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Post by AustinHoya03 on Dec 20, 2005 13:27:17 GMT -5
Story from GUHoyas.comguhoyas.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/122005aaa.htmlBenson's Coaching Record, 1993-2005www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/coaching/alltime_coach_year_by_year.php?coachid=155Bob Benson will be remembered as a good football coach that led Georgetown to its first conference championship and moved the program up to a top-notch I-AA league. Although his teams struggled in the Patriot League, there is no doubt in my mind that Coach Benson never lost sight of his goal to build a successful program with the support of the student body at Georgetown. I hope Benson's successor works just as hard toward the same goal. Whoever Georgetown's next football coach turns out to be, he'll have big shoes to fill.
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TBird41
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Post by TBird41 on Dec 20, 2005 13:54:03 GMT -5
Nothing against the guy, but I think that its probably for the best. He did accomplished a lot, but he just seemed overmatched in the Patriot League.
Wonder who they are going to go after to be the Head Coach? Maybe someone w/ an offensive background?
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GIGAFAN99
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Post by GIGAFAN99 on Dec 20, 2005 14:04:37 GMT -5
Holy @#$%!
Thoughts on the replacement yet?
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Post by 3706R on Dec 20, 2005 14:10:59 GMT -5
I wonder where he will end up?
Join Lembo as D Coordinator at Elon? Head Coach at Lehigh? Former opponents Butler and VMI have HC openings, Maybe there? Maybe somewhere on the 1-A level?
As far as an Offensive minded replacement.....Former O-Coordinator Tim Breslin? Long time assistant and recent D-coordinator Rob Sgarlata as a replacment?
Any thoughts?
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Jack
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Post by Jack on Dec 20, 2005 14:11:18 GMT -5
Too bad, I really liked Benson from my undergrad days and thought he had a great vision for the program. Something did not work out right in that equation of the last few years and with a new AD, I am not really surprised to see a change. I don't know enough about I-AA football to really diagnose the next step, but football definitely lost its biggest booster on campus. Maybe the next guy will figure out how to get more support for the program, but I don't know where it will come from.
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DFW HOYA
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Post by DFW HOYA on Dec 20, 2005 14:25:13 GMT -5
The terse statement and the lack of benedictory comments from Bob (as compared to Pete Lembo's resignation from Lehigh) is not encouraging.
Bob Benson did as much for Georgetown football as anyone since Jack Hagerty and Rory Quirk.
More on this in a full report this evening.
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FormerHoya
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Post by FormerHoya on Dec 20, 2005 14:27:54 GMT -5
I'm going to withhold judgment for now. I remain a Benson supporter, but clearly things had not been working out in the past few seasons.
As it stands, I know that they will not find anyone who works harder at the job, but if they can find someone who is able to be more successful with the same resources, then it would appear to be a good move.
In any case, Thank you Coach Benson, good luck in your next spot...
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Post by njhoya on Dec 20, 2005 14:29:01 GMT -5
I thought that with them letting Coach Uzelac go that it would have bought Coach Benson at least another year. This being prime recruiting time, it's a tough time to lose 3 coaches. I've been told that AD Muir is a very sharp guy with wide ranging contacts. With that in mind I would be pretty surprised if he didn't already have someone in mind who he knew was interested in the job. Normally, a HC buys a year by letting an OC go, since the OC is gone the only thing I can think of is that Muir has a candidate he is confident in. That' my 2 cents.
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Post by njhoya on Dec 20, 2005 14:32:56 GMT -5
Good point by DFW, reading between the lines it appears pretty evident that it wasn't Coach Benson's idea to leave. If Muir let him go without someone he likes "already in the can", his timing is not good for the recruiting effort.
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Post by jerseyhoya34 on Dec 20, 2005 14:46:07 GMT -5
I think it is easy to be risk averse and say we can't do better if these reports about his work ethic and what not hold up on more extensive inspection. It is easy to say we can't do better because we know about problems with funding.
At the same time, I remember some of these same "Chicken Little" assessments in April 2004, and that hire worked out just fine. As in that case, the situation here involves underperformance on the field and merited attention to some degree. This hire will be the most important decision thus far in Muir's tenure, although it will most certainly take place in close consultation with DeGioia.
I would suggest that there may be other issues in play here, and we should not speculate about them. I have heard enough to make me believe that Muir would not be in the wrong IF Benson was forced out, but we do not have anything in the realm of confirmation that he was indeed forced out.
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hoya34
Member
I ain't seen you doin no endzone dancin Marvel.
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Post by hoya34 on Dec 20, 2005 15:19:48 GMT -5
I think Rob Sgarlata has earned a shot at the head coaching spot. He's a class act and he's done a great job with the defense the past few seasons.
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Post by AustinHoya03 on Dec 20, 2005 15:30:33 GMT -5
This is a little weird. Or maybe it's standard practice, but I've just never seen it before. The story that went out over the wires is exactly the same as the GUHoyas.com story, but it contains an extra paragraph, which reads: However, after the 1999 campaign the program has been on a steady downward spiral. The team has not had a winning record in the last six years, going 24-42 over that span, including 4-7 this past season. Most of that time coincides with the team's move into the Patriot League, which came in 2001. You can see the whole thing for yourselves here.
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Post by njhoya on Dec 20, 2005 15:31:12 GMT -5
Hopefully, whomever comes in won't just let the entire staff go. There are some pretty good coaches/recruiters still with the program.
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CAHoya07
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Post by CAHoya07 on Dec 20, 2005 15:36:53 GMT -5
"A national search for a new head coach will begin immediately." Sound familiar?
In all honesty, Benson seemed like a great guy and did some great things for us, but I think that this was his time to go. The team just couldn't ever put it together on the field, and the program has been mired in a stasis since the jump to the Patriot League in 2000. Anybody who saw our offense this year knew that something had to change.
I have no clue who we'll hire, but I hope that we hire the right guy with a good football background, preferably outside of the program like we did with JT III to inject new life into football here. I also hope that it happens sooner rather than later to minimize the impact on recruiting.
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Post by stdno2man on Dec 20, 2005 15:51:48 GMT -5
I refuse to believe the A.D. with his background at Notre Dame is not in the loop when it comes to coaches that are available. I would hope Scarlata is given full consideration and the job. However if he has to go outside I wouldn't be surprised if he brought in an assistant coach from the 1-A level. There are some hotshot assistants who know the quickest way to get a D-1 headcoaching job is through being a D-1AA head coach. In fact this was stated as much by Georgia's former defensive coordinator two weeks ago when he took over Georgia Southern. Of note is Paul Sewak who was fired had close to a 80% winning percentage. That said even if he brings in someone he should insist they keep Scarlata. There needs to be some continuity and there's no one better to do that then Coach Scarlata.
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eagle36
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Post by eagle36 on Dec 20, 2005 15:52:38 GMT -5
players had no idea this was coming they knew about the OC but Benson said he had at least one more year
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Post by ntbhoyas on Dec 20, 2005 16:13:36 GMT -5
I think this decision was overdue. After 6 losing seasons, the only one that can be held accountable is Bob Benson. He did a good job in the MAAC (arguably the worst of the 1-AA conferences), and was certainly a driving force behind getting approval for the new stadium, but the players on those patriot league teams worked too hard to not enjoy at least some modest success in the new league (is .500 too much to ask?). I don't think they would ever get there under Benson, he just wasn't a Patriot League-caliber head coach.
I am excited for the change and looking forward to the team winning under improved leadership and play-calling. Let's be honest here, the Georgetown football team has got to get over this culture of losing before they can expect more fans, more exposure, and more financial support. Today, the program took a step in that direction.
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FormerHoya
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Post by FormerHoya on Dec 20, 2005 16:27:40 GMT -5
Apparently Sgarlata really improved himself in the eyes of everyone since my time there. There was a point when the thought of him as HC would have had many people (including yours truly) cringing mightily.
Just wondering, what exactly has he done that makes everyone believe that he is the answer at HC?
Please don't bring up that he is the DC, Benson is the DC regardless of the title.
I'm not trying to say anything bad about Sgarlata, I'm just surprised that people are this interested in him as HC. Loyalty is a great quality, but shouldn't determine the next *ahem*Esherick *ahem* Head Coach.
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nychoya3
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Post by nychoya3 on Dec 20, 2005 16:40:48 GMT -5
So where do coaches come from at the Patriot League level? Do people think we'll be looking at a coordinator from a league school? Would a IA coordinator be interested or would GU be a step down? NFL position coach? I really have no clue about the salary comps/prestige. I would hope that with the MSF on it's way, we make a committment to a guy who can get us to the next level (contending for the Patriot League title.) Someone give Jim Schwartz a call. Maybe he has some names. Hell, maybe he'll coach the team! Or maybe not. Sorry it ended this way with Coach Benson. He was a good guy.
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hoya4ever
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Post by hoya4ever on Dec 20, 2005 16:41:49 GMT -5
This being prime recruiting time, it's a tough time to lose 3 coaches. Three coaches? Who else left besides coach Benson and coach U?
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