Don't fit over Stitt
By JOSEPH TERRY The Daily Inter Lake | Posted: Thursday, December 18, 2014 12:21 am
The University of Montana hired Bob Stitt as its 36th head football coach on Tuesday. Stitt comes to Missoula after 15 seasons at Colorado School of Mines in NCAA Division II, having compiled a 108-62 record in his career.
He has been lauded as an offensive guru and an all-around strong hire from most people in the know, getting endorsements this week from former Montana coach Joe Glenn and Carroll coach Mike Van Diest among the many supporters of the hire.
Support, however, has been slower from Griz fans and alumni, many of whom remain skeptical of the 50-year-old with few ties to the region. Stitt, who was relatively off the radar to most UM faithful when former coach Mick Delaney announced his retirement last month, has drawn criticism from those wanting the Griz to go in a different direction with their highest-profile position.
The hire, and the weeks-long coaching search with rumors and suggestions thrown around like candy on Halloween, brought about many of the old questions that arise whenever such an impassioned fanbase faces such an important hire.
The most important question being, what is it that you’re looking for in a coach?
That answer is different for nearly everybody, which is why complete approval of a hire like this is almost never never immediate.
Are you looking for a coach with ties to the university or currently in the program?
Each has its benefits and there were plenty of those candidates available. Many of the early names suggested certainly fit that bill. Former Montana quarterback and offensive coordinator Brent Pease was popular, as was current Griz defensive coordinator Ty Gregorak.
Both would have known the passion fans and alumni have for Griz football and would have fit in quickly. The continuity from a program that made a run in the playoffs also would help current players adjust and recruits stay on board.
At a program like Montana, one of the most storied programs in the Football Championship Subdivision, there’s also the lure to take the big name.
Would a big-time coach like Bo Pelini or Brady Hoke, fresh off big jobs in the Big Ten make the move to Missoula? They’d bring in a cache that most coaches in the league couldn’t match, and the knowledge of how a big-time program with big-time expectations is run.
Or, maybe an old face would be best for the job. That speculation was heightened when former Montana coach Bobby Hauck left his post at UNLV, coincidentally right after Delaney’s retirement. After all, Hauck led the Griz to heights unseen since he left and would be a natural fit to slide back into his old position. Now that he’s had a taste of the big leagues, he’d surely be in Missoula to stay and championships could again be a reasonable expectation every year.
But then, why not try out a small school coach or coordinator at another program? Guys who are able to get players to play at their peak should translate at any level, be that Division II like Stitt or Division III like then-Wisconsin-Whitewater coach Lance Leipold.
All those approaches have their benefits and many have their downfalls. Schools have made successful and terribly bad hires using each.
It’s possible that he’ll bring in the string of championships every Griz fan has asked for since 2001. It’s possible he’ll be a tremendous failure and we’ll be going through this all again in a few years.
The truth is, the only way to know for sure if Stitt will win big at Montana is to wait and see. All your suspicions will be confirmed or denied on the field.
Until then, get to know the newest coach of the Griz. After all, there’s probably a reason he has gotten all the praise. He might be what you were looking for all along.
