Lennon gone

[homer]

Looks like according to the Herald, coach Lennon will be named head coach on Friday. Not good during recruiting. We where off to a good start too.

[GeauxSioux]

Read all about it.

Dale Lennon, who led UND to its only national football championship, will be named the head coach at Southern Illinois on Friday.

Sources confirmed Thursday afternoon that Lennon has accepted the job at Southern Illinois.

Southern Illinois is a Division I Football Championship Subdivision program. The Salukis are members of the Gateway Football Conference.

[UND92,96]

I'm speechless. I absolutely never expected Lennon to leave for another FCS job. I guess there was more to his flirtation with the Montana State job than just a strained relationship with Buning.

Now I'm not sure there's any realistic alternative but to promote Mussman. If not, we could be looking at having to hire an entirely new staff.

[UND Fan]

I'm speechless. I absolutely never expected Lennon to leave for another FCS job. I guess there was more to his flirtation with the Montana State job than just a strained relationship with Buning.

Wow - I certainly didn't expect that either. While this certainly isn't good for us, I am very happy for Dale. He is a great coach and will do well there (and probably beyond there!). Carbondale is a town of less than 30,000 people but the area supports SIU athletics very well. There are tons of kids to recruit within a couple of hundred miles (St. Louis, Nashville, etc.). It is probably a great place to raise a family!

Now, what do we do without an AD to expedite the process of naming a replacement???

I guess the conversations now begin regarding who will lead us going forward! I am sure it will be someone with UND ties but I am not sure it will be someone currently on the staff!

[siouxjoy]

[Siouxper Kev]

This just blows I liked Lennon alot. He got what he wanted in a D1 program and then leaves. What gives?

[UND Fan]

This just blows I liked Lennon alot. He got what he wanted in a D1 program and then leaves. What gives?

A lot more money and a team that will not be going through all of the challenges that UND will face in the next few years. You can't blame a guy for taking on a new challenge while taking better care of his family!

[SiouxMD]

[Siouxper Kev]

A lot more money and a team that will not be going through all of the challenges that UND will face in the next few years. You can't blame a guy for taking on a new challenge while taking better care of his family!

Do you think the money is that much different? Got me.

As for a new challenge... he just got it... when we moved from D2 to D1.

The one thing I can concure with is that he wont have to deal with the probationary period we have to deal with. I guess I can wish him luck, but the selfish part of me wanted him to stay.

[the"source"]

it's true!

[bincitysioux]

Wow.

Just Wow.

Bummer. I didn't see that coming at all. What an inopportune time to be searching for a head football coach.

Although we would probably have been less surprised if he took the Montana St. job last year, SIU is a way better job. They were in the national semi-finals last season, are expecting to build a new stadium in the near future, and his predecessor at SIU Jerry Kill, was the highest paid coach in the FCS.

I expected that coach Lennon would move on some day, but with him turning down Sacramento St. and Montana St., and with the DI move, facility upgrades, and the removal of his superior, I was just not expecting it at this time. I wish Dale the best of luck, but I admit I'm a bit disappointed with his decision at this time.

[GeauxSioux]

I join those in astonishment. I thought this was just a wild message board rumor and didn't really give it much credence. Well, I hope someone in the Athletic Department was working on this.

Good Luck at SIU, Dale.

[homer]

I keep thinking about this and the WOW" factor anouncement he talked about a few weeks ago. I know they are unrelated but that was my reaction when I saw the headline. Actually I can't post my initial reaction but "WOW" sums it up I guess. Good luck Coach. Your leadership and coaching ability will truely be missed during this transition.

[Cratter]

He's going to regret leaving UND just like Blais.

[tjbison]

He's going to regret leaving UND just like Blais.

Dale has gone to a Very good FCS school, I wish he would have stayed at UND to Build a Program thru the Transition, but this may also open the door for an up and coming coach to shine!! Not to bring it up as smack, but Bohl has done well, and this same scenario could just as easy play out for you guys. Good Luck!!

[coach daddy]

This whole DI move brought about by football and the need for more scholarships/money and getting the Bison back on the schedule. Now, the year we move, the head football guy leaves for greener pastures. Good riddance, Coach. You'll miss us more than we'll miss you!!!!

[redwing77]

He's going to regret leaving UND just like Blais.

No one is going to regret leaving UND more than Roger Thomas.

[DI IN FARGO]

No one is going to regret leaving UND more than Roger Thomas.

You know that brings up a good point. RT will be looking for a job I'm sure without the NCC job. Doesn't he still own a home up in GF?

[bison fan north of GF]

You know that brings up a good point. RT will be looking for a job I'm sure without the NCC job. Doesn't he still own a home up in GF?

I dont think that is something that will work. He is not going to want to go back in the "fire" at this point in his career, he would be more suited for AD than a head coach.

[DI IN FARGO]

I dont think that is something that will work. He is not going to want to go back in the "fire" at this point in his career, he would be more suited for AD than a head coach.

Man if he was to get the AD position that would put any chance of a game many want out of reach IMHO. He didn't do anything to help the relations between the two universities. I sure hope they get someone else who is better qualified and brings less baggage.

[The Sicatoka]

I do enjoy (allegedly knowledgeable) Bison fans discussing former UND coaches and UND topics oh so ....

[82SiouxGuy]

Man if he was to get the AD position that would put any chance of a game many want out of reach IMHO. He didn't do anything to help the relations between the two universities. I sure hope they get someone else who is better qualified and brings less baggage.

Not a chance that RT will be back as either AD or football coach and I doubt that he would be interested.

[The Sicatoka]

It's Buning's fault!

And why didn't the insiders tell us Buning was screwing this up before it happened?

(Sorry, I just felt obliged.)

PS - Sac State. Montana State. Now Southern Illinois. Third time (that we know of) is the charm.

[GeauxSioux]

It's Buning's fault!

And why didn't the insiders tell us Buning was screwing this up before it happened?

(Sorry, I just felt obliged.)

PS - Sac State. Montana State. Now Southern Illinois. Third time (that we know of) is the charm.

[fightingsioux4life]

This whole thing stinks to high heaven. By all accounts, Lennon seemed happy about the direction the program was going in terms of facility upgrades, recruiting, fundraising, ect. Just a few weeks back on 740am, he was telling Dan Hammer about the schedule for the next two years and how excited he was about the future of the program. Now, all of a sudden, he's gone.

I am willing to bet some serious money that there is some political garbage going on behind the scenes that Lennon wasn't willing to put up with. He turned down two other FCS jobs before this one. Our program is moving up to FCS with resources that are already as good or better than some FCS schools. His kids are still school-age. A couple of years ago, we upgraded his contract to keep him. If he had gotten a job at an FBS school (even if it was an assistant coaching position), I would understand this. But this doesn't add up.

Who's next, Dave Hakstol?