Former Louisville Cardinal and University of Michigan defensive coordinator Ron English was named as the head football coach at EMU today during a 1 pm press conference in the atrium of Eastern's Convocation Center.
English, whose Cardinals were in the top 30 in total defense and top 10 in defensive scoring thru the first 8 weeks of this past season, will bring in a tough, aggresive style of play that Eastern was missing for the first four years and 10 games of the Jeff Genyk era.
English said today that he knows Eastern will return a key offensive core that allowed Andy Schmitt to excel last season, but it's the defense that has been the achillies heel of the Eagles.
"We've got a long way to go on defense," English said. "But I'm not going to force my system. I'm going to alter my methods to fit the personnel we have. I'm passionate about turning this program around and I'm going to turn it around quickly."
English's passion was one thing EMU Athletic Director Dr. Derrick Gragg said was influential in appointing the new coach.
"His passion for the game of football, for the young men he coaches and his passion for doing things the right way in order to turn this football team around let me know that he was the perfect hire. Andy (Schmitt) was another guy who loved Ron's passion. As soon as Ron left the room, Andy said that Ron was a guy he really wanted to play for. That means a lot coming from the starting quarterback."
Former U of M head coach Lloyd Carr was an unpaid assistant in the recruiting process. Dr. Gragg mentioned that there were eight potential candidates for the job, four of whom were from the state of Michigan and one of whom withdrew his candidacy prior to his interview.
Personally, I'm "cautiously optimistic" about the hiring of English. He's got a good connection with so many high school coaches in the state due to his five years at Michigan. He's lived in Washtenaw county for nearly six years. He's a change of pace from Genyk. He's got 15 years of coaching experience. And he's coached on a very high level as Big 10 and Big East coordinator. That's where my optimism lies. My cautiousness lies in the fact that Eastern still doesn't have the personnel on the field yet to effectively compete against the top teams in the MAC. Scouts that English will be going after will be a tough sign as Eastern hasn't been able to fill Rynearson, and the stain Genyk and his predecessor Jeff Woodruff left aren't easily removable. The addage "Winning cures all" isn't a fallacy. Let's hope English takes that to heart.
GOOOOOOOOOOO EAGLES!!!
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5 comments:
I'm going to go ahead and say...Rong English is the answer. Next year, 6 wins!!!! Hear we come bowl game. Maybe we can be a part of the "Govt Bailout Bowl"?
I stoked. I've already come up with some slogans the Eagles can use for the upcoming '09 season:
"English, the official language of EMU football."
Putting the "Ron" back in GridiRON.
Those are FREE others will cost ya!
Where do they come from, Slice?
"English: The official language of EMU Football!"
That's money, son!
Slice- You are a marketing KING!
Seriously though, I know nothing about football, but I know EMU...
I'm excited for Coach English!
English, I've been known to email coaches in the past. I won't dog you on the field but I will via World Wide Web. I also know the difference between bad coaching, and poor player execution. So don't worry, I'll facebook that player and ask him if he wants a tip from an Intramural ASIC Flag Football champion.
Good Luck.
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