new coach?

[dlsiouxfan]

Mussman and Tibesar would both be excellent choices. They both are excellent recruiters and both should receive as much credit as Lennon for our success over the past 5 years. Both have brought a lot of excellent recruits in from Wisconsin (Tibesar) and Mussman (MSP).

That being said I would hope Coach Lennon would at least have some interest in making sure the coaching change goes somewhat smoothly. Cherry picking the coaching staff before he leaves will almost ensure that it doesn't. He owes the players at least this much.

[Hambone]

Just thinking out loud here - what about Tom Sawyer from Winona? He's done a good job down there with very little funding (16 or so scholarships), so maybe he'd be good with more money to work with? Or, maybe if Mussman gets the job bring him in as OC? Like I said, just thinking out loud, and not sure if this is realistic, just wanted to get some discussion around others than Mussman and Tibesar.

[coach daddy]

Brekke will do fine. He will do what's the best for the program. And that's why I believe it will be someone internal or with UND ties. I believe he knows more about UND athletic's than Buning. Who would you rather have pick the next coach Buning or Brekke?

If those are my 2 options, I truly don't know. That's why I say, this is a mess. Not a little spill mess, a big oil slick in the ocean mess. Not good, not good at all. I wonder how many other coaches are looking to bolt b/4 the move to DI? Roebuck, Jones; do we have a baseball coach in place yet?

[The Phoenix]

Okay, it's time to start pointing fingers:

What is everyone's opinion of what led to do Lennon's leaving? To blame all this on Bunning seems a bit naive to me at best and just plain stupid at worst, but want to hear other opinions....

[sioooux]

Okay, it's time to start pointing fingers:

What is everyone's opinion of what led to do Lennon's leaving? To blame all this on Bunning seems a bit naive to me at best and just plain stupid at worst, but want to hear other opinions....

I think if we would have gone through transition with NDSU a few years ago I think he would have stuck around a lot longer. I'm sure there are more reasons also. Just my opinion.

[siouxkid12]

Okay, it's time to start pointing fingers:

What is everyone's opinion of what led to do Lennon's leaving? To blame all this on Bunning seems a bit naive to me at best and just plain stupid at worst, but want to hear other opinions....

Blame Bunning? Coaches leave football programs every year for better positions and the SIU job currently is a better position. Lennon was about to leave even with Bunning here so you can't even blame this on anyone.

New coaches....I would have to believe that Bubba is up top along with a few assistants but what I want to know is who is going to SIU with Lennon? Schmidt? Losing Schmidt would be a huge blow to UND because he does a lot of the recruiting and is a great coach and it will be only a matter of time before he is a HC somewhere. He was my football coach in HS my senior year and he seems like he is a lot like Lennon; straight forward and cares about his players.

[mavfan1956]

I have a great suggestion. Why don't you bring back Pat Berhrns. He won 6 ncc titles at uno, he has a great winning percentage and I heard the late ralph englestad liked the guy. I know the guy can't win in the playoffs but maybe a fresh start up there in the tundra will help the poor guy. Also, he knows the town and univ. well so you can skip his orientation program - he will be off and running on day 1.

As a long suffering maverick fan I am pleading with you to offer behrns the head job so we can possibly take our program to the next level. PLEASE!!

Pat Behrns - Head Coach of the UND Sioux. Has a nice ring to it and I know Behrns has always wanted to coach in D1aa or whatever the heck it is called these days. I think he will work cheaply!! Hire Berhns!!!!

[Siouxdonyms]

Announced on the hockey game that Mussman has submitted his application for the job. No big surprise there.

[SiouxMD]

I have a great suggestion. Why don't you bring back Pat Berhrns. He won 6 ncc titles at uno, he has a great winning percentage and I heard the late ralph englestad liked the guy. I know the guy can't win in the playoffs but maybe a fresh start up there in the tundra will help the poor guy. Also, he knows the town and univ. well so you can skip his orientation program - he will be off and running on day 1.

As a long suffering maverick fan I am pleading with you to offer behrns the head job so we can possibly take our program to the next level. PLEASE!!

Pat Behrns - Head Coach of the UND Sioux. Has a nice ring to it and I know Behrns has always wanted to coach in D1aa or whatever the heck it is called these days. I think he will work cheaply!! Hire Berhns!!!!

Great first post but no thanks. An undercover Bison fan offered us Coach Bohl as well but I turned him down...

[UND92,96]

I look at this situation somewhat similarly to what we saw after RT took the UND a.d. job in 1999. You had the in-house candidate (offensive coordinator Randy Hedberg), and the popular ex-defensive coordinator (Lennon). Now, we have the in-house candidate (Mussman), and potentially the popular ex-defensive coordinator (Tim Tibesar). I'd like to see history repeat itself with this hire. I believe this is too important of a decision not to open things up to outside candidates. Yes, that may have an adverse effect on this year's recruiting class, but that's a small price to pay in the long run. I mean no disrespect to Mussman, but he's apparently been trying for several years to land a head coaching job, and he's not been able to do so. If that's true, it concerns me.

[siouxfriend]

Okay, it's time to start pointing fingers:

What is everyone's opinion of what led to do Lennon's leaving? To blame all this on Bunning seems a bit naive to me at best and just plain stupid at worst, but want to hear other opinions....

There are no fingers to point. Dale was not looking. SIU came to him and offered him a 100k more than he currently makes. Who here would turn that down? Mussman will be the next coach. Dale has complete faith in his abilities, and we should too.

[UND92,96]

There are no fingers to point. Dale was not looking. SIU came to him and offered him a 100k more than he currently makes. Who here would turn that down? Mussman will be the next coach. Dale has complete faith in his abilities, and we should too.

Ironically enough, I believe Jerry Kill also endorsed the SIU offensive coordinator to be his successor.

[MplsBison]

If it was simply a matter of money for Lennon to leave his dream job as the HC at the school he played at ... how much money is Tibesar making at KSU?

[UND92,96]

If it was simply a matter of money for Lennon to leave his dream job as the HC at the school he played at ... how much money is Tibesar making at KSU?

A lot more than he'd make as the head coach at UND. But some decisions are not just money-driven.

[Matt]

A lot more than he'd make as the head coach at UND. But some decisions are not just money-driven.

That's easy to write on a message board, but hard to practice. Most folks, even if they really wanted the job, couldn't just take a big pay cut. We all have a tendency to spend at a level at or above our income and cant just choose to make significantly less and still easily make our monthly payments. Tibesar is paid well, but not Nick Saban well.

[UND92,96]

That's easy to write on a message board, but hard to practice. Most folks, even if they really wanted the job, couldn't just take a big pay cut. We all have a tendency to spend at a level at or above our income and cant just choose to make significantly less and still easily make our monthly payments. Tibesar is paid well, but not Nick Saban well.

A lot of things are easy to say on a message board. But how many of us have actually spoken to Tibesar? How secure is the Kansas State situation? How happy is he there? These are things most of us can't answer. I don't pretend that I can. But some people who are pretty close to the program claim he's interested in the UND job. That alone makes it worth at least talking to him if I'm Steve Brekke. If money is always the be all/end all in the world of college coaching, how does one explain why Bohl is still in Fargo? Don't you suppose he made a heck of a lot more at Nebraska before he was fired? Conventional wisdom might suggest he'd be anxious to get back to that level (or preferably above) as soon as possible.

[Matt]

A lot of things are easy to say on a message board. But how many of us have actually spoken to Tibesar? How secure is the Kansas State situation? How happy is he there? These are things most of us can't answer. I don't pretend that I can. But some people who are pretty close to the program claim he's interested in the UND job. That alone makes it worth at least talking to him if I'm Steve Brekke. If money is always the be all/end all in the world of college coaching, how does one explain why Bohl is still in Fargo? Don't you suppose he made a heck of a lot more at Nebraska before he was fired? Conventional wisdom might suggest he'd be anxious to get back to that level (or preferably above) as soon as possible.

I wouldn't argue money is always the be all/end all. However, with a division 1 assistant, it isn't as though he's already signed a contract that secures his retirement. I wouldn't think it should be easy for him to take a significant pay cut. I do think he's a great candidate, but how much do you offer him? Does he deserve anything close to what Dale was making? Dale was here for a long time, and made two national title appearances. Unless I've been misinformed, Tibesar has no college head coaching experience. I'd be all for giving him the opportunity, but how much do you pay him, and will it be enough to allow him to leave KSU?

As far as Bohl goes, once again I don't argue money is the be all/end all. I'm sure he did make more money as an assistant, but a paycheck from NDSU also beats unemployment. But with him, I'd definitely be shocked if he left for less money.

[UND92,96]

I wouldn't argue money is always the be all/end all. However, with a division 1 assistant, it isn't as though he's already signed a contract that secures his retirement. I wouldn't think it should be easy for him to take a significant pay cut. I do think he's a great candidate, but how much do you offer him? Does he deserve anything close to what Dale was making? Dale was here for a long time, and made two national title appearances. Unless I've been misinformed, Tibesar has no college head coaching experience. I'd be all for giving him the opportunity, but how much do you pay him, and will it be enough to allow him to leave KSU?

As far as Bohl goes, once again I don't argue money is the be all/end all. I'm sure he did make more money as an assistant, but a paycheck from NDSU also beats unemployment. But with him, I'd definitely be shocked if he left for less money.

The salary for a head football coach at UND is already budgeted. I would have absolutely no problem paying Tibesar what Lennon was scheduled to make. FCS football is supposed to be a step up, right? While one could argue that taking a paycut makes little sense, again how do we know that Prince's job isn't in serious jeopardy? Does it make more sense for Tibesar to just wait for the axe to fall? Maybe this would just be an example of being proactive; getting head coaching experience; and going back to his alma mater (and his wife's home town).

[mksioux]

What a mess.

It should be opened up externally, but it won't be because of the horrible timing of Dale's departure.

So, in sum, it's Mussman (whether or not he is the best option).

[UND92,96]

What a mess.

It should be opened up externally, but it won't be because of the horrible timing of Dale's departure.

So, in sum, it's Mussman (whether or not he is the best option).

I just can't buy that timing requires a hire from within. I'd rather hire the right coach and take a probable hit to one recruiting class than to pass over the ideal candidate. It's not like we have a national championship to shoot for during the next four years.

[RD17]

The thing to remember with Tibesar is that Kansas State is not a stable situation right now. Ron Prince is quickly wearing out his welcome with KSU supporters (I live in Kansas City and have seen it first hand) and assistant coaches have been leaving at an alarming rate.

Plus, Prince is even under more pressure because Kansas and Missouri had unprecedented success in football this year. Unless KSU has a major turnaround next season, it will likely be Prince's last year in Manhattan, IMO.

Yes, Tibesar would make more money next year at Kansas State, but the opportunity to be a head coach and the chance to get into a more stable environment at UND might be too good to pass up. One year from now Tibesar could easily be out of a job if he stays at KSU.

[dlsiouxfan]

Mussman is the front-runner and Tibesar would be given consideration if he is in fact interested (which seem doubful). Mussman would be an excellent choice. He's turned down other head coaching jobs in the past. Mankato has offered him their job twice and I'm sure some other schools have knocked on his door as well. He's recruited a lot of the kids on our roster and even though Lennon won the awards, Mussman was out there doing most of the legwork. Plus, the evidence speaks for itself when he's been given free reign to run the offense as he has the last two years. Besides, other than Tibesar I can't think of a compelling outside candidate who I'd find better than Mussman. I mean really what have Tesch and Schweigert shown as head coaches. Neither has really had tremendous success. Sawyer would be a poor choice unless you'd like to see UND running gimmick offenses and hoping to bore their opponents to death. We stand more to lose than a single recruiting class by wasting time on an external search that may or may not turn up a candidate better than Mussman. Their isn't anything keeping our current players here. You risk losing alot of them if you bring in an outside candidate who wants his to do things his way and with his players.

[UND92,96]

Mussman is the front-runner and Tibesar would be given consideration if he is in fact interested (which seem doubful). Mussman would be an excellent choice. He's turned down other head coaching jobs in the past. Mankato has offered him their job twice and I'm sure some other schools have knocked on his door as well. He's recruited a lot of the kids on our roster and even though Lennon won the awards, Mussman was out there doing most of the legwork. Plus, the evidence speaks for itself when he's been given free reign to run the offense as he has the last two years. Besides, other than Tibesar I can't think of a compelling outside candidate who I'd find better than Mussman. I mean really what have Tesch and Schweigert shown as head coaches. Neither has really had tremendous success. Sawyer would be a poor choice unless you'd like to see UND running gimmick offenses and hoping to bore their opponents to death. We stand more to lose than a single recruiting class by wasting time on an external search that may or may not turn up a candidate better than Mussman. Their isn't anything keeping our current players here. You risk losing alot of them if you bring in an outside candidate who wants his to do things his way and with his players.

Feel free to doubt Tibesar's interest, but it wouldn't be difficult to confirm or refute. Remember, his brother is on the team. I'd be very interested to know which of the two the majority of the players would prefer.

[siouxfantastic]

Would if be a option for Tibesar to be the next head coach where he is now? That might be something he is thinking about. What is his relationship with the administration there?

[star2city]

Mussman is the front-runner and Tibesar would be given consideration if he is in fact interested (which seem doubful). Mussman would be an excellent choice. He's turned down other head coaching jobs in the past. Mankato has offered him their job twice and I'm sure some other schools have knocked on his door as well. He's recruited a lot of the kids on our roster and even though Lennon won the awards, Mussman was out there doing most of the legwork. Plus, the evidence speaks for itself when he's been given free reign to run the offense as he has the last two years. Besides, other than Tibesar I can't think of a compelling outside candidate who I'd find better than Mussman. I mean really what have Tesch and Schweigert shown as head coaches. Neither has really had tremendous success. Sawyer would be a poor choice unless you'd like to see UND running gimmick offenses and hoping to bore their opponents to death. We stand more to lose than a single recruiting class by wasting time on an external search that may or may not turn up a candidate better than Mussman. Their isn't anything keeping our current players here. You risk losing alot of them if you bring in an outside candidate who wants his to do things his way and with his players.

Those are good points, but what about the 3-4 defensive coaching? Since Bubba and Tibesar left, the defense has declined. Those two know how to implement that defense well. Bubba seems headed to SIU as def coordinator, which seems much more suited for him than head coaching material.

Mussman and Tibesar seem like the only real choices for the program to stay in rhythm. Tibesar, however, seems to have more upside (but more likely to leave quickly, also).