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Rob Ash Fired

ilovethecats said:
UMGriz75 said:
It sends quite a message to recruits and to the next coach and coaching staff. If I was a college coach, and had a prospect of applying, I would think twice about applying to MSU. I would have to note that the major opponent the coach faces isn't opposing teams, it's the "fans."
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that is certainly one way of looking at it. however, you could also look at it as we are committed to winning. and winning games that matter. beating the griz matters. winning playoff games matter. beating quality teams in the conference matter. these are things coach ash did not do well.
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I don't know a team in the country that doesn't at least pay lip service to those goals. Football is a sport, after all. Being "dedicated" to winning is a nice thought.

At the end of the playoffs, every year, only one team gets to "win." So, there is something more to this, and that is "going about it." A psychotic fan base isn't "it."

UM began a true tradition of sports excellence beginning, really, with Jud Heathcote. Then, Don Read. Give it 30 years of development with ADs like Harley Lewis, Bill Moos, Jim O'Day. You got a "deep state" of athletic excellence that supports the coaches and the players. There's a sophisticated fan base that truly supports the coaches and the teams and understands the sport. That is truly an "elite" program.

Then you've got the Bobcats who saw all this develop and decided, for reasons unknoweable, that "hey, we can be just like UM and we SHOULD BE!" Why? Well, that's the hard part. Montana is small state population-wise and money-wise, and it is doubtful that it could sustain two "elite" football programs. If Montana continues to win the recruiting battle in-state, it doesn't matter how many times MSU fans announce the "changing of the guard," it doesn't seem to "change." MSU is forever in the shadow of UM on recruiting, which is partly why 69% of Montana's population are Griz fans.

And recruits see that, and donors see that, and it's like who wants to be part of a self-destructive program that devours its winningest coaches and marginalizes its talent, driven by a rabid fan base that, after being delusional, are vindictive.
 
Grizzlies1982 said:
[There have been rumbling prior to last week. Though I am sure the latest loss to the Grizzlies sealed the deal.
He is their winningest coach but was 2-7 in the most important game to most cats fans.
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There was a thread about how much more important it was to beat the Griz than be in the playoffs. Down there, football isn't about "excellence."
 
My question is how does Fields get a pass on all this. What coaching hires has he made that have worked out (although the MBB coach seems to be improving)?

I would guess that the firing was the President's doing. She gets it.
 
Grizzlies1982 said:
Hope the guy can find a job somewhere.
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Ash is 67. This is probably a good time to hang it up and get some fishing in.

The ten assistant coaches and families .... difficult times.
 
What a great way for the Bobats to change the narrative from Saturday's game. Darn it.
 
Montana State University, Graveyard of Coaches? Now, there's an attractive feature for hiring a new one ...

Why have we fired most football coaches since 1971?

Postby AlphaOAlum on Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:15 am
To give all of us some perspective, MSU has fired or forced out all but one football coach since 1971, when Tom Parac was promoted from football coach to Athletic Director. The last coach to leave for a "better" college football job was Jim Sweeney, who went to Washington State in 1967. I posted about this in spring 2014 when Huse was let go (http://www.bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=32937), as the statistics for Men's Basketball coaches are about as abysmal.

I've added information about the coach's age at the time of hiring as another data point. The age of hire is imperfect information, as I used their first season minus the year of their birth. So if they were hired in December 1999 but didn't coach the first game until August 2000, the data point is a year off. (History degree for the win!)

Here's the record:
- Ash: 9 years, *edit: Fired. 56 years of age when hired.
- Kramer: 7 years, fired. 47 years of age when hired.
- Hysell: 8 years, resigned for very legitimate health reasons but was also on the hot seat. 50 years of age when hired.
- Solomonson: 5 years, fired. 40 years of age when hired.
- Arnold: 4 years, fired. 39 years of age when hired.
- Graber: 1 year, left in 1982 to become an assistant coach with the Kansas City Chiefs (Graber is the anomaly). 38 years of age when hired.
- Lubick: 4 years, fired. 41 years of age when hired.
- Holland, 7 years, resigned (under pressure? link to Spokesman review article: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 76,3778541 ). 40 years of age when hired.
- Parac: 3 years, promoted to Athletic director. I can't find date of birth information for Tom Parac.
- Sweeney: 5 years, went to Washington State. 34 years of age when hired.

...So MSU hasn't had a coach move on to a better job since Lyndon Johnson was President.
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grizindabox said:
mtgriz said:
What a great way for the Bobats to change the narrative from Saturday's game. Darn it.
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Does it really....
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I doubt BN will be as entertaining this week with post-mortem threads. Hope will now spring eternal for the new messiah that will lead them out of the Darkness.
 
I remember while watching the game on Saturday that ROOT Sports had the cameras fixed on Ash for a few minutes towards the end of the game, and Ash did not look well at all... To me, the look on his face made me think that he knew his time at MSU was probably done after that loss.

I then thought I was probably reading into his facial expression too much... turns out my thought was actually correct.
 
UMGriz75 said:
Montana State University, Graveyard of Coaches? Now, there's an attractive feature for hiring a new one ...

Why have we fired most football coaches since 1971?

Postby AlphaOAlum on Mon Nov 23, 2015 11:15 am
To give all of us some perspective, MSU has fired or forced out all but one football coach since 1971, when Tom Parac was promoted from football coach to Athletic Director. The last coach to leave for a "better" college football job was Jim Sweeney, who went to Washington State in 1967. I posted about this in spring 2014 when Huse was let go (http://www.bobcatnation.com/bobcatbb/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=32937), as the statistics for Men's Basketball coaches are about as abysmal.

I've added information about the coach's age at the time of hiring as another data point. The age of hire is imperfect information, as I used their first season minus the year of their birth. So if they were hired in December 1999 but didn't coach the first game until August 2000, the data point is a year off. (History degree for the win!)

Here's the record:
- Ash: 9 years, *edit: Fired. 56 years of age when hired.
- Kramer: 7 years, fired. 47 years of age when hired.
- Hysell: 8 years, resigned for very legitimate health reasons but was also on the hot seat. 50 years of age when hired.
- Solomonson: 5 years, fired. 40 years of age when hired.
- Arnold: 4 years, fired. 39 years of age when hired.
- Graber: 1 year, left in 1982 to become an assistant coach with the Kansas City Chiefs (Graber is the anomaly). 38 years of age when hired.
- Lubick: 4 years, fired. 41 years of age when hired.
- Holland, 7 years, resigned (under pressure? link to Spokesman review article: http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1 ... 76,3778541 ). 40 years of age when hired.
- Parac: 3 years, promoted to Athletic director. I can't find date of birth information for Tom Parac.
- Sweeney: 5 years, went to Washington State. 34 years of age when hired.

...So MSU hasn't had a coach move on to a better job since Lyndon Johnson was President.
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Too bad for Coach Ash. It seems he is a quality guy and did a lot of good things for MSU. Coaching Div I football is not for the faint of heart. You are a hero or a goat with not much in between. Sorry for the assistants as well. Throw all the stones you want about their fans and their expectations but their vocal and irrational fans are not that different than some Griz fans. There were those calling for Stitts job three games into the season.

Good luck to the Cats in your selection.
 
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