2008 Woodie Awards
The right man for the job
Ben Nielsen
Issue date: 8/31/07 Section: Sports
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I do not know Keith Allen. I have never had a long conversation with him. I haven't had a meal with him. All I know about the guy is from press releases from the athletic department. That is it.
I say all of this because I do not want to give the impression that I am the end all, be all of knowledge of our new interim head football coach. However, I do know one thing about Coach Allen - he is exactly the right person for this job.
There are few secrets out there about my feelings towards Southwest Baptist University football. I have never had an issue with the players, at least the ones who did not break the law, but I have had more than my fair share of questions regarding the leadership of SBU football.
What SBU football, and to be quite frank, SBU in general, has been missing is an identity. Few people at this University can identify with an athlete at SBU. University administration openly admits that the reason why we have a football team is because it boosts enrollment and diversity. We do not have a football team to win or build tradition of success, we have a football team because 110 players equals 110 tuitions. This is not an identity. It is a disgrace.
When former head coach Jack Peavey resigned, he wrote the following in a letter to the public:
"I came to SBU with a very detailed and precise plan on how to get this football program competitive in the MIAA. I soon realized that our school's awareness and commitment to a winning football program would have to drastically change if we were to be competitive. Developing a plan for success inside the existing SBU academic environment became a massive undertaking."
To this statement and the rest of this letter, Dr. C. Pat Taylor responded with this in a press release:
"We're thankful for his hard work, which led to an increase in the number of football players."
Quick analysis is simply this: This is an embarrassing mess.
This is where Allen comes in. He was here for all of this. He has been the defensive coordinator for the Bearcats since 2005. He knew what was going on here. He knows what the administration's purpose is for this program. He knows the beast that is Peavey. He knows it all. And now, after all of this, he is the guy in charge.
What does he do? He does not focus on himself. He does not focus on building a resume to get a better job next season. He says, according to linebacker coach E.J.... Junior, we want to build a community. We want to build spiritually sound men who contribute to the community they are in.
Not only are they saying those things, but they are enacting them. During the summer, they went to church as a team. They contributed money to a child in need as a team. They used the time in between practices to help move in new students during Welcome Week as a team.
A simple as this sounds, it is such a stark difference from a team mired in legal issues and scandal. I almost have no clue who they are anymore.
I do not know what is in store for the Bearcats this season or the seasons to come. I do know this, I am rooting for the football team this season. Not because they wear purple and white, but because of what they stand for.
I say all of this because I do not want to give the impression that I am the end all, be all of knowledge of our new interim head football coach. However, I do know one thing about Coach Allen - he is exactly the right person for this job.
There are few secrets out there about my feelings towards Southwest Baptist University football. I have never had an issue with the players, at least the ones who did not break the law, but I have had more than my fair share of questions regarding the leadership of SBU football.
What SBU football, and to be quite frank, SBU in general, has been missing is an identity. Few people at this University can identify with an athlete at SBU. University administration openly admits that the reason why we have a football team is because it boosts enrollment and diversity. We do not have a football team to win or build tradition of success, we have a football team because 110 players equals 110 tuitions. This is not an identity. It is a disgrace.
When former head coach Jack Peavey resigned, he wrote the following in a letter to the public:
"I came to SBU with a very detailed and precise plan on how to get this football program competitive in the MIAA. I soon realized that our school's awareness and commitment to a winning football program would have to drastically change if we were to be competitive. Developing a plan for success inside the existing SBU academic environment became a massive undertaking."
To this statement and the rest of this letter, Dr. C. Pat Taylor responded with this in a press release:
"We're thankful for his hard work, which led to an increase in the number of football players."
Quick analysis is simply this: This is an embarrassing mess.
This is where Allen comes in. He was here for all of this. He has been the defensive coordinator for the Bearcats since 2005. He knew what was going on here. He knows what the administration's purpose is for this program. He knows the beast that is Peavey. He knows it all. And now, after all of this, he is the guy in charge.
What does he do? He does not focus on himself. He does not focus on building a resume to get a better job next season. He says, according to linebacker coach E.J.... Junior, we want to build a community. We want to build spiritually sound men who contribute to the community they are in.
Not only are they saying those things, but they are enacting them. During the summer, they went to church as a team. They contributed money to a child in need as a team. They used the time in between practices to help move in new students during Welcome Week as a team.
A simple as this sounds, it is such a stark difference from a team mired in legal issues and scandal. I almost have no clue who they are anymore.
I do not know what is in store for the Bearcats this season or the seasons to come. I do know this, I am rooting for the football team this season. Not because they wear purple and white, but because of what they stand for.
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