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Post by Yote 53 on Dec 15, 2015 16:00:52 GMT -6
It is really starting to sound to me like there was something going on internally at WIU. I don't know this but it all seems so strange what is going on there and wouldn't surprise me if Coach Bob has wanted out of there for some time. How would USD even know that Nielson was on the market and available? When the rumor of him being a candidate came up here it just seemed plausible to everybody, we didn't even bat an eye. Well, some of us argued why he would bother making the move, and some of us went point by point and outlined why USD was a better position than WIU. Guess Coach agreed with our assessment. Getting back to it, how did we even know he was on the market? Search committee and back channels come to mind. He had to have been somewhat open to a move and conveyed that to someone for us to even go in that direction. Now it appears there are assistants there who are speaking out about the administration, or at least something to somebody and it is getting out.
USD is getting blasted on the WIU board for "poaching" their coach. I don't see it that way. Something is going on there that made him open to leaving and it almost feels, given the reaction of the WIU administration, they knew this was a possibility.
Just kind of fascinating to me the inner workings of this. I bet it would make for an interesting story.
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Post by Coyote Fan on Dec 15, 2015 16:02:57 GMT -6
Link below is Nielson contract with WIU. Also, it appears WIU cancelled a press conference today to announce head coach. It was reported earlier that Tyler Yelk would have the job and 3/4 coaches were staying at WIU. It now appears that Nielson offered all staff at WIU to come with him. hkm.com/football/contracts/bob-nielson/Was just going to post that. Per footballscoop.com: Western Illinois: Per source, Western Illinois has cancelled their planned announcement for today, and is going to conduct a national search for their head coaching position. I feel really bad for Western Illinois today. They had things going in the right direction and now they might lose most of their staff to USD. I can understand if there is some ill will from them towards Nielsen and/or USD right now. Put yourself in the shoes of a Leather Neck fan right now. It would be very tough because the future isn't looking to promising right now. As good as we feel today is as tough as it is for the Leather Necks. Thank God USD is stepping up as a program right now. |
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Post by stlawson on Dec 15, 2015 16:04:07 GMT -6
It is really starting to sound to me like there was something going on internally at WIU. I don't know this but it all seems so strange what is going on there and wouldn't surprise me if Coach Bob has wanted out of there for some time. How would USD even know that Nielson was on the market and available? When the rumor of him being a candidate came up here it just seemed plausible to everybody, we didn't even bat an eye. Well, some of us argued why he would bother making the move, and some of us went point by point and outlined why USD was a better position than WIU. Guess Coach agreed with our assessment. Getting back to it, how did we even know he was on the market? Search committee and back channels come to mind. He had to have been somewhat open to a move and conveyed that to someone for us to even go in that direction. Now it appears there are assistants there who are speaking out about the administration, or at least something to somebody and it is getting out. USD is getting blasted on the WIU board for "poaching" their coach. I don't see it that way. Something is going on there that made him open to leaving and it almost feels, given the reaction of the WIU administration, they knew this was a possibility. Just kind of fascinating to me the inner workings of this. I bet it would make for an interesting story. I have nothing against USD. You guys made a better offer and got a decent coach. I don't like how Nielson handled things on our end, especially with the players, and I don't like how our administration is mishandling the situation now, but none of that is your fault. |
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Post by Coyote Fan on Dec 15, 2015 16:22:25 GMT -6
It is really starting to sound to me like there was something going on internally at WIU. I don't know this but it all seems so strange what is going on there and wouldn't surprise me if Coach Bob has wanted out of there for some time. How would USD even know that Nielson was on the market and available? When the rumor of him being a candidate came up here it just seemed plausible to everybody, we didn't even bat an eye. Well, some of us argued why he would bother making the move, and some of us went point by point and outlined why USD was a better position than WIU. Guess Coach agreed with our assessment. Getting back to it, how did we even know he was on the market? Search committee and back channels come to mind. He had to have been somewhat open to a move and conveyed that to someone for us to even go in that direction. Now it appears there are assistants there who are speaking out about the administration, or at least something to somebody and it is getting out. USD is getting blasted on the WIU board for "poaching" their coach. I don't see it that way. Something is going on there that made him open to leaving and it almost feels, given the reaction of the WIU administration, they knew this was a possibility. Just kind of fascinating to me the inner workings of this. I bet it would make for an interesting story. I have nothing against USD. You guys made a better offer and got a decent coach. I don't like how Nielson handled things on our end, especially with the players, and I don't like how our administration is mishandling the situation now, but none of that is your fault. I am sorry about how this all played out from your end. Losing what looks like the majority of your coaching staff to USD stings. The Yotes were opportunistic with this. I hope WIU can get back on their feet some how and be able to figure out a budget that is strong enough to be competitive in the Valley and in the Summit. It looks like there will be a little extra significance to this new rivalry now between the two programs. Maybe this is what it will take at Western Illinois to have you be able to come out of this stronger instead of weaker. |
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Post by Yote 53 on Dec 15, 2015 16:24:16 GMT -6
I heard conflicting reports as to how it was handled with the WIU players. I have heard that Coach had a meeting (the rumors were flying rampant so he had to) and told the players there was an open offer but he had not accepted at that time. I've also heard that he told the players he was not leaving. So two different stories. Not that it matters now but was just wondering what happened.
IMO, with the way socail media is today and everything gets out there, I don't have a problem when coaches flat out deny they are looking at moving or that there are offers made, etc. It's become straight business, unfortunately the players are the ones who get caught in the middle so I feel bad for them, but I can't fault a guy who wants to advance his career or has other personal reasons for taking one job over another. It's a free country and that's their choice.
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Post by imacoyote on Dec 15, 2015 16:30:34 GMT -6
It is really starting to sound to me like there was something going on internally at WIU. I don't know this but it all seems so strange what is going on there and wouldn't surprise me if Coach Bob has wanted out of there for some time. How would USD even know that Nielson was on the market and available? When the rumor of him being a candidate came up here it just seemed plausible to everybody, we didn't even bat an eye. Well, some of us argued why he would bother making the move, and some of us went point by point and outlined why USD was a better position than WIU. Guess Coach agreed with our assessment. Getting back to it, how did we even know he was on the market? Search committee and back channels come to mind. He had to have been somewhat open to a move and conveyed that to someone for us to even go in that direction. Now it appears there are assistants there who are speaking out about the administration, or at least something to somebody and it is getting out. USD is getting blasted on the WIU board for "poaching" their coach. I don't see it that way. Something is going on there that made him open to leaving and it almost feels, given the reaction of the WIU administration, they knew this was a possibility. Just kind of fascinating to me the inner workings of this. I bet it would make for an interesting story. You know it's funny, when listening to Jeff Thurn locally here he thought it was silly to use a Search Committee to hire a guy that was within our own conference. He can't seem to figure out why so many universities use these, even if it's for a guy that you know pretty well already. I won't claim to know everything about these search firms but I will say it helps give a coach plausible deniability while still maintaining interest in a job--in other words, he can say he's had no contact with the university. It also helps cast a wide net around anyone who might be interested in the position, even the more unlikely options like Nielson who seemed like someone who wouldn't be looking for a move. I don't know how this played out behind the scenes but I would guess that this search firm helped identify Nielson as a guy with interest in the job and it went from there. Nice job USD administration for ponying up and making what looks to be a smart hire and one that will pay dividends for years to come. We couldn't afford to fall another 5 years behind Brookings with a mediocre coach, so it appears we are at least on the right track. |
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Post by Yote 53 on Dec 15, 2015 16:56:07 GMT -6
Listening to clips from the presser and some things stand out to me.
- Coach Bob saying that he is impressed the leadership and the vision that USD is laying out at as a Division 1 football program. He also said somethign to the effect that when you get to his age quality people around you start becoming more important.
- When asked about leaving his players at WIU he said that it was tough, part of the business that nobody likes, and that he hopes it is the last time he has to do it.
I translate these snippets to mean that there are issues at WIU. We've all speculated on the financial woes they are having. Nielson had one year left on his contract, maybe he asked for an extension and didn't like the response he got. Maybe he was looking at a salary that had flatlined, or worse, reductions. Maybe WIU was not willing to put forth the resources he needed to stay competitive. I don't really know but all that seems plausible and could be reasons that a person would start to look around at other options.
Snippet number two is what really caught my attention. Of course nobody is going to talk about leaving on their first day and this is a total honeymoon phase, but given where he is in life I could see USD being the final destination in his career.
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Post by Yotes on Dec 15, 2015 17:32:25 GMT -6
Nielson really did heavily imply that he is seeking retirement at USD with his comments today. It's nice to hear him strongly state his dedication, but of course you will say that when trying to get the fanbase behind you. A statement like this should be taken with a grain of salt even without the current situation and terms he left WIU on.
What I really liked about the press conference today was the talk of football facility upgrades and that they will become the focus once our current projects end, right around the corner really. Nielson coming to terms with us really seemed to heavily depend on these upgraded facilities.
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Post by usdguy99 on Dec 15, 2015 17:45:28 GMT -6
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Post by Coyote Fan on Dec 15, 2015 18:02:24 GMT -6
Listening to clips from the presser and some things stand out to me. - Coach Bob saying that he is impressed the leadership and the vision that USD is laying out at as a Division 1 football program. He also said somethign to the effect that when you get to his age quality people around you start becoming more important. - When asked about leaving his players at WIU he said that it was tough, part of the business that nobody likes, and that he hopes it is the last time he has to do it. I translate these snippets to mean that there are issues at WIU. We've all speculated on the financial woes they are having. Nielson had one year left on his contract, maybe he asked for an extension and didn't like the response he got. Maybe he was looking at a salary that had flatlined, or worse, reductions. Maybe WIU was not willing to put forth the resources he needed to stay competitive. I don't really know but all that seems plausible and could be reasons that a person would start to look around at other options. Snippet number two is what really caught my attention. Of course nobody is going to talk about leaving on their first day and this is a total honeymoon phase, but given where he is in life I could see USD being the final destination in his career. Just to add to this. If the reason was money or stability that Nielsen left no one can blame him if that was the primary reason. I know if I could get a huge raise and had to move to another company to do so I would jump at it to especially if the company was more stable and the work conditions better. Most everyone would do the same. In sports as in business there is no loyalty. If you are not performing a business or sports program will get rid of you in a second. So when the shoe is on the other foot and your services are wanted by someone else you have every right to take advantage of that opportunity. It looks like USD was able to work around that one year contact crutch once again. However they were able to do it who knows, but they did it. If it's a secret agreement I have no problem with that. South Dakota needs to dig their head out of the sand on that policy. |
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Post by Coyote Fan on Dec 15, 2015 18:10:21 GMT -6
Interesting article, thanks for posting it  |
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ctc2010
Sophomore Member
Posts: 238 
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Post by ctc2010 on Dec 15, 2015 18:12:49 GMT -6
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Post by Cousin Eddie on Dec 15, 2015 19:20:38 GMT -6
What is he talking about? Who is reacting luke warm to this hire that is a coyote fan? The biggest critics I have seen are Jeff's colleagues at ESPN 99.1 - not coyote fans. |
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Post by Yote 53 on Dec 15, 2015 19:43:59 GMT -6
I was thinking the same thing. The article was fine until the end, he just pulled that out of his arse. I don't know any Coyote fans who aren't thrilled about this hiring.
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Post by coyotecrazie5 on Dec 15, 2015 19:55:31 GMT -6
I agree with Cuz & 53. Everything was right on until his perception of the reaction of Coyote fans.
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