.”

Prettyman, who declined to name names of persons who have expressed interest, did say that it’s a plus if a candidate is connected to Indiana State’s successful gridiron past.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily the foremost quality we’re looking for,” he added, “but anybody who loves this university and is also among the elite of the football coaches available will certainly get a close look.”

For the record, Raetz said this week that he’s not interested in coaching beyond this season.

“My wife would shoot me,” he said. “What I want to do is help Ron Prettyman and help Indiana State football. Whoever coaches here [next season] needs to bring year-around energy.”

If nobody minds a little speculation, here are a few former ISU players who have been successful assistant coaches around the country (with current employer in parentheses):



• Trent Miles (University of Washington) — Miles, 44, is in his third season of coaching the Huskies’ running backs.

A graduate of Terre Haute South High School (1982) and Indiana State (1987), he played four seasons at wide receiver for Raetz.

Since then, Miles has been an assistant at ISU (1987), New Mexico (1988-89), Oklahoma (1990), Northern Illinois (1991-94), Hawaii (1995-96), Fresno State (1997-99), the NFL’s Green Bay Packers (2000), Stanford (2001), Notre Dame (2002-04) and Washington (2005-07).

• Alvin Reynolds (NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars) — Reynolds is in his fifth season of coaching the Jaguars’ defensive backs, the same group that will be going against the Indianapolis Colts’ Reggie Wayne and Marvin Harrison on Monday night.

Reynolds, 48, played four seasons (1978-81) at safety for the late Dick Jamieson and Raetz at Indiana State. As a senior, he received two votes for the Heisman Trophy.

He joined Raetz’s coaching staff in 1982 and stayed until the conclusion of the 1992 season. From there, he went to the NFL’s Denver Broncos (1993-95), Baltimore Ravens (1996-98), Carolina Panthers (1999-2002) and Jaguars (2003-07).

• Mike Simmonds (University of South Florida) — A former NFL offensive lineman with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers, Simmonds became the USF Bulls’ offensive-line coach in January.

In his Indiana State days, he played four seasons (1983-86) on the offensive line for Raetz. After logging four seasons in the NFL (1987-1990), he joined the high school coaching ranks in Tampa, Fla.

As head coach at Jefferson High School from 1998 through 2005, Simmonds compiled a 75-29 record and led the Dragons to the Florida state championship game in 2002 and 2004.

He served as a graduate assistant with USF in 2006.

• Bobby Turner (NFL’s Denver Broncos) — At 58, Turner has accumulated 35 years of coaching experience at the high school, college and NFL levels.

His last 13 years have been with the Broncos as their running-backs coach. His college stints occurred at Indiana State (1976-82), Fresno State (1983-88), Ohio State (1989-90) and Purdue (1991-94).

As a player for the Sycamores, Turner started at defensive back in 1969, 1970 and 1971 before graduating in 1972.



Of those four, only Reynolds and Turner could be reached for comment last week.

Reynolds said he really hasn’t given the ISU opening much thought, although he admitted that being considered for the head-coaching job at your alma mater is an honor for any former player.

“Get somebody who has a lot of energy, someone who knows the landscape,” he recommended. “I think you should look at former coaches and former players who have been there.”

Meanwhile, Turner acknowledged that he is interested in the position, under the right circumstances.

“If they [ISU officials] would like to talk to me, then they need to go through the proper procedures with the Denver Broncos,” he said. “If they were to do that, get the Broncos’ permission to talk to me, then I would listen to what they have to say.

“Yes, I am interested [in the ISU job]. I’m open-minded and I’m interested. But I’m not interested in any token interviews or anything like that. If they have a genuine interest in me, then I’d be interested in hearing what they have to say.”

Asked if the ISU job would be considered a step down from his NFL coaching experience, Turner said he alone should be the judge of that.

“Don’t make assumptions for me,” he emphasized. “I have wanted to be a head coach for a long time. I think I am qualified to be a head coach in the NFL. I have talked to people about being a head coach at one or two major colleges. But I took a paycut to go from Fresno State [as an assistant] to coach at Ohio State [as an assistant]. I took a paycut when I went from Ohio State to Purdue because I wanted to be a [offensive] coordinator. Each move that I have made has been the correct one. So let me make the choice. I’m at a stage in my life where I would like to be a head coach.

“I would have an interest in Indiana State because, No. 1, I played there. It’s my alma mater. And, No. 2, I have coached there. I know Indiana. I grew up in East Chicago. I coached high school football and basketball in Kokomo. I played at Indiana State under Jerry Huntsman. I coached under Jerry Huntsman, Tom Harp, Dick Jamieson and Dennis Raetz.”

No time limit exists for the hiring, but Prettyman hopes to reduce the number of candidates to between two and five by early December and make a final decision on the new coach by mid-December.

Prettyman said the new coach will have the same number of assistant coaches that West and Raetz have had.

He also said the recruiting budget for future football seasons is under review. “Any budgetary decisions probably will be made after the coach is hired,” he noted.

More ISU football news

• New stadium — Prettyman acknowledged that the construction of a new on-campus stadium, which would replace Memorial Stadium as the site of ISU home games, is in his long-term plans.

“I’d love to have an on-campus facility,” he said. “All it takes is money. If somebody wanted to put their name on it and donate the money, we’d start construction right away. I don’t know where we’d put it, though.”



Tribune-Star correspondent Tom James contributed to this report.

        

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