FB: New England Small College Athletic Conference

[GoBlue61]

polbear73 -- my brother is a Michigan football alum, Class of 1989...a great place...the other end of the spectrum from the NESCAC...the status of Michigan football would require a seperate board/blog, however...

[polbear73]

polbear--at this point in the recruiting cycle Bowdoin has landed some fantastic recruits- as good as their last 2 years have been, this will be their best. There is no echo in here and I don't want to sound like a broken record but they are going to be vastly improved. Looking at a NJ QB and a great RB today from the South Shore who have committed to the Black and White and thats only the tip of the iceberg.......JB didnt have this level of admissions leniency.

Also, don't misread me as Wells buddy or friend......we rooted hard against the guy in Lewiston but at the end of the day he got screwed. He's a very good recruiter and coach.... well respected throughout the NESCAC.

As I said, LC, I would never question your grapevine and appreciate the information. There is apparently a defensive lineman from the Philadelphia area coming that has people excited.

Your comments about JBW are very interesting and it seems that Bowdoin continues to benefit from his efforts by using the staff, infrastructure, and culture that he has installed to recruit well. I agree that he should have been allowed his fifth year and hope that he secures a position that he deserves.

[NED3Guy]

While I don't doubt that Bowdoin is doing a thorough search; I think it's highly unlikely that they gave JB his walking papers without first having some talk with a targeted candidate to replace him.... My guess is that there's a veteran coach, possibly in the twilight of his career, who they feel they can convince to ride it out in Maine.

The hiring of Cosgrove at Colby, coupled with the lack of success JB was able to have at Bowdoin, has really changed the way I look at some of these bottom half nescac jobs. I no longer think of "up and comer" head coaches and coordinators for these jobs. Nothing kills the upward trajectory of a coaching career, like a head coaching job at a school that can't win; and Bowdoin has proven that they are a no win situation for a coach.

[lumbercat]

The duration of the Bowdoin HC selection process would have been shorter than this is Bowdoin had their guy. The timeframe from the date of the firing until present is one of most critical time windows in the recruiting year.  A lot of commitments being made now.....If you have your guy you don't delay the process to give the look that you are doing a national search.

[polbear73]

The duration of the Bowdoin HC selection process would have been shorter than this is Bowdoin had their guy. The timeframe from the date of the firing until present is one of most critical time windows in the recruiting year.  A lot of commitments being made now.....If you have your guy you don't delay the process to give the look that you are doing a national search.

This is very definitely a national search.  They wouldn't have engaged Parker Associates if otherwise.

[NED3Guy]

"National search" is a great term that gets thrown around a lot by college administrators.... Especially when the AD is essentially asking for a do over, after swinging and missing just four years ago. If I'm the Bowdoin president and the AD comes to me and says that he wants to move on from JB and pay him another year of his contract; I'm making sure that the search is promoted as a national search. But the reality is, coaches outside of this region don't see the NESCAC the same way we all do.

Who is the last NESCAC Head Coach to get hired that wasn't from (or already coaching in) the Northeast?

[polbear73]

NED3Guy: I cant think of any non Northeastern coach in recent history.

A better result remains to be seen but Bowdoin is running it's football program significantly differently than past searches and the methods have been enumerated on this board. The initiative of letting Coach Wells go is much more complicated than the AD simply going to the President and asking for a do over. Powerful constituents have been heard and the Administration has moved away from previous policies of benign neglect and adopted one of proactivity.

Again, there is no guarantee that these changes will produce the desired results, given the pathetic history. But there is a new business model in Brunswick. 

[lumbercat]

I believe Bates was the first, or one of the first NESCAC school to use Atlanta based Parker for a national search in the hiring of Malik Hall who came from  Penn. Bates has used this firm for their AD hires in the past as well.

Recently, like recruiting, the hiring process has begun to expand beyond New England and the greater Northeast.
That being said, NESCAC experience is a key attribute for any hire in the league so the process has often stayed local.

It will be interesting who the Bowdoin search brings to Brunswick. Any NESCAC search will always prominently include 2 conferences in the northeast in addition to the NESCAC with strong academic reputations....the Ivies and Patriot league coaches have always been perceived as being a good fit in the NESCAC.

[polbear73]

https://www.parkersearch.com/current-opportunities/bowdoin-college/head-football-coach

Spec sheet prepared by Parker

[frank uible]

When was the last time that a NESCAC college had a HFC from outside the northeastern seaboard - namely New England, NY, PA or DC?

[frank uible]

Include NJ.

[lumbercat]

Frank-
I'll take a guess....Don Miller?

[frank uible]

That's probably right. Miller was from DE.

[polbear73]

Mickey Heinecken?  Also a Delaware guy where he played and coached before Middlebury.  Seems he came to Vermont directly from Delaware with no stops in between.  Retired in 2000.  Responsible for the Michigan/Delaware winged helmet at Midd.

[lumbercat]

where did Ostendarp come from?